FIFA 09

It's been almost a year since the release of the last edition of EA Sports' successful football franchise. Sunera Kulasekara gives us a few tips on how to make your FIFA 09 experience more worthwhile.

FIFA 09 FEATURES

A complete overhaul of the previous versions of FIFA. A new, improved platform was introduced with better ball and player physics as well as more realistic AI. The graphics too went through a major upgrade, being more demanding than any of the previous releases, and requiring more processing power.

FIFA 09 OFFERS

Tons more of features, most of which has appeared in previous versions, but were mostly appealing only to die hard football fans or FIFA veterans and not to a casual gamer. FIFA 09 makes most of these features more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

TIP - It's all about control!

Starting from FIFA 07, EA has adopted a new set of control options set as default for pc. In our opinion, this scheme is a total mess on your keyboard. As you may know, the tasks your player can perform are split into two. Attack and defense. You can take advantage of this divide and assign the same key for two actions, one in attack and one in defense. For example, you can assign the same key for Shooting in attack mode and Standing Tackle / clearance in defense (D is our choice). Similarly, keys for the actions Cross/Long Pass and Sliding Tackle (A), Passing and Switch Player (S) can be assigned. This will reduce the complexity and allow you maximize your controlling capability with the use of a minimum number of keys.

These are the three main controls you need for playing a game but there are various other controllers, which if used correctly, can bring your gameplay to a whole new level. The sprint key (W) is essential for beating players in all but the easiest difficulty level and the through ball / keeper charge key can be used very effectively in crunch situations, if you have the correct vision. FIFA 09 offers plenty of other control options, including manual through balls and mouse control. Most of what you need to know about these is shown in the loading screens of the game.

Familiarizing yourself with all the controls may seem difficult, or impossible at first, but believe me, once you get into the action, the button-crunching will seem the least of your worries!

TIP - strategy is everything.

In real football, there are several basic strategies that a team uses in order to score a goal. For example, if a team has a winger with good pace and ball control, someone like Ronaldo or Messi, you might expect them to beat defenders and get to the goal line, and cross the ball in, right into the path of waiting strikers. FIFA 09 gives you the chance to do exactly that. All you have to do is tell your team what you have in mind.

This can be done by using tactic selectors. The tactic selectors are assigned to keys 1, 2, 3 & 4 by default, and for defensive tactics, these have to be pressed in combination with the Tactic Selector key (Q by default). FIFA 09 offers 4 defensive and offensive tactics each. The selected tactics are displayed briefly on screen. Check the in game help for more details on how the tactics work.

To pull off a move like the one described above, you need to activate the tactics WP (Wing Play) to push your wingers forward and BO (Box Overload) to crowd your penalty area with strikers and midfielders, to make sure that someone gets their head on the cross.

Another move I personally enjoy is done using WP and CA (Counter Attack). Once you get the ball from your keeper, you can use a creative midfielder, someone like Gerrard or Fabregas, to lay up the ball to a winger using the Through Ball key. Since your counter attack tactic is on, this can be done quickly before the defenders get back to their positions. Once your player is up near the penalty box the ball can be crossed to the opposite winger (who has rushed forward due to the WP), who neatly slots it into the top corner past the diving keeper.

Also, due to the advanced AI, the game is best played as a real game of football, with more passing and breaking down defenses, rather than all out assault. If you have a star player on your team, make sure you select your strategy in a way that highlights their strengths. For example, if your team is Liverpool, your strength lies in Torres and Gerrard and a CA strategy could make good use of their speed and passing ability. On the other hand, a WP strategy might not work well due to the lack of good wingers.

TIP - It's Mental

In a real football game, players' mentality is so crucial. For example, if a side is down by a goal in the 80th minute in a cup final and desperately need a goal to equalize, obviously, the team needs to go out in an all out attack. Or if a team manages to get up by a goal and the other team is using heavy artillery to break their defense, the team needs to have a defensive mind set so that they can defend as a unit and try to stop the opposing team scoring.

So in order to make things as real as possible, FIFA 09 offers another feature which allows you to switch the mentality of your team. When you start a game the mentality of your team is automatically set to neutral. By using the Mentality key (5 by default) you can shift the mentality of your team from neutral (dash) to aggressive (up arrow) to defensive (down arrow) as and when you feel.

But keep this in mind, if your team mentality is set to aggressive, the whole teams tends to attack and press forward including the defenders. If your opponent features quick forwards and attacking wingers, they would definitely take advantage of this and knock in a few goals. But who cares right, as long as you score more goals, you win the match. Also to remember, use the defensive mentality only if you are really fighting back to the wall to protect a lead, because this strategy effectively kills your chances of scoring with quick runs and counter attacks.

TIP - Shoot when it's dead!

In a tough match, your best chance of scoring can be off a dead ball situation, also known as a set piece. The first thing is selecting the kicker. You can go on reputation, but you can also scroll through the available players and check their kicking ability by holding down the Sprint key.

If you get a free kick in the range of 20-30 meters, always shoot directly for goal. Try to align the last player in the defensive wall with the near goal post, and give a slight tap to the Shoot key. If you get your placement correct, this should have enough power to take the ball to the top corner.

In corners and wide free kicks, always use the Shoot key instead of the Cross key to deliver the ball. They both basically do the same thing, but it's about fooling your opponent. If you use the cross key, the keeper reacts as if the ball is delivered through a cross and comes forward to attack the ball. However, if the Shoot key is used, the keeper reacts as if a shot on goal is taken, and drops back to the goal line to make a save. This will allow enough space for your attacking players to get to the ball.

The main game mode that FIFA 09 offers is the manager mode. It is a simulates what you would go through if you were given the responsibility of managing a real football club. It may sound boring at first, but this is where the real genius and ultimate playability of FIFA 09 comes in. managing a team can be more fun at times than playing football itself, and you start to quick sim most of the less important games.

First when you pick a team, you might obviously pick your dream team. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United or Liverpool. FIFA 09 offers you a team choice from over 15 leagues covering more than 300 actual teams featuring real players under license from FIFA.

Let's look at some areas that could help you with managing your team.

TIP - Mind Your Objectives

Once you pick your team and get started as manager, you are given a set of objectives to achieve during the season. These might be updated time to time during the season and will be different for each club. Arsenal may be expected to win the league while Sunderland may only be expected to finish in the top half or sign a star player. Your job security will rise or fall according to how you achieve these objectives. If you are winning games then you can choose to do as you please with these but if you are struggling, better keep the directors happy or it might be your neck on the line!

TIP - Build your team

If you pick a team like Chelsea, then you are faced with an abundance of talent to pick your playing 11. If you don't like a player on your squad, you can easily place him on the transfer list and wait for offers by other clubs. If you think your player is worth more than the offer you can always ask for more.

If you don't have a dream team however, buying players and building your team becomes important. Identify the weak areas of your team. These will sometimes be pointed out in your objectives. First find the most suitable player who can play in that position. Suitable means you have to consider his age, value, playing style and growth. In FIFA 09 player ability changes with age and therefore younger players tend to grow while older players tend to lose their ability. This can be influenced by using the training options available through the calendar. Always go for younger, unknown players since they are cheaper than superstars and from season to season as the player matures, his overall ability will increase.

If you have a 16 or 17 year old player who grows into a superstar in 5 years, but has no place in your current team, then you can loan him off to another club. The player will play for a season with the loaned club and return at the end of the season, gaining experience for matches he has played for that club. You also save on the salary of the player.

The same works the other way around. If your superstar player is injured for most part of the season and you don't have money to buy a replacement, you could always try to loan a player from a bigger club. It's like borrowing a book, reading it and returning it back, so don't feel bad about it.

TIP - Use the market

After all, football is a business. And managing your market can be the difference between staying up and going down.

The easiest way to make money is to sell players you don't use. But remember to always keep at least one extra player that can play in each position, because if your first team player gets injured or is called for international duty mid season, with no proper backup you will be in real soup.
The best deals can be made through free agents. Free agents are players who are without a contract with any club. So they don't belong to anyone and you don't have to pay the initial large sum of money to the other club to sign them. All you have to do is to offer them a contract they are happy with and the player will be part o your team for free. This is also a good way to keep your budget intact, especially when your objectives include retaining a specific budget.
Thinking purely business, you can sign and sell free agents for good money. All you lose is one week of their salary. If you are there to make money, look out for young free agents with OVRs of high 70's and 80's as they fetch the most money. But don't expect Kaka or Messi to be on the free transfer list! Superstars always get sold before their contracts are over.

Free agents may not fulfill your expectations 100%, but if you are facing economic problems, what's better than getting something free!
