Customer Reviews
Spectacular - By: Thomas Wilkes, 31 Dec 2008 
Fifa 09 adds a whole new dimension to football games on the next generation consoles!! I am an Xbox 360 owner & I have had this game since release date. The Be a pro mode is simply amazing.... Ive gone from an un-noticed Cardiff City U-18 to a Liverpool regular. Manager Mode is also good but you have got to keep an eye on your players fitness levels, you need big squads for rotation & that!! I havent played PES 2009 so I cant compare them, but FIFA 09 is an excellent game & I will be playing it until 2010!!
Oh & at £22 now its a bargain!!
This is football - By: Mr. Ronnie Hay, 26 Dec 2008 Incredible been waiting years for fifa to finally get it right & this installment is the result definetly milesin front of any other football game made the graphics are smooth & realistic never any lags on online gameplay! I sincerly cant speak highly enough about this game best football game ever made & hopefully this is the embarkment of a long succesion of fifa games to be proud of :)
Swayed me - By: Prith, 20 Dec 2008 Just want to start off by saying that I'm not a fanboy of either franchise or something ridiculous like that. I play both Pes & Fifa & have been alternating between the both of them depending on their individual merits as each new release has come out.
So... I came to the Fifa 09, praying it was better than 07 ( which was horrendous) & more enjoyable than 08.
Verdict? Oh yes, Fifa are definitely back.
The game is fantastic from the moment I picked it up. From just exhibition, I could see the player movement & responsiveness has definitely had the tweak its been needing for so long. They turn better & the passes are fired off better. Personally, having played PES 09 as well, this outclasses it by leagues, the movement on PES still robotic & jerky, & they all runin exactly the same way.
We were told about new player physiques & they have stuck to it. Tackles are more rough now, with bigger players shoving & hustling their way round & it gives a sense of the real game, especially the huge amount of fun of sending small wing backs tumbling. Jumpingin the air for the ball is also like this, with the taller & well built players more likely to get it.
Be a pro is where it really shines through. It was a little bit iffyin 08 but herein 09, well, its ridiculous. Its more fun, it takes more skill, & it responds better. The online ten on ten thing is great... if you play with a well organised group. Its already been said, but if you play with a bunch of mates you all want to have the ball the whole time trying score Maradonna goals, things are bound to get a little hectic. Online play is great with very little lag time (learn from this Konami) & its enjoyable rather than jaw clenchingly frustrating ( still talking to you Konami).
Overall, its hard to find any fault with this game, although maybe you can say that the refs are more rigid than a stick. It very, very difficult to get proper decisions go your way, but hey, hopefully Fifa'll sort that out next year.
So, I suppose 2009 goes to Fifa for a phenomenal game.
Worse than 08 - By: K. Dennis, 20 Dec 2008 
No fun, poor player movement, game just feels like 22 sprites moving around a green area chasing a small white object. Fifa 09 is poor to say the least & plays absolutely nothing like football. PES is still flawed but at least continues to play a decent game of footy, it's just insulting to the consumer to be expected to believe & take seriously the glowing reviews Fifa 09 has recievedin the gaming press. EA's maketing dept. has obviously spent big this year. Really EA, 08 was ok & despite being as shallow as all the previous Fifa games was a fun kickabout for a while, but 09 is awful on all fronts.
Needs improvement - By: Sean Morton, 12 Dec 2008 
I'm reviewing this from a multiplayer gameplay perspective which is my main experience of the game. I've had it 6 weeks & have been playing it regularly, saying something about my enjoyment.
Whilst the game is fun it has major shortcomings & is far from the most enjoyable football game I've played. I feel the game falls downin many small individual gameplay areas:
- It is very difficult to beat defenders with changes of direction or clever running - instead one must master button combination skills which I think have been a constant unecessary feature of the EA series.
- The standing takling area of a stationary defender is astonishing. An attacker cannot come within a metre of a defender without being soundly dispossesed by a tap of a button.
- The shooting engine is very good & can provide some excellent goals. However, one on one, it is difficult to manouvre a shooting angle as it takes the player about 10 seconds to turn 22.5 degrees.
- The default wide cross is sent so far back, sometimes out of the area to one of your midfield players.
- The AI movement of your team-mates is disappointing. Once you have posession, a team-mate will begin to support but either check his run or just fade behind the defender.
Whilst a few of these can be bettered by a lot of practice, I think they all detract from the enjoyment of the game. Are these features manifest of what EA dub a 'more organic football experience'? I don't really care - if I want an organic football experience I can watch it on TV.
