From the mid-nineties onwards, EA have annually produced their own take on the beautiful game, starting off in 1994 with FIFA International Soccer, then obtaining licences for clubs and players, and continuing the FIFA series year-on-year.
2001 saw a genuine threat to EA's FIFA dominance with the arrival of the most complete football simulation to date - Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer - a triumph in gaming terms, only defeated by Konami's reluctance to pay FIFA for the club and player licences. Gamers made their decision, and Konami successfully began to wrestle ground and fans from the once seemingly impregnable EA.
The biggest reason stated by converters to Konami's way of playing, was the realistic approach to matches, with gamers having become fed up of the tedious nature of the 15-13 final scores in the FIFA series. Gamers sacrificed real clubs, real kits and real players, not-to-mention decent commentary, for superb gameplay, realistic ball skils, and challenging finishing.
It was time for EA to rethink their product. Konami had laid down the gauntlet, openly challenging, and indeed, threatening EA's dominance.
Since 2001, EA has been gradually changing the way the FIFA series works, aiming to replicate many of the positive factors inherrent in the Pro Evo series. At the same time, Konami have managed to improve their Pro Evo series year-on-year, with no drastic changes being made to a programme that already works.
So, we come to FIFA09, and once again, EA has improved from last year's offering (the aptly named FIFA08). Controls are slicker than ever before, and the overall enjoyment experienced whilst playing the game has gone up.
Being a pro has never been so much fun, as the gamer can play as one player in a team, and can take this scenario online, playing with up to twenty-one other players.
The commentary in-game is nothing short of astounding, with the commentators saying new phrases all the time, even after countless matches - a weakness all too evident, even in the most recent Pro Evo title.
Graphics are the best they have ever been, but that is a must, in today's fast-moving technology-driven world, where the look means everything.
Despite all the improvements and terrific aspects of FIFA09, there are quite a few drawbacks.
First of all, despite the improvements made to the gameplay, FIFA09 remains behind Pro Evo in the grand scheme of things. Gameplay is edgy, compared to Pro Evo, and the scorelines can still become ridiculous, if the gamer opts for a longer match.
Secondly, the menus are confusing and unnecessary. Gamers need menus to be concise, simple, and user friendly, because no one wants to be in a menu forever. The menu in FIFA09 can best be described as non-user-friendly.
Thirdly, the waiting time for online matches to begin is too long, meaning half the time of the gamer is taken up waiting in a menu. If one person out of the twenty-two has not selected his side or player, twenty-one other people have to wait until the timer runs out. It is one of the most frustrating things for a gamer to face, and is completely unnecessary.
Overall, FIFA09 breaks new ground from a FIFA perspective. The music in the game is youth-oriented, but sounds rather good. The graphics are terrific, and being able to play as your own club, using your own real-life players is a nice feeling. However, despite Pro Evo's failings from a licencing, music and commentary perspective, the main reason people play it (ie the gameplay) keeps Konami's take on football ahead of EA's current offering - the gap is getting smaller, but Pro Evo is still on top.
2001 saw a genuine threat to EA's FIFA dominance with the arrival of the most complete football simulation to date - Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer - a triumph in gaming terms, only defeated by Konami's reluctance to pay FIFA for the club and player licences. Gamers made their decision, and Konami successfully began to wrestle ground and fans from the once seemingly impregnable EA.
The biggest reason stated by converters to Konami's way of playing, was the realistic approach to matches, with gamers having become fed up of the tedious nature of the 15-13 final scores in the FIFA series. Gamers sacrificed real clubs, real kits and real players, not-to-mention decent commentary, for superb gameplay, realistic ball skils, and challenging finishing.
It was time for EA to rethink their product. Konami had laid down the gauntlet, openly challenging, and indeed, threatening EA's dominance.
Since 2001, EA has been gradually changing the way the FIFA series works, aiming to replicate many of the positive factors inherrent in the Pro Evo series. At the same time, Konami have managed to improve their Pro Evo series year-on-year, with no drastic changes being made to a programme that already works.
So, we come to FIFA09, and once again, EA has improved from last year's offering (the aptly named FIFA08). Controls are slicker than ever before, and the overall enjoyment experienced whilst playing the game has gone up.
Being a pro has never been so much fun, as the gamer can play as one player in a team, and can take this scenario online, playing with up to twenty-one other players.
The commentary in-game is nothing short of astounding, with the commentators saying new phrases all the time, even after countless matches - a weakness all too evident, even in the most recent Pro Evo title.
Graphics are the best they have ever been, but that is a must, in today's fast-moving technology-driven world, where the look means everything.
Despite all the improvements and terrific aspects of FIFA09, there are quite a few drawbacks.
First of all, despite the improvements made to the gameplay, FIFA09 remains behind Pro Evo in the grand scheme of things. Gameplay is edgy, compared to Pro Evo, and the scorelines can still become ridiculous, if the gamer opts for a longer match.
Secondly, the menus are confusing and unnecessary. Gamers need menus to be concise, simple, and user friendly, because no one wants to be in a menu forever. The menu in FIFA09 can best be described as non-user-friendly.
Thirdly, the waiting time for online matches to begin is too long, meaning half the time of the gamer is taken up waiting in a menu. If one person out of the twenty-two has not selected his side or player, twenty-one other people have to wait until the timer runs out. It is one of the most frustrating things for a gamer to face, and is completely unnecessary.
Overall, FIFA09 breaks new ground from a FIFA perspective. The music in the game is youth-oriented, but sounds rather good. The graphics are terrific, and being able to play as your own club, using your own real-life players is a nice feeling. However, despite Pro Evo's failings from a licencing, music and commentary perspective, the main reason people play it (ie the gameplay) keeps Konami's take on football ahead of EA's current offering - the gap is getting smaller, but Pro Evo is still on top.