FIFA 09

First up – in a soccer gaming world occupied by Pro Evolution fans and FIFA fans, I’ve always been partial to Pro Evo. And that’s not because FIFAs makers EA were galactic gaming dictators before Bobby Kotick made it fashionable, but rather because Pro Evo had soul. Even when EA’s Euro 2008 came out earlier this year and became the best option for footy punters on Xbox 360 and PS3… there still was that wistful hope that Konami would heed the latest wake-up call and get moving. With the release of FIFA 2009 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 the news is…we’re still waiting.

A brief history
Pro Evo had soul. Yeah, it was a bit raggedy around the edges. It had players with funny names and most of the teams were given derivative titles while FIFA featured official rosters. Instead of pixel perfect visuals, Pro Evo lagged behind FIFA’s exacting detail. Even in commentary the slick big names voiced FIFA, while feisty but entertaining lesser lights lent their vocal chords to Konami.

However in the heat of action, FIFA was shown as a pretender. The physics of ball movement were embarrassingly inept compared to Pro Evo, the player AI was balls, and the control method was characterised by long-enough-to-annoy delays as your on-screen player finished their animation motion before hoofing the ball. Combined, these factors conspired to cleave the soccer games market in twain – detail enthusiasts who loved the game’s ceremony, tradition and personalities flocked to FIFA, the control freaks who lived for execution headed to PES.

Losing control
These developments didn’t go unheeded by the team @ EA Sports, who stopped counting their money long enough to notice that Pro Evo was gaining traction with players. Especially in the last couple of years, the control method in FIFA has taken big strides. In FIFA 2009 it’s still not as responsive as the opposition, but it the quality of the whole package is enough to compensate.

What you miss out with FIFA 2009 that PES 2009 gives you is split second responsivity. Drill a through pass (something that is rewarded almost a little too well in PES) and your winger/striker seizes it in full flight. Try the same in FIFA 2009 and often your highly paid soccer superstar is standing there flat footed, seemingly daring a Neanderthal defender to clatter into them. On the occasions in Pro Evo when the pass coming in requires the recipient to hang about, you can be assured that from the moment you take control of them, they will move with precision and haste. FIFA on the other hand you’ll have to manhandle your player into finessing the ball around the (usually very close) opposition – with the ball rattling uncomfortably ahead of you.

Further, taking your player on a bursting run through the defence or sending in your own backs to halt an enemy raid is undeniably a more fluid, intuitive experience in PES. Changing direction, even the odds of sprinting past the opposition is easier and the game benefits by it. It leads to games where you can quickly bypass mechanics and get to terms with opening up play via working with the computer controlled team.

In FIFA’s defence, it plays a more deliberate game. You’re forced to work the ball around a little more than in PES, and need to learn to punish oversteps in the defence. It may not be as lightning quick as Pro Evo, but in time you develop a certain discipline and value for possession – something occasionally lacking in PES play.

Advantage: Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 – but not by as much as it used to be

Keeping it real
FIFA hands down here. This franchise is one of the flagships for integration with the real thing. Rosters, player likenesses, competitions – a student of the game’s absolute playground. The game actually models player statistics based on their current performance and updates the game stats via online accordingly.

Meanwhile Pro Evolution presents: the UEFA Cup tourney…and the usual rosters. Real team rosters and players speckle the game alongside the likes of “Teeside”. Konami has done a adequate job of collecting the more high profile clubs out there, but it’s a long way from being even close to FIFA’s offering.

Advantage: FIFA 2009 – overwhelmingly

How it looks
Both games get across the line here, but the difference shouldn’t be enough to sway you. Pro Evolution has a slight detail deficiency, and the player strips look superior in FIFA.

The stadia edge also goes to FIFA, although on the PC version of Pro Evolution 9 we noticed for the first time ever no slowdown in heated goal box scrambles or in panning close-up scenes featuring loads of players on screen. Slow-down isn’t a major issue any more, but PES 2009 on PC is the first instance we’ve seen in the modern era where it’s almost entirely abolished.

Interestingly enough, Pro Evo went to design school this year. Its menu systems sport a very fresh, almost retro-new wave look to them. Lots of vivid stylised visuals and funky music conspire to create an out-of-game look that looks like it’s ripped from a teen magazine. We’re mixed on the outcome. It looks slick, but suspect it may work better for punters willing to embrace their inner teenybopper than the serious, gameplay-first clique that opt for the PES approach.

Advantage: FIFA 2009 - by a nose

Long term prospects
Pro Evolution’s all-powerful Master League mode returns, but it truly is a case of the game great feature being dropped in without any major refinement. It’s fair to say that master league effectively cancels out FIFA’s arsenal of game modes and real-life competitions. Well, maybe it’s fair. But ultimately we feel the telling difference in what these two games offer to people looking for a long-haul challenge is in their create-a-player-career modes.

Pro Evo calls it “Become a Legend” mode. You make your player, who starts out with pretty crap attributes. Playing games gets you noticed and lets your skill levels slowly start creeping up. Soon you’ll notice your shots on goal seem to have a bit of extra zing, your passes find their targets, and your team starts performing to an acceptable standard. You don’t have to be raining in goals to be a success here – you’re expected to play position…even if the majority of spots on offer are offensive in capability.

You retain control of this player only during play. The closest you get to influencing the team dynamic when the ball is in motion is by requesting a pass. This truly is requesting one – your player will wave their arm above their head, and if the player in possession thinks you’re open and suitable, you’ll have the ball coming your way. You can ask for the ball as much as you like, but if you’re surrounded by defenders don’t expect it. You can also hold down the left shoulder button to have your player automatically trot into the “right” position. It’s especially useful when the ball is off screen and you want to cover your bases.

FIFA follows the same path largely in its Be a Pro mode. Same one-player control method. Same option to cerate a player. When you’re playing however, there’s a few significant differences. Firstly, whenever you do something noteworthy – tackle someone, pass the ball, take a shot, even bang into someone for possession – the relevant stat marker appears along with a plus or a minus, depending on the outcome of your efforts. Instant feedback – it rocks. You don’t get your hand held in terms of position – but the game will show arrows on your player showing where he should be. The further out of position, the more arrows you’ll see… until the game starts flashing up a negative “position” indicator.

Another difference is when you request a pass in FIFA 09 – you’re usually going to see someone attempting to get the ball to you. Essentially the game is leaving the “danger assessment” in your hands. If you want to try suicidal passing manoeuvres it’s your problem and your “pass” statistic up for grabs. However it is welcome being able to try and “trick” the game. One thing you would occasionally note in PES is you can be wide open and yelling for the ball but the game thinks otherwise. Not often – but often enough.

Both game’s modes try to sell you on an awkward looking vertical widescreen view of the field – in order to get the full picture. Traditionalist folks like me may prefer switching to a more conventional side-on view. If you’re already used to vert-view – you’re in luck. And while both modes are worthwhile and really a great sequel to PES’s masterful master league feature – FIFA does it slicker and better.

Advantage: FIFA 09

What it all boils down to
Konami don’t make it easy to find good things to say about Pro Evolution Soccer 2009. The way the game plays has changed very, very little in the last two to three years, and only now are we seeing the game return to the full-featured excellence it attained during the PlayStation 2 era.

In its defence, there’s very little wrong with the core of Pro Evo. The play verges on arcade-like at times, but this is a game version of football after all. Rewarding the dextrous should be a high priority for any sports game.

Our beef is the actual substantive changes we see in the final product. As good as it is, Pro Evolution plays like a rehash of the 2007/6/5 products. The EA Sports team seem to be make obvious and frequent refinements trying to get the actual play action up to the lofty heights of Pro Evo.

Yes – it’s our annual whinge about Konami not doing enough. Except now FIFA isn’t “close”; as a whole product it’s better. The long time dominance EA Sports enjoyed in the detail and authenticity department is joined by a on-field control and play model whose demands of the player are only a shade behind Pro Evolution’s. Translation: FIFA 09 plays well enough that the little bit of response and reflex you lose on the turf is not enough to stop it being the choice for players heading into summer. Konami meanwhile need to realise recapturing the missing soul of Pro Evo may involve more than issuing minor upgrades every year. That way lies danger. Ask EA.