FIFA 08

Mario Strikers Charged was hardly about soccer. Despite being played with a ball, a net, and a goalie, Charged is more akin to Mario Kart, where the use of items and super moves is more important to success than aggressive wing play. For gamers who would rather beat the goalie with a well-timed cross than by throwing hammers at him, FIFA 08 from EA Sports offers full control over the soccer experience. At this stage, however, it doesn't appear like the Wii Remote is up to the task.

Like Madden and NBA Live, FIFA 08 features FreeMotion Control. Essential moves like shooting, passing, and sliding tackles are all mapped to a single button press and a motion with the Wii Remote, and they work well. Ten dekes (from simple ones like stepping over the ball, to spectacular moves like a 360-degree roulette) have also been mapped to the FreeMotion Control.

FreeMotion Control shines in soccer.

There are two basic shots that can be taken: a powerful straight shot by moving the Wii Remote upwards; and by moving the Wii Remote downwards, a "finesse shot" that is less powerful but features more curve. It feels a little gimmicky at first to make these shooting motions during the match. Like in NBA Live, the shooting motion doesn't translate as well as do the throwing and catching motions in Madden, for example. But also like in NBA Live, using the Wii Remote to shoot is a decent approximation of the intended action, and making motions to score is more fun than using buttons.

FreeMotion Control makes a wide arsenal of moves easy to execute. Indeed, it is possible to play and enjoy entire matches in FIFA 08 using only the FreeMotion Controls. Once players decide to move beyond them, however, they will find that the rest of FIFA 08's controls are disproportionately difficult.

The difficulty arises from the lack of buttons on the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, and the button combinations required to perform advanced passes. To do a one-timer pass on the ground, players must hit [C+A] then hit the A button again. To do a one-timer lob pass, players must hit C then A then [A + B]. To do an early ground cross, players must hold the C button, then hold the A button, then double-tap the B button. The difficulty is compounded by the fact that many players will want to do these moves while holding the Z button to sprint.

Advanced passes require cumbersome button combos.

The advanced passes are easy to pull off in the game's helpful tutorial sections, but trying to pull off these moves while simultaneously trying to avoid defenders and move the character with the analog stick makes for some really uncomfortable and unintuitive combinations. Practice makes perfect, so see if the advanced passes become a little less unwieldy in Stage 2. In the meantime, I'm more likely to try to penetrate the defense using simple passes and FreeMotion dekes instead of using advanced passes. It's unrealistic, but it works.

Speaking of unrealistic, FIFA veterans will note that FIFA 08 plays noticeably faster than previous games in the series, and certainly faster compared to the methodical Winning Eleven/Pro Evolution series of soccer games. The increased speed of play isn't necessarily a bad thing, however. It lends the game a unique blend of realistic soccer physics, moves, and strategy at a more arcade-like pace. FIFA 08 is nowhere near as arcade-y as the hyper-caffeinated Mario Strikers Charged, but players will find themselves winning a lot more matches by scores of 5-4 and 4-2 instead of 2-1.

FIFA 08 has more scoring than a typical soccer sim.

Graphically, the only thing remarkable at this stage is the animation. The game's default camera pulls far back on the action, to show players as much of the field as possible at all times. That, in conjunction with an on-screen map that shows exactly where your teammates and opponents are on the field, allows players to plan coordinated attacks to move the ball. The trade-off is that the characters look like ants.

FIFA 08 does feature multiple cameras (many of them will put the focus at field-level and show the character models in greater cinematic detail) but a few hours of play make it clear that the default camera is best for gameplay, even if it distances players from the action. Commentary is informative and energetic, but ultimately, players will find that the presentation is more practical than compelling.

Stage 2 will have further impressions on the gameplay, and how it all handles online.