FIFA 360 a few games in

[Blacklover]

Started manager mode with Caen and they are rubbish so it's quite a challenge.


1 win and 2 draws later these are a couple things that need a look at:

Gourcuff who is rated ****e and because of that should not be in over the several forwards and strikers they have rated much higher, anyway he actually bags 2 goals and I sub him out in the 85th minute and end of match some other forward on my team with 0 shots gets man of the match. Game still does not know how to handle subbed out man of the match candidates.

AI teammates still do not come to the ball but once you pass, control switches almost immediately to the pass recipient, which is good, but it still does not give you the step needed to beat the CPU to that ball that should not be a 50/50 ball or worse 100% CPU's ball.

Keepers are very sound, but still cannot hoof the ball past the halfway line? Odd.

Free Kicks that are not shot on goal, corner kicks and goal kicks all need this new method of aiming/placement. A placement circle that is present on the pitch that denotes where the ball might land. If you are a highly accurate passer/crosser, the placement circle would be very small and you could almost pinpoint where you want to place the ball, if you are average to poor the placement circle should be very large and could randomly land anywhere in that circle. Not sure of any player that just boots the ball without knowing where they are going to try to place it, particularly those players taking the spot kicks.

Temporary injuries are cool, but if a CPU player is temp inj and you play the ball out of touch for treatment to ensue, when it’s resolved the CPU does not give the ball back to you like they should. Fair Play.

There should be some sort of shield button, pace control is a start, but there just needs to be more impetus on the player controlling the ball actually trying to keep it away from the player trying to take it. Simply having an arm up and dribbling/ball control using the foot that is farthest from the defender would do.

Some better things:

Rotating the ball from one side of the field to the other is finally a very sound tactic and you can exploit the CPU when you do this, but not unrealistically. The CPU does slide over to protect but you can create mismatches and temporary lanes to the goal that I have never seen in previous versions of FIFA.

Kits are very nice, different sponsors on home and away as it should be. I would like to see some sort of Kit Viewer, I was disappointed to see that when you Create a player that you cannot select teams there as that would be a perfect location to browse the kits.

Goalkeepers are positionally sound, maybe even too much on some teams.

CPU tries to shepherd you towards the sidelines and does a good job of pressuring anything down the middle, I wish I could say the same about my own CPU controlled teammates though as one goal came off a dribble right down route 1 that all my defenders just backed away from. I suppose that is cool as it does happen now and then but why does it always happen for the CPU?

Free agent list finally in the game for transfers. I wish you could trade international players to club teams though. I could use a top notch Russian Striker at Caen.

Be a pro is actually quite fun. It doesn't feel as good to me as the actual normal game does but I was shocked at how playable it actually was and will probably spend some time with it.


All in all there is plenty to do in FIFA 08. Manager mode, one off games, custom tournaments, Be A Pro mode, the challenge mode, the online options etc

I wish Dynamic weather was in and the Russian League and some gameplay sliders and I would be completely happy.

 

[cfdemarco]

I've played about 15 games so far. I love it, it's the best FIFA ever.

Some observations though...

First, this game is HARD. Playing on semi-pro, I handled lower division teams fairly easiliy when playing as Man U, Chelsea, Milan, etc...however when playing top flight teams it was near impossible to score. I lost 2-1 to Portugal, playing as Italy and got WORKED the entire game. And this was on semi-pro, which I easliy dominated in FIFA 07.

The skill moves are really hit and miss. Sometimes you can pull them off and it's awesome...many times though you press the buttons and nothing happens and you get robbed of the ball. They need to work on the responsivness of the skill moves for next year.

No weather effects? Are you kidding me? No on-field refs? Pathetic.

Be a Pro mode is pretty awesome. I've played once, as Cristiano Ronaldo and scored and assisted in a 2-0 victory. However, LET ME PLAY A SEASON OFFLINE instead of just single games. Hopefully that's added next year.

Tournament mode...cool, but some of them are pointless. It's called Tournament mode, not League mode...if I want to play a Premiership league, I'll do it in manager mode...and that being said, there's really no point for me to do another one in Tournament mode.

Make 3rd kits available from the start. I'm fine with having to unlock other stuff, but sometimes if I want to play against a team and our kits are a bit too similar in color no matter which home/away combination I use, it would be nice to have the 3rd kits available. As it is, I'm gonna have to play hundreds of games just to unlock the 3rd kits.

The computer is TOO ACCURATE on free kicks, either that or our AI-controlled goalies are worthless. The computer scores on at least half of all free kicks within 25 yards of goal. That is absurd.

On the heels of that...weren't you supposed to be able to take control of your keeper? How do you do that? Did that feature not make it into the game or something?

Overall, this is a great game, and it has the foundation to be a true masterpiece if they handle a few small kinks for next year.

 

[Blacklover]

Yeah the more I play the worse I seem to be getting.

Also some frustrating things are cropping up, the CPU being more skilled than me at just about everything and my CPU controlled players being just short of brain dead.

The worst issue to me is no ability to shield the ball when in possession so the CPU just takes the ball whenever they can get close to your player while when the CPU controls the ball you can run right alongside and not get a foot in as the CPU Maradona's it up.

It makes most of my ball possession just a matter of running away from the constant CPU pressure, there is never any sizing up or holding up of the ball to allow for the attack to gather because the CPU will walk right in and nip it away.

I had a devil of a time last night. I thought ok I will try to get to terms with this version by playing as Atl Madrid 4 1/2 stars vs Yeovil 1 star. Since there is no practice/training ground option I thought this might be close as.

Instead Yeovil Town dribbled through my defense like Pele and out shot me 12-5. They won 1-0 on a suspect penalty. 2nd game I out shot them 11-9 but could never bury it in the net and finally won on pens.

3rd game I got a goal in the 19th minute and then held on desperately until Yeovil tied it up in the 78th minute off a free kick.

All in all on Semi-pro with a 4 1/2 star vs. a 1 star it felt horribly unfair as if the CPU was just giving me the business.

Makes me feel like if I choose to play Barca v Barca the CPU Ronaldinho would go wild on me whilst my Ron could not get round any CPU challenge.

Difficult is one thing and I can deal with that, CPU cheating is a whole different evil.

 

[mattrock]

Blacklover, of Maddenmania.com fame, I'm assuming? If so, i'd like to thank you for your diligent work with the rosters you spent countless hours creating/editing. I concur with most of your impressions of Fifa 08. I was really floored when playing the demo and believed that the game it self would only be better. I've only played one game, losing 1-0 to Blackburn, using Liverpool. It seemed as though the CPU was superior in all aspects of the game; pinpoint passing, great off the ball movement, blatantly tackling me without being booked etc. I'm all for creating a more competitive game, so I'll give this one a chance. Excited to see what Babel, Torres and the boys can do for me in Dynasty mode.

 

[SEPAKBOLA]

I've heard some rumors that playing on World Class level makes your teammates a bit better - thus balancing the game out.

I could be absolutely dead wrong of course as these are rumors.

 

[Blacklover]

matt, yep one and the same.


Sepak, I will give moving the difficulty up a go. Can't hurt too much at this point.


Another head scratcher here is Offsides. I just cannot stand the way EA has this implemented, and it's been in every NG futbol game they have made so far.

There is no delayed call of offsides in futbol. Yet there is in EA's game. If a player is offside and you play a through ball your player will not be called offside until they touch the ball. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO.

Offside is called immediately when it happens or worst case a tad delayed after a bang bang play where the linesman just did not react quick enough.

As soon as the player is judged offside the linesman raises his flag and the ref blows the whistle for offside. Simple as that.

Completely mind boggling to chase down a long ball into the corner of the pitch and then have the game give you offsides. CALL IT WHEN IT HAPPENS!!!!

Along the lines of offside, wow do some of your forwards wingers or strikers have no clue how to stay onside. Say you are pushing it up with a 10 shirt type player, you might hold onto the option of shoot or pass till the last minute. Instead of playing forward and then wide (to stay onside) or forward and then stop or hang with the last defender as your other attacking teammates should, they just keep driving forward until they are offside.

For example, 2 on 1, ST and AM. AM has the ball and is driving towards the penalty arc. CPU defender is trying to defend both the AM with the ball and the ST (this part is fundamentally sound) by hanging with the ST but staying squared up with the ball. At some point the threat becomes too much and the CPU defender will peel off the ST and come at the AM. Problem is the ST will keep running forward into an offside position, oblivious to this fact.

One time is fine, ok a mistake, mistakes happen. But to see what should be skilled players continue to wander offside is just pitiful to me.

They say Inzaghi was born offsides and that's as well may be, but even he knows how to adjust with what the defense is doing.

It's more than a bit like the AI coding wasn't finished for the human players CPU controlled players.

Even worse is the things I am reading here and at other forums stating that the AI is better in BE A Pro mode. What? That is fine, but why not have that same better AI in the regular mode of gameplay?

 

[thelordspawn]

the main problem i have with FIFA which is still in the game is biased reffing. its not as biased as before but it still is biased towards the CPU.

 

[Blacklover]

Fully agree. Perhaps if the ref called more fouls on the CPU during their uber-effective challenges on the Human player who is in possession of the ball the CPU would back off a bit and not be so gung ho and assured of stealing the ball each and every time.

A few free kicks buried into the back of the net or a few yellow cards would settle the CPU down proper.

 

[liljames]

i have read many post, indicating the players stand and wait for the ball whenever a pass is made. however this happens if u fail to press thr LT button after a pass. this helps in controlling the players as well as also when dribbling, when u make a pass,pressing the LT button , will help in freeing the receiver, this way, free flowing control makes it fun

 

[Blacklover]

Interesting I will give that a go.

Along the lines of that, I moved passing to manual and while I had a few terrible passes each time I passed my teammates did make an attempt to come to the the ball.

So why would EA code it so that if you had any pass assist on your players would just stand there?

The cherry on top of my last match was that I was ath madrid again and I played accrington stanley, yeah I know, but I really want to see if I can flat out dominate the CPU. The CPU still put up a hell of a fight and outshot me 7-2 at half but I then shut them down and it was 14-8 full time. I won 3-1.

The cherry was that I brought the ball forward from the left hand side with simao and in towards the penalty area, forlan was running ahead and moved into an offside position, I passed the ball anyway, the offside icon appeared on screen and I said oh what the hell and shot in one time style with forlan. Much to my surprise his quick strike banged off the left post and in and it triggered the goal celebration and it counted. Ha! Take that CPU!!!!!!!!!!

It put Accrington out and 5 minutes later I added the 3rd off a cross and header.

 

[GutBomb]

There is no delayed call of offsides in futbol. Yet there is in EA's game. If a player is offside and you play a through ball your player will not be called offside until they touch the ball. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO.

Actually the past 2 seasons most top flight leagues have been calling it this way as well. I remember specifically in the premiership the mandate going out starting last season that offside is now called when the receiving player TOUCHES the ball, rather then beforehand to reduce the confusion in active and passive offside.

 

[Blacklover]

Hmmm... I have not seen it called that way at all and I watch a lot of matches.

It may be called that way but only in terms of passive offsides.

What I am seeing is a player offside, the ball being played through his general area and then past him, him running down the ball eventually and then being whistled offside.

That would be active offside from the onset.

Now, had he been on the other side of the pitch or the ball been played opposite of where he was positioned then ok, passive offside and as long as he does not touch it first things would be ok.

So it appears the game just treats passive offsides incorrectly.

Next time it happens to me I will keep that player from touching the ball and wait for another one of my players or the CPU to touch it first.

I am guessing EA just didn't code in the ball relative to the player offside, active/passive, as finely as they should have.

 

[GutBomb]

Some linesmen will still do it the wrong way, which is raising the flag before the player touches the ball (yeah, that really is wrong) but the vast majority of them do it correctly, and the commentators always seem to forget about that mandate and say "really late flag there." or something like that. It always bothers me when they say it too, because the flag wasn't late, the linesman was told not to raise it until the player gets the ball.

Here's a link to the Reuters article about it. Basically it says no one can be called offside until they touch the ball. Even if it is completely obvious that the pass is to them, they can't be ruled offside until they actually touch it.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/29/1067233253978.html?from=storyrhs

"In effect, they mean players who do not touch the ball or directly block the vision or movement of an opponent will not be ruled offside."

A player that has not touched the ball yet wold fall into that category. As soon as they touch the ball, they no longer qualify for that, and are thusly ruled offside.

In this case FIFA 08 is actually handling it correctly, while some linesmen aren't.

 

[Blacklover]

Well, yes and no. I see what you are saying regarding passive offsides, but active onsides is still called immediately when the ball is played towards a player in an offside position.

I watch a lot of Serie A and they do both passive and active there. BUT the only time passive is actually allowed is when the "passive" player is offside but completely not involved in play. Like say outside of the penalty area but offside whilst a shot is occurring.

I would say on average active onsides is called immediately 7-10 times a match and passive is called 1-2 times a match.