The sport of soccer is, perhaps, the most popular sport in the world, yet it has never taken off in the country. Perhaps it is the slow pace of play or the low scoring games, but it has never quite captured the imagination of the American public. Certainly there have been numerous attempts at making the sport more popular, but nothing quite seems to have taken off. However, that doesn't stop soccer videogames, like EA Sports's FIFA Soccer 08, appearing on a yearly basis.
FIFA Soccer 08 is the first version of EA's soccer title to appear on the Nintendo Wii, and as such feels like something of an incomplete work. There are some wonderful strengths to the game, but also some incredibly frustrating weaknesses.
As with all Wii games, the first thing that has to be considered is the control scheme. FIFA Soccer 08 includes EA Sports's "Family Play" simplified control scheme as well as a more in-depth one. Family Play allows users to play the game with just the Wii remote instead of the Wii remote and nunchuk. While this does not allow for some of the more spectacular soccer moves to be performed, it does make controlling the player far more simple. The Family Play notion fits well with the Wii's overall "gaming for everyone" ideal.
The more in-depth control scheme features innumerable button pushing, Wii remote turning possibilities to truly get the most out of the players on the field. Surprisingly, despite the pages and pages of control combinations listed in the manual, it is very easy to get the hang of the game and play successfully.
The graphics in the game are decent, but nothing too sharp or spectacular. The field is seen from a distance in order for more of it to be pictured at a single time (zooming in is possible but hampers one's ability to see what is taking place). As the goal gets closer to one of the goals, the game does zoom in slightly to allow for a better look at the way plays are being setup. Penalty shots, corner kicks, goal kicks, etc., are all played from a much closer perspective and are adequate looking.
For the most part, gameplay is fun and enjoyable. Between tournament modes, online play, numerous "challenges" that require certain tasks to be completed (usually beating an opponent by a specified number of points), and minigames (see below), there is plenty of fun to be had. Regular gameplay is brisk without feeling overly short. Additionally, the game features numerous soccer leagues, and has 570 actual teams with over 12,500 real players. The amount of data packed into the game is incredible.
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