UEFA CL 06/07 impressions of the final!

[Miki23]

Just played a few quick matches and wanted to let you guys know what's new and what's different from the demo.

I won't comment on the game modes right now as I haven't tried them yet, so I'll post more tomorrow.

The graphics are incredible, and more interesting is support for 1080p... Yep, it says that on the back of the box. Not sure if this is the first 360 game to support it, but definitely first football game.
The graphics are just like in the demo, clearer than Fifa 07 and simply stunning. Cut scenes too. I did notice a few hiccups during actual game play as well as during cut scenes, but nothing material. The new lightning is incredible and makes huge difference.

Ball physics have improved, which is reflected in the shooting and crossing especially. Passing also had a revamp, so once you switch off the assistance it is really challenging.

A bit disappointing is the lack of the Live bar with the updates and Arena where you can play one on one while the game is loading, but luckily loading times are minimal.
I also noticed that there are only night matches available. Not sure if you can unlock the day matches...

Game seems harder, but it might be just getting used to the new pace. I was able to score 3-4 goals per half in the demo, but I only scored 1 goal so far in 4 games on semi-pro.

Net physics also seems better.

Like I said, I just had a few quick ones and overall it is better game than Fifa 07. Both visually and sound, but more importantly in game play department.

Post questions if you have them...

Oh and for the end, there are Calcio, Premier, Orange, Bundes, LFP and rest of EU leagues.

 

[kennytomson]

can you list the camera angles with a brief discription of each?


Thanks for your time.

 

[DVC]

I just finished playing my 5th match of the full game and I'll also post my thoughts.

As said above, the graphics and overall presentation has been greatly improved. Some players still look a little plastic, but it's not as bad as it was in FIFA. The cut scenes are also improved, however players still have soiled shorts when they come off the bench! I'm not all that bothered by that, though.

The game play is a drastic improvement from FIFA, too. The players aren't as robotic and clunky as they were in FIFA, and light passes now travel along the ground rather than bouncing. The one-two system is now amazing and I actually use it quite often to make bursting runs with Gerrard, it makes the game seem very realistic.

The shooting is also now improved and goalkeepers no longer catch 30 yard screamers with ease, they now parry the ball away either for a corner or for a rebound opportunity. From what I have seen so far, the speed glitch is still there to a certain extent, but it's not as bad as it was in FIFA.

The one thing that impressed me the most was both the improved commentary and the AMAZING crowd chants. When I first booted up the game I went to Play Now, set myself up a game with Liverpool against Everton at Anfield ... and to my surprise the game started with loud rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. From the 5 games I have had I have heard around 7 different chants for Liverpool alone, so it wouldn't surprise me if there were a fair few chants for your favourite teams too.

Based on the 5 matches I have had I'd give the game an 8.5 pushing onto a 9 depending on how good the Champions League mode is, haven't tried it yet.

As for the camera angles, there are;

Tele - Default camera, same as the one in the demo.
Dynamic - This is similar to a broadcast camera, however it's very close to the pitch and players.
Dynamic V2 - Same as Dynamic however it's even closer.
Action - Similar to the dynamic camera apart from the view angle.
End to End - As it says, end to end.

I play on Tele myself, I don't like how close the other cameras are to the players, it makes you have to rely on the radar for long range passing.

 

[cfdemarco]

You guys are lucky, I called my local Electronics Boutique and they didn't have it yet, since today is the "ship" date they might not have it until this afternoon or tomorrow.

 

[OrgulloVikingo]

Did you play the final version for 360 or PS2? everyones saying that the 360 version only has the CL teams and no leagues (EPL, Serie A, etc....)

 

[Miki23]

Did you play the final version for 360 or PS2? everyones saying that the 360 version only has the CL teams and no leagues (EPL, Serie A, etc....)

That is incorrect Orgullo. I've played 360 version retail copy and there are LFP, Calcio, Orange, Premier, Bundes leagues + there is rest of Europe.

After playing a few more matches, this game is definitely better than Fifa 07 in pretty much every way. Online is seamless. Graphics/sound are much better. Game play has improved a lot, that is, it is tweaked and how Fifa 07 should have played.

The new card game mode is more addictive than manager mode imo and it looks like longetivity is greater than 5 seasons in Fifa 07. While on cards, the cards that you can use in the game bring a bit of a RPG element in the game and they (cards) make a difference. You can just tell that players stamina is back on full if you use stamina card for example.

There are also classic challenges which are based on real scenarios. (haven't played any of them yet but it looks promising and you earn an achievement point for every challenge).

Camera angles are same as in Fifa 07, as well as the controller options, i.e. you can set pass assistance and auto switching. Controls are identical to Fifa 07. One thing I noticed about the camera is that it follows the ball a bit better than in 07. It is more focused on the ball.

There's vast number of new animations and moves. E.g. I've seen an awesome move yesterday when Stankovic lift the ball over defenders head and volleyed it and hit the cross bar. I haven't seen that in 07. Nor I've seen a drag back move which I saw yesterday as well.
While I'm at it, shooting enjoyed a lot of improvement, thank God. Volleys don't look ackward like in 07, but very natural. There is more curve on the ball when shooting, more power, it looks and feels more random than in 07 where sometimes you had a feeling that it was scripted (in Fifa 07 that is).
Noticeable is that GK do not catch a ball when you shoot outside the box or just send a screamer from where-ever, but punch it out or back in the box. It looks a lot more realistic.
Headers are simply stunning. I've seen a few diving headers as well which is encouraging.

The overall player responsiveness is much better, in 07 you could see that the player almost doesn;t know should he chest it or header it. In Uefa CL this has improved a lot but, and big BUT, there are still instances where it is unresponsive and you just think:"he should have headed it".

The collision between players look much better too.

On a defensive note, sliding tackes are actually useful if you time them properly. Also if you hold A for too long, i.e. you pressure for too long, you will cause a FK. So you need to position yourself first and then pressure in. It makes defending a bit more challenging, but nevertheless better than in 07, where it was just way too easy to get the hold of the ball and have a counter attack.

Throughballs are harder too, which is good. AI really cuts you off.

Also, one of the major improvements is ability to jostle for the ball during corners/FK/crosses which is great, just like in Fifa 07 last gen versions. And also corners are now a lot better and more deadly weapon during the game. In 07 most of the time GK just ran out and caught the ball...

This is not to say that the game is perfect, of course, there are still issues stemming from 07 that could and should be improved. One of those things is switching players and detection of which player is closest to the ball. Yesterday I sent an early cross in the box and had two players there, but the player I got to control was further away from the ball where as if the closer player was selected it would have been a great diving header. I use manual switching and it just didn;t respond quick enough when I tried to change it. I hope it is not going to be a major issue.

In the end, I don't think I'll go back to Fifa 07 at all. I might trade it in for something else. Until Fifa 08 UEFA CL looks like it will give me enough football gaming.

 

[OrgulloVikingo]

I played the demo and liked it alot. Big improvement from 07. Trade in value for Fifa 2007 is only 17 USD!!! P!ssed me off. I am renting CL and will buy it dirt cheap from my rental club. I get 10% off all games and have $10 USD in coupons so it'll come out cheap. Can't wait to get it...next week!

 

[DVC]

The game I have is 360 version too, and I agree with everything Miki23 stated here.

The CPU AI is a lot harder to break down than it was in FIFA 07. So far I have found NO hot spots for easy goals and the game is a lot harder defensively as CPU controlled players are smart and have an element of skill to them. I have started to play on Professional now and it's even harder. I lost 2-0 to Werder Bremen in my first Pro game and I have only managed to win 1 in about 6 games(beat Chelsea 2-1) the rest have been 0-0 or 1-1 draws.

Oh, and I also just managed to get in a quick look at the CL mode. Be warned, this mode is VERY basic. You have absolutely no managerial control over your team, it's basically game after game with no thought needed, which I think may get a little boring after a while, I'll try and stick it out though.

I haven't tried the card game mode yet, and to be honest I'm a little weary about it. I'll give it a try eventually though.

I am yet to find any sort of in game store where you can unlock new things, I looked all through the menus but I can't spot it. I know there is some sort of point system as you are graded after the completion of every match and get points depending on how well you played, which leads me to think you can spend those points on unlocking new things like balls etc? As I said, I haven't seen a store or anything so I don't know about that.

In case anyone doesn't know by know, there are no create modes in the game at all, which I'm not that bothered about but some people may like that feature and be disappointed when they find it's not there.

I love the game, haven't really stopped playing it since I got it, other than to take a whizz and sleep of course.

But yeah, I highly recommend this game for all football fans, FIFA is eating CL's dust.

 

[Blacklover]

Can either of you two list the Rest of Europe teams and which of those are unlicensed?

 

[kennytomson]

no ability to edit or create players?

 

[Miki23]

no ability to edit or create players?

There is create a player option. Not sure what's in it, but I have seen the option to create a player somewhere. I'll dig into it.

I just had a play through card mode and it is quite fun. You one set of cards at the beginning which includes your badge and kits, some less known players and you have to make sure players are at their right position, at the right formation etc... Each player will last for only a few games... like after 7 games that player is GONE, unless you use extend contract card. So you have to be quite careful with player and staff contracts or you may get in trouble... There is a lot to manage so it may put some people off...
There is a progress bar where you keep earning points and progress to the next level. After 10 levels, you can get a Golden Card and use your team in CL.

On a separate note, there are no Leagues to be played per se... You can use any team in the Champions League mode from 5 official leagues and Rest of Europe teams but there are no Premiership league to be played only for example. The default teams for CL are this years qualifiers, but you can randomize or swap teams with non-qualifying teams.

The unlockables are in the album. By putting cards into album you can unlock new balls, kits, stadiums, boots etc... and use those in create a player or in a play now matches.

Something that has also improved over Fifa 07 is that once players get tired they won't sprint... at all... players slow down and lose power in their shot and passes, as well as precision. By the end of my first Ultimate team game I couldn't even hit the ball on target, it simply went way above the bar or an easy pick up from GK.
Good stuff.

That's it for now...

 

[DVC]

There is create a player option. Not sure what's in it, but I have seen the option to create a player somewhere. I'll dig into it.

The unlockables are in the album. By putting cards into album you can unlock new balls, kits, stadiums, boots etc... and use those in create a player or in a play now matches.

Thanks for the info, I just saw the create a player mode, too. It's in the usual team management section.

 

[LilPlayaJosh]

The stadiums during the sunny games look fantastic.

 

[OrgulloVikingo]

How's the online play? Many people online yet?

 

[cfdemarco]

The stadiums during the sunny games look fantastic.

Interesting, I've heard you can only play night games and I was hoping that wasn't true.

Just picked it up and I'm gonna get into it after dinner. Pretty pumped

 

[Neutral LFC]

Interesting, I've heard you can only play night games and I was hoping that wasn't true.

Just picked it up and I'm gonna get into it after dinner. Pretty pumped

You can play night or day matches.

Short hands-on impressions here;

http://www.maccasgaming.com/reviews/UEFA0607HOI.htm

 

[cfdemarco]

OK, just finished my first three games. Beat Celtic with Man U 2-1, tied Porto as AC Milan 2-2, and thrashed Juventus 4-0 with Chelsea.

Gameplay wise, it feels better than FIFA 07 in every single way. The passing is smoother, the collision is so much better, the players tire and don't sprint late in the game as someone else said...it just feels better in every way.

Visually, it looks outstanding in high definition. The commentary is much improved (they keep up with the action much better, and I haven't heard any mistakes yet in three games, whereas in FIFA they said something utterly untrue at least once a game) and the crowd chants are fantastic.

As Neutral LFC said, you can choose day or night games. The stadiums are more detailed, the fans look better...all the teams from the five major European leagues are present, plus 17 other teams from Europe. One of the coolest features (at least I think so) is that a lot of the teams have their 3rd jerseys available!

So far, the only downfalls I can think of- players are still stuck on a straight line in pursuit of the ball, BUT it does seem like you can cancel out of it on SOME occasions, usually when it's obvious that the ball will be turned over. Players still wait for the ball to come to them for the most part, BUT it seems like you are able to move towards the ball a bit, especially on defense. That's it in terms of gameplay. Visually, there is still no ref on field, which is disappointing...and no rain or snow. I really hope they add those two things in the next game.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with this game. I thought FIFA 07 was a flawed but solid foundation, and UEFA has done nothing but improve upon that foundation.

 

[DVC]

I played the Ultimate Team mode yesterday for about an hour and you know what? It's not as bad as you think it may be.

You start off by naming your own team(that's pretty much all you get to customize, no stadium or kit options which would have been cool). You start off getting a Bronze card pack which contains a bunch of players(usually ranging in the late-50's to 60's ... I didn't get a player over the 70 rating. I did get Teddy Sheringham, he has scored all my goals ), a stadium(which I think is your home stadium? I'm not sure. I got Level 1 Anfield, I don't know what the levels mean yet), a set of home and away kits from a lesser known team(I got Gimnastic's) and finally a whole bunch of random other cards which may contain team boost cards or staff.

So yeah, after arranging all your team you are ready to play. You start off at level 1 and the goal is to reach level 5 to earn a golden ticket to the Champions League. The level system works on how many points you earn per game(as in 3 for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss). You need 9 points to advance to level 2. You are pitted against 3-star teams for the first level, so advancing to level 2 should only take you 3 games(it took me 4 because I drew 1).

Now this is where I am a little confused. I've now played my first game at level 2 and my players contracts are expiring, now this is where you would think you would get to buy some new cards for new players or contract cards, right? Wrong. I have been all through the UT mode menus and I can't find anywhere where you can buy new card packs! I have more than enough points for it(oh, and you use the gameplay points you earn from all match modes including Online to buy card packs), but there doesn't seem to be any place to get them? I had to stop playing and save it there because I was running out of players.

Anyone got this far into it yet? If you can shed any light on this it'd be great.

 

[Neutral LFC]

Now this is where I am a little confused. I've now played my first game at level 2 and my players contracts are expiring, now this is where you would think you would get to buy some new cards for new players or contract cards, right? Wrong. I have been all through the UT mode menus and I can't find anywhere where you can buy new card packs! I have more than enough points for it(oh, and you use the gameplay points you earn from all match modes including Online to buy card packs), but there doesn't seem to be any place to get them? I had to stop playing and save it there because I was running out of players.

Anyone got this far into it yet? If you can shed any light on this it'd be great.

You can buy you card backs just off the first UT menu - so from the main menu;

i)Ultimate Team
ii)Buying Cards (the second option down)

Once you start getting into buying packs and collecting cards it gets pretty addictive!

 

[cfdemarco]

Something else I've noticed after playing a few more games today- this game is noticably more difficult than FIFA 07. I generally never had a problem winning on semi-pro in FIFA, and in UEFA I've already lost twice in 8 games and usually give up 2-3 goals a game (whereas in FIFA I hardly ever gave up more than 1).

Also, for some reason every AI opponent on the field can ball handle like Ronaldinho. I've never had so many AI opponents carve there way through my defense single-handedly.