PES Chronicles

FIFA, FIFA, FIFA. You know, I still can’t believe it. What the hell happened in 2007? The entire football gaming world was turned on its head. It’s been almost a year now and I still can’t quite grasp what went on. How did it happen? Why did it happen? I’ve now played about 500 games on FIFA08. Its solidity, its excellence as a football sim, and its enjoyability as a game are not in doubt. (For me, anyway, they’re not in doubt; but other opinions are available.)

There are people in my past—fellow PES-lovin’ friends and colleagues whom I haven’t seen for years—who would be utterly shocked if they discovered I was playing and liking a FIFA. Just as I’d still be shocked if I found out that they’re playing it—which, come to think of it, they almost certainly are. We’re all grownups, after all. One of the hallmarks of PES over the years was its seriousness—its more adult nature, as opposed to the kid-friendly, arcade feel of the old-style FIFAs. The year 2007 saw that equation turned completely around.

And I still can’t get over it. Curse you, Seabass. Curse you for not being strong enough to delay PES2008 against all the corporate money-grabbers who almost certainly forced your hand. They blew it all up. Curse you for even going down this arcadey road in the first place. The maniacs. 5-4 scorelines as routine? Since when has that been the PES philosophy? God damn them. God damn them all to hell…

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This week on FIFA08, I played several games online. Against people. I just fancied a change. I’ll be back to my Manager Mode career next week.

Playing online sort of happened by accident. I recently got a new game, a formidable tennis sim called Topspin 3. After a week of playing it offline I felt I’d mastered enough of the game against the CPU to take it online and see how I fared against a human player. I did surprisingly well. I narrowly won a tight three-set match against a very tough player who had me running all over the virtual court for a lot of the time in a most undignified manner. The rallies were long and exhausting. At the end I had realistic tennis-style sweat patches under both arms. When it was all over I fancied playing something else. I rarely get time to commit to playing online, and I’d got the taste for some more pwning ov sum noobz. I believe that’s what the kids say, and verily, I am down with the kids.

It was either Warhawk or FIFA08. Warhawk would have required a few hours’ play (there’s no such thing as a quick game on Warhawk, I’ve found) but I only had about 40 minutes to spare, so FIFA08 it was.

All credit to EA for so completely getting the online infrastructure right. FIFA08’s netcode is probably the best I’ve ever seen on a sports game (actually, Topspin3’s netcode (*giggles*) is pretty much flawless too). Whenever I’ve played FIFA08 online, I’ve only ever seen at most a few seconds of lag in a few games. For me the overwhelming experience—98% of the time, I’d say—is one of silky-smooth, lag-free gameplay, as if my opponent was sitting next to me in the same room. That’s exactly how it should be.

CORINTHIANS 1-2 BLACKBURN ROVERS (after extra time)

I always seem to play just two types of player. Either they’ll be Europeans who choose Barcelona to play with. Or they’ll be South Americans who choose a random South American team to play with. I vastly prefer the latter. Playing with average teams—or merely good teams—makes for a better game of football.

My first opponent was probably Brazilian, although he might have been Uruguayan (see below). He chose Corinthians, who are rated at three-and-a-half stars in FIFA08. I tabbed through the English teams, looking for an equivalent. I noticed that my opponent hadn’t pressed his READY button yet. He was waiting to see who I’d pick. No doubt he was used to Europeans instantly selecting Barcelona against his Cornithians. Hopefully I was going to pleasantly surprise him.

I settled upon Blackburn Rovers, a four-star team (which is pretty generous of EA, IMO). I thought he wouldn’t mind me using a team with half a star’s edge over his. He didn’t mind, and the game got underway.

It was a tight, almost dour struggle, bogged down in midfield as so many games (in real life and in FIFA08) can be. Corinthians just had the edge in terms of possession. He seemed to have his sprint button pressed all the time—a common problem with online football games. In FIFA08, you’re actually penalised for over-sprinting. Players’ technique and stamina both deplete rapidly. (In the first online game I ever played on FIFA08, back in September 2007, my opponent exhausted his entire team before half-time and I spent the second half almost literally running rings around his knackered players.)

I scored just before half-time. It was a breakaway where I ran with the ball from my penalty area to just outside his penalty area. He had defenders back but he was expecting me to lay the ball off to one of my other strikers. So he was more focused on stopping the lay-off than he was on stopping my player who had the ball. Too late, he tried to get in the way. I shot from about 18 yards and the ball zipped into the bottom corner of his net.

In the second half things got ugly. He started fouling my players indiscriminately, all over the pitch. I suppose he was anxious to get back into the game, and he thought that sprinting everywhere and slide-tackling no matter what was the way to do it. It was like watching Uruguay in the 1986 World Cup all over again. He had a red card, but it didn’t stop him. I tried to carve out more chances to put the game to bed, but couldn’t. In the 91st minute, I was punished. He stitched together a pretty nice move that took him from defence to attack. About five passes culminated in a little one-two on the edge of my box, and his striker netted the equaliser. I’d allowed 10 men to come back and force extra time. I felt embarrassed to just imagine his glee.

In extra time I switched formation to my beloved 4-3-3 and went to all-out attack mode. I suspected his team had nothing left in their collective tank, and I was right. I got the winner in the second period. It was another breakaway goal. He continued his dirty tactics, but they could do him no good now. All of his players were exhausted and could hardly catch mine to foul them. He was lucky not to have at least two more sent off. I played possession football until the final whistle. It ended 2-1 to me—a very good online game, one of my most memorable and the pick of this bunch.

CHELSEA 0-1 BARCELONA

My next opponent was evidently a European player. He insta-selected Barcelona. Sigh. what can you do? There’s nothing you can do. You might as well make the best of it. Despite my general anti-Barcelona stance (in FIFA08 terms, of course), I have to say I don’t really mind playing against them that much. It makes the games more intense, and it makes any victory you can pull off against them all the sweeter.

Sadly, I conceded a soft early goal to a Thierry Henry/Ronaldinho combination. I can see why people love to play with Barca online, and with Ronaldinho in particular. Overpowered much? Early rumours about FIFA09’s online game indicate that there’s going to be a better balance between the major players and teams this season.

I never came back into this match, despite having good possession. My inexperience with FIFA08 online really showed. I don’t think I made a single clear-cut chance.

BARCELONA 1-2 LIVERPOOL

Another ‘Barca whore’ awaited me in my third and final game of the evening. I went for Liverpool. I never have any qualms about choosing a five-star team to play with against Barca. Some Barca-haters make a point of choosing Accrington Stanley or similar, to really show their contempt for the other player’s Barca whoring; but like I said, if someone wants to choose the best team and players, it’s up to me to work out a way of beating ‘em. And if I do, all the better.

Liverpool have a very attractive default 4-1-2-1-2 formation. As soon as the game got underway I felt very comfortable playing with it. I might make Liverpool my default anti-Barca team from now on.

But yet again I went behind early to a pretty soft goal. It was my own stupid fault. Henry stumbled and bumbled his way through my entire defence. I should have cleared it at least, oh, a million times, but I didn’t. When will I learnt to just put it into row Z? But no, I always want to pass my way out of trouble.

I surprised myself by dominating play for the rest of the entire game. Despite this, I just couldn’t score. I’ve had games like this online on FIFA08 before, and against Barcelona before—they get their one goal and that’s how the game ends. But I got the equaliser in the 70th minute. It was pretty lucky—I went on a mazy run with Dirk Kuyt (yes, I said with Dirk Kuyt) that somehow evaded all Barca challenges. The finish was low to the keeper’s side, just as I’ve learned to do in FIFA08 offline.

Then I got the winning goal in the 85th minute. I was slightly embarrassed about it, because it was such a stereotypical FIFA08 goal. It was a double-tap cross from the wing that Torres first-time-volleyed low into the net. Yes! But no as well… such goals, I think, are pretty much frowned-upon online; they’re regarded as slightly cheap.

I wondered if my opponent was thinking ‘omg u NOOB!’ or words to that effect. But so what? It’s not as if working the ball out to the wings and crossing was my entire game strategy. It was one moment in a game where I’d tried—and mostly succeeded—in playing a fully-rounded game using all areas of the pitch. So I’d take the goal and the win, thank you very much, and I’d be glad of both.

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I plan to get into the online game(s) later this year, in a BIG way. It’ll be good to play online for its own sake, and it’ll also make good material for the blog. I might have a regular online day on the blog every week. Ah, but will I be playing FIFA09 online, or will it be PES2009? That is the question. Hopefully it’ll be both, but it all remains to be seen.

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