I think manufacturers of soccer games should hang it up.
I bought FIFA 08, which looks awesome, but is an unplayable piece of shit, like every other soccer game ever written.
DEAR AI DESIGNERS: Professional soccer players do not run from the ball and/or scatter when someone is running at the goal. One does not get millions of pounds a year for wandering aimlessly away when someone is trying to strike at the goal. You've figured out how to make YOUR players crowd around any attacking players like flies on shit - give the PLAYER the same courtesy. Otherwise it's an exercise in frustration watching goal after goal after goal rack up against yourself, while you can't get within 40yds of the opposing goal.
DEAR PLAYER DESIGNERS: If the opposing team member is within 5' of your player, that player loses the ball. If you manage to overlay YOUR player onto the CPU player, even with any kind of button push, the player's player just fucking stands there and makes no attempt to take the ball. It stands to fucking reason that if the player has the skill to get his man practically FUCKING the other striker, MAKE HIM AT LEAST TAKE THE BALL 50% OF THE TIME.
DEAR GAME DESIGNERS: "Amateur" mode means "player is a retard who's still learning the 50,000,000 control sequences, so GO EASY ON HIM." It does not mean "play so well that the 85+ pensioner's Suffolk Wednesday team beats MAN U" and pretend player's AI controlled teammates have Down's Syndrome."
In short, FIFA 08 is like FIFA 97 is like every other soccer game - frustrating and boring, overcomplicated with zero action potential.
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