EA have scored a screamer with Fifa 09!
While the PES series has been getting worse every year and hasnt been changing anything the fifa series has had its chance to take the torch as the best footie series and they have done it with their latest installment fifa 09.
Im an all round football fan and I play both Fifa and PES im not a fanboy of either of the two series' I like them both. I usually get both games every year.
While 08 last year was probably the best fifa game ever to come out it still had many things that needed addressing including: sloppy AI, weird looking players with plastic looking bodies etc I think we all know what was frustrating about that game right?
Well EA had the chance with 09 to fix those things and practically make the game what seems nearly perfect. Improvements this year include: better graphpics and player design they have gotten rid of the plasticy look,a much greater AI and ball contol system an improved shooting system and there is also refs and linesmen visible on the pitch!!
The gameplay this time round is nearly perfect it has lovely slick passing and movement, players make clever runs into space and ask for the ball,they react to things for example if a player got sent tumbling for the ground and no foul was given hed raise his arms in the air as if to say wheres my freekick?. The AI this year I would say is on par with PES'S because I think thats where PES is strong and I think EA have implemented it into their game well this year.
The new game has quite a steep learning curve, this is no easy game, it plays a realistic game of football you have to build up and orchestrate your attack to try and find that opening for your shot and at first youl have a hard time doing it the defences in this game arent slacks! this isnt arcady like PES were you could split the opponents defence in about 2 passes, this game literally simulates a real fotball match and thats what makes it so great, so if you don't like realism in your football games I suggest you avoid this one and go for PES.
Thers not much more I can say but fifa 09 is an incredible game and plays the most realistic game of football youl ever find in a video game until fifa 2010 maybe.
PES continues to go down hill and not change anything and that game just feels dated and is soo arcady now, they need to start from scratch and give us something fresh, im really dissapointed for the PES series and I wont be buying PES this year. Fifa is the best footie series out there now and PES has alot of work to do.