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New ‘FIFA’ soccer game a kick in the right direction

EA Sports might be the king of sports games, but if you scour the review Web sites, you’d notice games in the “FIFA Soccer” series don’t fare as well with critics as other interactive soccer games, such as Konami’s highly polished “Winning Eleven” games.

The Vancouver developer must have taken this to heart because “FIFA Soccer 2009” packs numerous game-play additions, visual tweaks and improvements over past games. More than 250 changes were made, according to EA Sports, resulting in a realistic, responsive and feature-rich soccer simulation worth considering for “footy” fans.

Just minutes after the shrink-wrap was ripped off the Microsoft Xbox 360 version, it was clear this next-generation, high-definition soccer game had undergone an aesthetic makeover with more than 500 new animations and increased speed, now topping 60 frames per second. Gamers who played past versions will also notice the game feels tighter, too, with more responsive controls, improved kick mechanics and better player physics (including a revamped collision system).

Using the two controllers’ dual analog sticks for accurate player and ball handling (and the B button to kick or head the ball), novice players can keep up with the game, but if you spend the time and effort to learn the dozens of offensive and defensive maneuvers, you will get a lot more out of the game, such as sliding tackles, crossings, fake lobs and step-overs. The artificial intelligence has also been enhanced, with teammates who move on the field like they should.

New game modes include Custom Tactics, in which you become the team’s coach (and map team tactics to the controller’s D-pad you can press on the fly), and a much-improved Be A Pro: Seasons option, which expands on last year’s version with the ability to play four full seasons as a single player (moving up from a club player to World Cup star). You can earn experience points to spend on increasing your pro’s abilities by completing match- and season-long objectives. Be A Pro: Online Team Play is also a new option, which lets you take your pro online and choose a position on the field.

Speaking of online play, adding to the game’s realism is a new feature (on the Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 and PC versions) called Adidas Live Season, in which player attributes are downloaded on a weekly basis to mirror real-life performances. You can access this free content from October to May 2009, when the real-world leagues come to a close for the season. You’ll first need to input a code on the back of the manual.

What’s more, a new online mode called FIFA Soccer 09 Clubs (for PS3 and Xbox 360) lets you compete in a 10 versus 10 team match with 20 different players.

“FIFA Soccer 2009” on the Nintendo Wii is a completely different game, dubbed “FIFA Soccer 2009: All Play,” with an emphasis on arcade play, cartoon-like graphics and motion-sensing control. And the PC version takes advantage of a computer’s high-definition graphics capabilities and customizable mouse-based controls (as well as support for game pads). Otherwise, the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions should be near-identical.

Because of its considerable depth, wealth of options, tight control and high production values, “FIFA Soccer 2009” will no doubt impress both hard-core footy fanatics and casual players in search of a professional soccer simulation.

FIFA Soccer 2009

Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 2 and 3, PC

Genre: Sports

Developer: EA Vancouver

Publisher: EA Sports

On the Web: Official site

Price: $39.99 to $59.99

Rating: Everyone

Score: 4 stars (out of 5)