FIFA 09 (Xbox 360) | 
 enlarge | From: Electronic Arts
Category: Video Games
List Price: £49.99
Buy New: £25.99
You Save: £24.00 (48%)
New (19) Used (9) from £24.47
Rating:  60 reviews
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: soccer-games
Media: Video Game
Operating System: Xbox 360
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5030930067878
ASIN: B001B7EYPI
Release Date: October 3, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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Manufacturer's Description
Step onto the pitch and play professional football your way in FIFA 09. Experience the most authentic football simulation EA Sports has delivered as you live the fantasy of playing as a professional player and customise the game to suit your style and ability. Powered by the third generation of the EA Sports football engine, FIFA 09 features more than 250 core gameplay additions and enhancements that deliver the most responsive, intelligent and realistic action ever for the series. Enjoy turning defenders with more controlled dribbling and ball control, snapping off precision shots with improved first-time shooting mechanics and firing beautifully timed passes with greater accuracy, placing the ball exactly where you want it. With new player momentum physics the speed and weight of the player determines everything from the distance of a slide tackle and the power of a header to the severity of player collisions and the height of a player's jump. Plus, players now behave according to their physical attributes with larger, stronger players dominating collisions, battles for control of the ball, and position in challenges for two player headers.
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| Customer Reviews:
 On to you then, Konami. October 4, 2008
M. Marks (UK)
15 out of 18 found this review helpful
Having received the game on release day I have been playing it rather relentlessly. I'll start off with a short summary; I like this game, alot. Not only does it enhance on what 08' couldn't, it also pushes the franchise forwards in terms of inginiuity and entertainment. There is so much to do in the game that I will probably forget a feature or two over the course of this review. Taking into account my overwhelming satisfaction, it is embarassing for me to confess that i didn't think this game would be as engrossing as it is and will be for another year.
With 08' I found the Be a Pro mode (which I will now refer to as 'BAP') to be a concept which oozed potential. I am happy to say that in 09' they have well and truely milked the preverbial cow of BAP. The BAP mode takes the form of 'seasons', 4 of them to be exact, where a chosen or created player plys his trade at any chosen club. At the beginning of BAP you will start off as an unnoticed player in the reserve team. After getting noticed, which could take some of the novices out there some time, you move on to bigger and better things so to speak. Performing well for your club will get you noticed internationaly, where you can become a national legend should you take the international stage by storm. Needless to say, this mode is very expansive and entertaining. I personally find this game mode fantastic. Because i support Arsenal (boo, hiss) I enjoy playing an integral part in centre midfield alongside Fabregas (boo,hiss). Playing on 'Professional' dificulty setting makes it very realistic in playing style and feel.
The inclusion of BAP seasons does not mean that the manager mode is neglected and banished into the corner like a smelly cat. Instead it is played in the exact same style as in 08', only with easier navigation and more realistic transfers etc. Happy faces all round. I haven't gotten all that immersed into manager mode yet, but I fully intend to once I have finished with BAP.
Online is, in a word, exceptional. In 08' I would scream naughty words in almost every match I played due to a defensive glitch or a player change problem. Fifa 09 rewards me back my sanity. I have played around 50 games and I am yet to encounter any glitches or player change problems. So to put it simply the only reason you should shout naughty words is because your getting a good old-fashioned romping. As well as player vs player matches there is also the inclusion of BAP with 10 vs 10 matches. I know, I know, the images of 10 players running after one ball with four or five 11 year olds all asking "who am I?" are running rife in your nuggin. Suffice to say that I am fortunate enough for this only to have happened once to me. Assemble yourself a good team and this mode will be a winner.
Having played the game for two days I cannot express how enjoyable I find this game. Shooting has become as realistic as ever, along with keepers gaining a few pixelated brain-cells. It is hard to think how the next edition can build on such a satisfyingly complete game.
I've never been a PES man myself and after this I won't be making the transition. Over to you, Konami.
 One late night later... October 16, 2008
Ian H. Duggan (Aberdeen, Scotland)
12 out of 17 found this review helpful
(Apologies for length, but might be of interest to potential buyers)
My first evening with this game found me staying up till 5AM. I'm not proud; I'm a grown man, I really should know better. But heaven help me, the chance to take my own pro and rise through the ranks was just too much for me.
The following day (after a rather short and unsatisfying sleep) I jumped back in... and found myself rather let down. Sudden little niggles began to pop up, little irritants that I hadn't noticed the night before. And most of all... it suddenly seemed incredibly easy.
The presentation is surprisingly poor. There's no story to it as it were. You start in the reserves and after playing through a few matches and getting your rating up, you'll suddenly find yourself in the first team. I say suddenly, because you'll be 2 mins into a match when you suddenly realise that the names the commentators (still pretty poor by the way) are saying sound familiar. There's no fanfare, no TA DAH! just a rather shoddy looking mock up of a newspaper that will pop up AFTER your first game. Although this is the second FIFA game this mode has appeared in, it still feels a bit tacked on. Also, there appears to be a limit if 4 years. Which puzzles me. Why not make the progression curve slower, force you to start with a poor team as a fresh faced 17 y/o and work your way up? You know... like Konami are going to do?
Also, the season you play is slightly... sparse. No cups, of ANY kind, only International friendlies (except for the "Nations Cup" which is referred to repeatedly and I can only assume comes at the end of the 4 years?) and the league season is only half the normal length. And then at the end of the season, you get another slightly random newspaper, a summary of your achievements and a list of clubs that want to sign you. No offer of wages, no negotiation, just a list of clubs and where you'll fit in their squad (squad player, fans' favourite, captain etc.)
Finally the actual match rating system. Points out of 10 for your performance. Based on everything; positioning, passing, tackling, goals, all that jazz. Calculated in a slightly puzzling way e.g. I scored SIX goals in one game, and set up another two (I mentioned it was a bit easy yes?) and yet I was beaten to the man of the match by out central midfielder. Who played 6 passes, made three tackles and had no shots on goal. The ratings will puzzle you after a while. I came to the conclusion after studying the previous games that I was losing points because I was regularly making 1 out of 3 tackles as a lone striker. Never mind the 4 goals, the 25 dribbles or the 95% pass completion rate. Not good enough at the tackling you see...
Other things will grate a bit too. Receiving a minus for poor positioning moments before scoring a goal is not unusual. If you take a corner as a central player and the goalie catches the ball and kicks it out quickly, you inevitably end up being criticized for being out of position. Completely out of your hands. As is often the case. The arrow that guides you're positioning both on and off the ball will often suggest you run away from the opposition player in possession and directly front of you with the ball just to make sure you're standing in the area that it thinks you should be in. To suggest that a player would ever AVOID a challenge to get in the correct field position is laughable however.
What this means is that you can run your energy down pretty quick running desperately from point to point off the ball. I once scored with a lob, pressing the long pass instead of shoot which can be effective and as the ball crossed the goal-line I received a minus for a missed pass. Ummmm... what? Often the marks are just plain out of your hands. Get a pass when you haven't called for it, and you're heavily marked, loose the ball and BAM minus for "dribbling". Play a perfectly good cross, that unfortunately none of your team mates get a head to SMASH! minus for a poor pass. Tackle a player and knock the ball into touch in a dangerous situation? BLAOW! minus for a poor tackle AND a missed pass. Sometimes after pressing the button to skip a replay, you'll find yourself with the pass icon up and once play starts again you call for the ball, and straight away KERBLAMO! get a minus for asking for a stupid pass. That you hadn't actually asked for. Huh.
After another hour or so of play, I was in my second season, playing with Barca and scoring... wait for it... 12 goals... in 3 games. A further 3 games and I'd added another 14 goals on. Including 6 in one game. Six. Which, incidentally, neither the commentary or the newspaper made any refference to.
It's as simple as this. Get you stats for pace and acceleration up nice and high. Also shot power and finishing. Then, in the game make runs between the two central defenders. Call for through ball, run between defenders, slot ball to right of keeper. Goal. Repeat to fade. Seriously, assuming that your CPU controlled team mates play the pass with any pace (which would be once every ten passes I would estimate, their passing can be DREADFUL) it's a sure goal every time, which is a shame because it was this exact thing that drove me away from FIFA all those years ago; there was always a set way to score. It used to be down the wing, late cross to the near post, header, goal. Now it's straight down the middle, through ball to the striker with pace, slide it past the keeper. Over and over and over and...
Playing the normal game, i.e. controlling all 11 players I found the exact same issue. Scoring, if you could hold onto the ball for two seconds (it's not that the game is blisteringly quick, it's more that the player respond half a second AFTER you give commands, another FIFA complaint from 10 ), was actually quite easy. I nudged the difficulty level up to the top and found it exactly the same. Only this time, I was leaking goals. Leading to a 7 - 6 thriller between Man U and Arsenal. Hmmmm.
It's a fun game, I'm not going to deny it. I'd bet if you could get 19 mates online at once, the 10 vs 10 mode would be a complete riot. Chances of that happening? Slim in my case anyway. Playing 2 vs 2 is less interesting. Playing 5 vs 5 with strangers swearing constantly at each other, as has been the norm thus far on XBox Live (as with most games) is even less so.
Overall, I'm glad I got this game. It was a great session I had into the wee small hours... but honestly, after all of 8 hours solid play I feel I'm done with this game. I am glad I bought it though. Equally, I'm just as glad that I'll be able to sell it next week for about 5 less than I paid for it.
Result.
I have only played the demo but i love it!!!!! September 17, 2008
G. J. Tape (North devon)
10 out of 19 found this review helpful
FIFA 09 (Xbox 360)
I have only played the demo of this game but i love it!!!!!
After i had been sat at home for an hour playing 4 min matches i realised that i love the improvments.
the heading is alot more realistic and your long shots can go in!
You know when you are playing against a mate and he in nobbling all of your best players off the ball, waiting for the advantage to be over then nobbling some more, Well now the ref will bring it back when the ball is out of play and book him. This might not be a big deal to alot of people and maybe my mates are just mean but it has been something i have wanted for years. there is now a ref and linesmen, custom goal celebrations and the lofted through ball actually works.
probably not the most insightful review but a few things that i was pleased they had done.
As long as they make a bit more of winning trofies not just the team posing for a photo ( no cup, and only about 2 seconds long ) where is the cheer from the crowed as the captin lifts the cup? as long as they do this it will be perfect.
If its anything like the demo then pro evo's got no chance!! September 11, 2008
J. Tomlinson (UK)
7 out of 14 found this review helpful
Ive just played the demo for this tonight and i can honestly say that i think it might be the best football game ive played.
Last year i hated fifa 08 demo, but enjoyed the game so i hope the demo and proper game aren't to different this time.
They have changed the whole game engine and its much more like pro evo's playability. So with this new one, its like pro evo and fifa mixed together really.
Lets see if Konami can come back with a good game to give fifa a run for its money. Im a pro evo guy myself and i will be defintley buying fifa this year for the fist time since like 2001!!
Fifa 09 best football game yet! September 13, 2008
A. Shoesmith (orkney)
5 out of 14 found this review helpful
I have played fifa for yrs.
Dropped it in 2005 for pro evo as fifa was bad.
Last yr pro evo stufed up their online multiplayer on the 360 so I went back to fifa 08. It was in a way pro stuffed up cos fifa 08 was best footy sim ive played. The realism etc but now......FIFA 09 takes the best bits of fifa 08 and adds to it!
The graphics as ever are brillant but its all bout the game play and it is even better this yr. Improved player runs, shooting, passing, more realistic heading, make it the best game out of pro evo fifa yet! i have only played demo so I think the fullgame will be even better.
Now I cnt comment on how gd this yrs pro evo is, or isnt but they will have lost alot of fans after their gaff last yr, and I wnt be buying a pro evo game again, il play my friens if its any gd but after last yr alot to build on.
Pro evo will really have to do something special this yr to beat fifa.
I hope this review helps any potential buyers as I feel its an honest assesment of both games.
And with 10 on 10 be a pro fifa should be great.
Get fifa 09 on 360 or ps3, on ps2 and pc its ok but as with pro evo 2, its not the same as the next gen consoles.
just finished pro evo demo and god its bad, very bad. I have played different games from each series depending on which is best, and fifa 09 is way better than pro evo 09. The pro evo gameplay feels old and slow. deffo not a next gen game, its really bad, im actually shocked with konami and annoyed they can't be bothered to make a decent game anymore. fifa 09 on its way in the post.
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