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Its the time of the year when another installment of the Fifa and PES series gets released. This time, Fifa 09 has been released first. I have been playing Fifa since Fifa 98 and used to enjoy it until I got my hands on PES 4. From that time I got addicted to PES due to its more realistic game play. However, last year I was not impressed with both Fifa 08 and PES 2008. But this year seems to be different, after a long time I am enjoying the Fifa series. EA Sports have really made some much needed changes for the PC and the game is awesome and very enjoyable.

This Fifa 09 looks much much better than Fifa 08. Everything from the gameplay, graphics, Menu looks much better. On launching the game, you will be greeted with a very cool menu which will also have widgets. You are asked to choose your favorite team and through the Adidas Live Season stats, you can see its season stats. The game has almost all the teams and players that you can ask for and all the transfers are also there. There are a lot of game modes such as Exhibition, Online, Season Mode, Manager Mode, Tournament mode etc. The Be a Pro which allows you to play and progress as a single player has been extended to 4 seasons. There is a brand new camera which makes playing it much more fun. And now coming to the more major points, lets take a look at some new features.

Graphics is the area in which the PC version sees a major overhaul. Last time, people told me that Fifa 08 looked very good on the consoles than on the PC, but this time PC owners get what they wanted for. The players faces looks very much detailed and you can actually see them sweating. Some of the players might not exactly resemble there real life counter part but most of them does. The 3D pitch looks super cool and the animations are improved. It is big improvement if you compare it with the previous version. There are a few glitches which you may encounter but it is good to see that improvement has been made.

Now coming to the gameplay which is the most important thing that you look for. The gameplay is much more realistic now as compared to the previous version. Earlier, you can run and turn with the ball and the player would do it perfectly but now things have changed. If you are running with the ball and suddenly cut across or change direction, it will have some impact like player losing the control or slowing down. The stamina system is much better now so you can’t expect older player like Giggs to run with the ball all the way. The players will be affected based on the amount they run on pitch. So if you are doing too much sprinting with a player, he is bound to get tired quickly. The all new collision system in the game is top class. You will occasionally see players colliding with each other as they battle for the ball. Generally the player with a better physique will have a good chance to recover quickly. This makes the game much more realistic as it is a very important aspect. You will need to work on your Team Play now if you want to score goals, now you just cant run all the way alone and score a goal. A few good passes and some great forward runs are needed if you want to score. The AI is much better now and the CPU will mark you well.

Another new addition to the game is the brand new Mouse and Keyboard control system. Player movement is handled with the keyboard while defensive and offensive duties like passing, shooting, tackle can be done with the mouse. Just position the on screen reticule and tap the left mouse button to pass the ball, shoot with the right mouse button, hold the left mouse button longer for long pass. Though it is a bit tough and requires time to get used too, it gives you much more control over the game and you can create some brilliant moves. You can hover over a player and roll the mouse wheel to make him run. To make a player move to any space, just hover over the space and roll the mouse and a player will run to that space. This way you can manually look for gaps in defense and direct your players there. Though a bit difficult, master it if you want to make some cool moves.

The sound and commentary are also improved though not as good as the graphics. But you generally wont see the commentators repeating the sentences anymore. The crowd seems more lively and will even chant the player name and sometimes will even boo the players. Overall the game is a big improvement from Fifa 08. You will surely enjoy it.

Ratings

Graphics : 9 / 10

Gameplay : 8 / 10

Sound : 9 / 10

Overall : 8.5 / 10

Being a die hard PES fan, if Fifa is getting this ratings from me, it must surely mean that the game is good.

Here are the minimum system requirements for the game

Supported OS: Windows XP
Processor: Pentium 4 2.4 Ghz or Equivalent
Memory: 1 GB
Graphics: 6600 Nvidia graphics card or ATI equivalent with support for Pixel Shader 3
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c
Sound: DirectX Compatible
Hard Drive: 4 GB

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