Fifa 08 introduce a slower and more realistic gameplay compare to last year title.
First of all, the graphics and sounds for this game is great, the player model are very nice even though it look a little bit like plastic but the camera are a little too high above the field most of the time so it doesn't really matters. It also show details like sweat on the player hands and face, hair and shirt moving while the player is moving. One thing that disappoint me is the crowd, they are pretty boring, example like when you score a goal there is the crowd cheering sound but the crowd basically just sit there and clap their hands instead of jumping and going crazy like the one in the good old Winning Eleven 8. In old football games there are team flags, camera flash from the crowd stand and even fireworks but there are not even a sign of these things during the final or big match in fifa 08. Maybe, those things doesn't matters to your but to me, it really give me the hype during a match as it feel more alive. The commentary is another thing that doesn't feel well polish at all, it is good but not great. At first it feels good but after you play long enough, you probably have heard the same line a few times over and over again. When you are about to score a goal the announcer doesn't raise it's voice or something, beside there are only two commentary in this game, Martin Tyler and Andy Gray.
There are Manager mode, Fifa 08 lounge, Challenger mode and the all new Tournament mode and Be a Pro. In Manager mode, you can sign for a club, upgrade staff, sign a sponsor and trade players. You can also create a tournament in fifa 08. In Be a Pro, you can choose a player or turn a created player to a legend. You will only have control on the player you choose, you can call for ball and you also need to be in position in order to increase your player rating.
The gameplay in fifa 08 is much more realistic and has a slower paced type of gameplay. The ball physics is much more realistic and because the gameplay is slower, you can't really go solo. Passing comes into play and fifa 08 require a more tactical play. The complain for me is that the release of the ball is abit slower even though it is more realistic, the skill move is also quite difficult to master, learning curve is harder but you don't need skill to win a game. It is actually quite fun to learn the skill moves. Further more, the AI are kinda annoying, they just basically run beside ur player and steal the ball from you with ease. For us, stealing a ball from the AI isn't easy even on amateur, so this game might not be for newcomers.
The online mode is very addictive, it is very fun to play with others by either thrashing them or getting owned. There are interactive leagues, online leagues or you can have a custom or quick ranked match. There are also some little things like a fan shop which you can buy stuff like 3rd kits, different kinds of soccer balls, boots and exp points by using the points you have earn from the accomplishments.
Design: 8.5
Sound: 8.2
Graphics: 8.2
Gameplay: 7.8
Achievements: 7.5
Overall: 7.9 (Good)
Overall, playing this game is sure fun as many things can happen in a match. There are just lots of things to do alone with fifa 08, so if you are a football fan, it is must for you guys to get Fifa 08. O Ya, soundtracks for this game is awesome!