The road less travelled
So, it’s my regular FIFA Sunday spot. In lots of ways this is the trickiest one I’ve ever had to write. Not because the demo for FIFA09 is bad, but because it is good.
I’ve been absolutely hammering the demo over the past four days. But I’ve decided not to play it so much after today. In fact I’m going to try to stay off it completely and wait until October 3rd. I think the restricted 2-minute match just encourages a kick-and-rush approach. The demo limitation gives a distorted representation of what the new FIFA gameplay, and FIFA09 in particular, is all about.
I’ve now had several long sessions with FIFA09. It seems to be the game I was hoping for. It almost seems, heartbreakingly, to be the game that I expected PES2008 to be, one year ago.
In football games, it’s all about the handling. Football games have a handling in the same way that racing games do. There’s a feel. A heft. You know when you’ve hit a sweet spot, and you know when things are skidding out of control. There’s a groove. FIFA09’s gameplay, for me, hits that groove.
Inevitably, the FIFA09 demo has made me think some more about PES. A couple of years ago, Seabass’ team at Konami must have come to a fork in the road. Down one path lay the road of an ever-deepening simulation of football, with all the sturdiness and fidelity to the real game of football that the PES series had justly become renowned for throughout the gaming world. Down the other road lay the 5-4 goalfests of the arcade-oriented mass market.
We all know which road they took with PES2008. They took the road more travelled. The road that FIFA used to travel, year after year.
It’s tempting now, after seeing and feeling FIFA09, to dismiss PES2009 before even seeing it. The videos of PES2009 look rather crude. The promise of ‘PES5 in HD’ now seems rather empty. But, whoah… let’s not get hasty.
I’ve been playing PES and loving it for the better part of ten years; I’ve been playing FIFA and mostly loving it for less than one year. I’ll wait until I play PES2009 before making a final judgement on the road PES is going down, and whether I want to accompany it or not. I owe it that much.
Hi Greg
I wish you all the best with PES 2009, I won’t be playing it, another version of PS1 pro evoluton soccer. How can these guys get away with it, year after year?
FIFA 09 is what football should be all about. Tried to contact Mr Adam from WENB asking him to explain the FIFA demo, always contradicting SUFF at every opportunity. But as usual no reply. Typical of a fanboy, do not slag PES but it’s ok 2 slag off FIFA. DICK!!
CMON Suff get rid of this guy
heraldo – I bet the WENB boys get at least a hundred mails every day like that. You’re not going to get an answer. I think WENB have made an editorial decision to be adversarial between themselves on the subject of FIFA, and both suitably faithful to PES. That’s fine, really – although I think the FIFA Soccer Blog could use a little more love and attention from them.
I’m curious about PES2009 and I want it to be good. A HD version of PS2-era PES would be acceptable to me right now. Whether it would last a year’s play, or even a few months, who knows? FIFA09 is sublime, what I’ve seen of it. I actually can’t wait to play it online with custom tactics.
Greg
I hope that FSB is allowed to be run by FIFA guys like Placebo and Chris Bauer from evo-web. You have mentioned in the past that Adam always counters Suff’s enthusiasm, therefore surely he should be nowhere near the FIFA blog.
The guys mentioned above are FIFA fans who constructively give criticism towards the series.
Adam bans people that criticise PES at WENB but he puts the FIFA game down on the FIFA podcasts. Double standards.
The only negative regarding the demo is it’s too short but it has wetted my appetite for the full game. I won’t be able to play online till January being back at work. I will make up for it then.
Heraldo – they certainly need to pick up the pace on FSB. By rights it should be running at the same kind of level as WENB. The level of interest in the new-style FIFA since last year would certainly warrant it being run at that level. If I had any spare time (and I don’t) I’d offer them my services, but Chris B and Placebo seem like very able writers on the topic of FIFA. Why aren’t they doing more? Are they allowed?
I’ve been playing the FIFA09 demo again today. I said I wouldn’t but I can’t resist it. I’ve discovered another layer of depth, and started finding even the measly 2-minute matches as great as anything on FIFA08. Last night I discovered by accident that tapping the finesse shot button as a pass is on its way to one of your players will make him allow the ball to go between his legs and then turn and run with it. Not a dummy move as such, but a feint that will prove very useful online. Also started playing one-touch stuff. Loving the new response times.
My advice is keep away from the PES vs FIFA discussions on the forums. They’re only going to get worse as the next few weeks go by. I’ve seen some ignorant posts on some forums over the past few days that have literally left me open-mouthed with astonishment.