FIFA Soccer 08 [PS2]

Speaking of greatness, the one area we might have to pull out the yellow card is the goalies. Holy crap these guys can be tough. You'll buzz their hands, head and every other body part with blistering shots from tough angles only to have 'em tip the ball out for a corner. For a real challenge, wrest keeper control away from the AI by taking over between the posts. A quick click of the right stick puts you in the middle of the action. This is a great house rule when playing friends -- you have to be the keeper. It makes the matches that much more exciting and tense.

Be a Pro mode is EA's new term for career mode. Basically you take an existing footballer or create one and set out with the task of making him the best in the world. During games, you can influence the way your team plays by calling for passes or encouraging teammates to shoot, but control is locked to your pro. You can also play in Be a Pro Co-Op Season, which allows friends into the mix. Each of you will have a task (i.e. take four shots, score on a corner kick, etc.) and an overall team task (win by two goals). After each game your experience points, and attributes, move based on how well these tasks were executed. It's a neat idea, essentially giving players their own "focus" against the big-picture backdrop of the team.

More multiplayer goodness exists online, where leagues and usual matchmaking features offer a veritable cornucopia of football goodness. We experienced little lag and overall solid performance of this title online.

More features, you say? There's PS2-to-PSP connectivity. You can start Manager Mode, basically an exercise in resource/roster management, on either platform and swap it back and forth seamlessly. Signature moves are here for the game's biggest stars. New preseason friendlies are playable, custom team formations and the always-fun crowd chants are all here.

Looks, as they say, aren't everything and FIFA 08 on the PS2 demonstrates this perfectly. Spot-on control, great atmosphere, more features than ever and balanced gameplay should send this one to the back of any soccer fan's net.

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