Kiddy FIFA 09 better than PS3/360?

Though we've been singing its praises so far, we do have some reservations, especiallyabout the simulation side of the game, which is where the meat of the football action really is, in single-player at least. The game seems less precise and more cluttered in the 'realistic' mode, animation sequencesseem cut right back so you can see individual frames of movement as the players do their thing and the inability to choose a lofted pass over a ground ball is annoying.

Another problem is that the Wii-mote doesn't work in areas off-screen, so long passes to the wingon the near-side are pretty much impossible on 'advanced' controls.


Above: Even the standard mode is quite arcadey in that you get praise for clever play

But step back from the game for a minute and you see a bigger dilemma. What's the future for FIFA on Wii? Is EA really going to make two vastly different modes every year?

"We don't know what users are going to look for," said Kaz. "This year we have both styles, simulation and arcade. Next year's we don't know if we will have both or one. It feels like the consumer will decide and tell us what they like. Through feedback we will hear what game they want to play. Then we can make the proper decision. But at this point we believe having both is the right way to do it."

Justin Towell

Justin was a GamesRadar staffer for 10 years but is now a freelancer, musician and videographer. He's big on retro, Sega and racing games (especially retro Sega racing games) and currently also writes for Play Magazine, Traxion.gg, PC Gamer and TopTenReviews, as well as running his own YouTube channel. Having learned to love all platforms equally after Sega left the hardware industry (sniff), his favourite games include Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams, Zelda BotW, Sea of Thieves, Sega Rally Championship and Treasure Island Dizzy.