Rating: 5 Pulses

ESRB Rating: E

FIFA 08 is the most realistic soccer game I’ve ever played. Every part of the game has been enhanced to make players think and strategize like they’re actually playing in a real-life game, not just a video game.

The past few FIFA games have been overshadowed by Konami’s popular Winning Eleven series, but now it seems FIFA might have finally caught up. With endless amounts of licensed leagues from over 30 countries, new modes to play, including online leagues, a Manager Mode (franchise mode), a Tournament mod,e and an all new “Be a Pro” mode, FIFA is back to take its throne as the soccer king of video games.

The gameplay physics and graphics have really been tightened up for FIFA ’08. No more scoring five or six goals in a match?sometimes scoring just one goal feels like a victory of its own. The graphics and player models are some of the best I’ve seen in a sports game and some of the best on the 360. And the new trick moves (and there are tons of them) can really help get past defenders and are something to be mastered to become the Ronaldinho of FIFAs.

The all-new “Be a Pro” mode allows players to choose one player on the team and master that position. Every decision of the game is put on your shoulders whether it’s to pass, shoot or tighten defense, no matter what position you’re playing. Your player has a performance meter which measures how well you’re playing during the match. It’s a different way to play and something unique from the ordinary type of matches.

The new Interactive League mode allows players to hop online and represent their favorite club along with other fans to take on rival teams. The games are matched up just like the real-life matches and allow players to take their team to the top of the rankings. The leaderboards will show how many wins and losses you have and show how much you have contributed to the ranking of your represented team.

FIFA ’08 has finally introduced online leagues to allow players to form a league with up to 32 friends online and play by your own rules at anytime. It’s a fun new way to play online and see how well your league can play against others around the globe.

Although there are tons of teams to choose from, and being that my family is originally from Iraq, I was upset to see that they and many other teams from the Middle East including Iran, Saudi Arabia and even Israel aren’t in the game. Just because the best teams in the world are in European and Hispanic countries doesn’t mean that you only have to include those teams.

Other than that and some lag issue online (especially if you’re playing someone from across the globe), FIFA ’08 is a wonderful, beautiful game and I’m glad to see EA Sports has finally taken their soccer series to the next level.