First impressions of the game on the pc are good, but there are the same problems which i always hate about fifa games.
Been playing for 4 hours with bristol rovers in manager mode and chelsea in exhibition games all on professional.
Good.
Graphics
Sounds
Licences
Collision System
Presentation and Menu's
Some parts of the game play.
Keepers seem good, although they save some shots from point blank range which would be technically impossible. However they are not super keepers.
Manager mode.
Online mode will be good i think.
Animations
Bad
The game play
First Touch is rubbish, even with Chelsea.
No way to control the ball
Sometimes you press the right stick to take a first touch and nothing happens.
Ball bounces off a players shin too often, resulting in pinball football for me and the cpu.
No forward runs again, resulting in static play, requiring you to keep tapping the forward run button.
Shooting is still erratic, you aim left, shot goes right.
Player models are poor when compared to Pes, as our the nets, and footballs.
Need a Zoom cam, like on Pes, where you can see every detail.
Overall, its good, so much improved from Fifa 08 which is the worst football game i have ever played on the pc.
The problem i have is with the game play on the football pitch. You never feel in control, the center of the pitch is often crowded, no width what so ever, and the cpu players form around the middle like there is a magnet. The result is pinball football as both sides struggle with being unable to control the ball due to the shockingly bad first touch system. It works great when your outside the penalty box, as i well timed turn/first touch can see you break free of a marker. But the problem is using it in the middle on the park. Fifa must get some form of ball control, which should be a given these days in football games. This is my main gripe with the game. If you decide not to use first touch, the ball will often bounce onto your shins and spiral out of control.
Is this better than the Pes 2009 demo? In some ways yes, but only in the usual Fifa ways. The control you have over a player, and what he can do with or without the ball in Pes is so much better. Being able to trap a ball opens up many different avenues in Pes, and with Pes you can use the left stick to turn a marker with a first touch, only this first touch stays closer to your feet enabling good play in the center of the park and no pinball football.
I don't know if you can do this in fifa 09, but in Pes 09 its now possible to pass the ball, and stay in control of the player who passed it, so you can run into space and chose when the cpu will pass the ball to you, or when you want to be in control of the general play again. This is a massive and ingenious idea. It will take some getting used to but it really opens up the game.
But, after all this credit to EA for making good strides this year. Ill have to wait for the full games of Pes, but at the moment its PES 09 DEMO >> FIFA 09.
There's a big difference, means you'll have to sign for it, and it's 99% guarenteed to come tommorow.
