FIFA Soccer 08

With two high quality products being released every year, the person that comes out on top will always be the consumer. FIFA 08, in my eyes, has nearly erased any lead that the competition had in terms of overall gameplay and depth. With the strides that they are making in both their single and multiplayer modes, we’re in for a match for the ages. Make sure you’re there to see it.

A truly terrific soccer game that is both entertaining and challenging. Performing skills with the analog-hot key combination is difficult, but the results, when you pull off that move that separates defender from shoes, is a great feeling.

FIFA 08 seems to represent the classic videogame mistake. It's not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination and will likely satisfy football diehards a bit more than past entries in the series, but one can't help but wonder just how good the whole package could have been if EA Sports had just held the game back until the online Be a Pro Mode was finished. As it stands the mode will get no attention, and likely won't be as large a part of the game experience as it should have been.

FIFA Soccer 08 is another solid entry in the long history of the soccer franchise. FIFA 08 is far superior to last year's addition, but don't expect magic. A lot of the gameplay issues remain unresolved, but the overall setting and presentation are second to none. The online component and interactive leagues are outstanding additions that are sure to be included in next year's versions.

EA Sports has taken substantial risks with this year's FIFA, but the resulting game can certainly be considered a successful experiment. It plays a more difficult and more refined game of football than its predecessors, and while it should be emphasised that the game is perhaps too difficult at times, it will reward players who put in the practice.

Sadness in that here we have a lovely looking and functionally excellent game, but it's just not got that certain je ne sais quoi, that va-va-voom. If we could just combine FIFA with PES, perhaps creating FES, or PEFA, we would probably never need another football game, and we'd all be singing from the terraces. As it is, it's a gorgeous, decent football game that's trying a bit too hard to be PES when it should be celebrating what it already was.