Hi Lads,

Same as usual, stuck at work when a demo is coming out again! GRRRR

Please if you're lucky enough to have the time to get the demo, post your impressions.

Would also be good if this could not turn into a PES vs FIFA thread, there'll be time for that later! :D

I'm looking for impressions from those like me, who enjoyed 08, hurrah

Im downloading demo right now. I bought Fifa 08 last year, and really enjoyed it.

I will try post some impressions after i play it :)

Excellent, thanks Dexter ;)

I have to go out for a couple of hours, but as soon as I get back I'll be downloading it. I really can't wait - I've been incredibly impressed with how FIFA has improved this year.

Anyway, impressions later. (The best bit about the demo is that Chelsea are in it :P)

Boo Chelsea, BOO! ;o) hehe

Just played couple matches.

The teams are: Chelsea; Marseille; Milan; Real Madrid; Schalke 04; Toronto FC.
The matches last 4 minutes.

The main menus are the same as on last year Fifa, just have a new option: Adida live season.

After select teams, the layout of menus is diffrent.
Theres a new option. Custom tactics, since its demo we cant tweak all, only few like: Positioning, Crossing, and pressure of defence, seems pretty nice.

After start, when loading we are at the arena (as usual :p). After load, it transport us to the stadium we are going to play the match. So we can keep mess around playing 1on1 vs Goalkeeper, but now on the stadium full of crowd.

Graphics look good as usual. The gameplay is bit faster than Fifa 08, good thing, because it was quite slow sometimes :p

I remember playing demo of Uefa 2008, and didnt seem players move as fast as in there, bit slower on Fifa 09.
Personally i think they got the good speed now, not very slow, and not very fast either.

When passing its not automatic now, theres a bar that fills up the more we press the key. Way better.
It shows the referee now runing around on the field, finally :p

The 10vs10 online, looks pretty interesting too, might be cool in the full game.

Looks like a step forward from the good Fifa 08, and im almost sure will buy it. Still will need play PES09 demo :p

Sounds good, do you have more control over the player receiving the pass or does he still stand there like a lemon?

Can't wait to try this out! :D

They just stand like a lemon. Sometimes looks like i can move them bit, but mostly they stand waiting for the ball...

If you liked Fifa 08, you will like this. :)

Ahh oh well it'll happen one day :)

Superb, thanks.. i'll try it out after work asap!

Download almost complete. Impressions coming up.

I know we shouldn't be bringing PES into this thread, but the Champions League license is a huge boost for the game. Hopefully the FIFA demo delivers, otherwise I'll have a very difficult decision to make.

I've played the demo a few times now and well... I've got a very mixed opinion about it.

Graphics are great, as is the presentation. But both were to be expected. Now, the gameplay has definitely been slowed down since Euro 2008 (as UrukHaiPT pointed out) and this is evident as soon as you start playing. Whether that is actually a good thing I don't really know, because now the gameplay feels a bit slugglish and slow - not like in real life. The controls feel a bit unresponsive, which is an issue that was meant to have been sorted out. A big concern is how slowly players turn because it makes dribbling often frustrating. The opposition AI is quite well done, especially on the higher difficulty levels. There are also some nice touches of animation, like players pointing where they want the ball and goalkeepers shouting at other players when a goal goes in.

All in all, I am not convinced FIFA 09 will match PES 09 in terms of gameplay. The demo didn't sparkle like I was hoping it would and now I have a very tough decision to make. I have a very strong feeling that PES 09 will get my money this year (although it doesn't really deserve to). Still, it's good to see that FIFA has finally got the gameplay up to a decent standard and if they keep improving like they are it is good for us gamers.

Also, why is Chelsea's kit in the game such a weird colour? It's almost purple...

On my screen Chelsea's kit is definitely blue.

It doesn't look too bad, just not 100% accurate. Also, the collar is wrong.

I like the improved physical side of the gameplay. When you're playing as Drogba you should be able to shrug players off the ball and you can on this one. The game is very good in that department. I just scored a sweet goal with Ballack - scissor kick.

I think the game is something you have to get used to before you fully appreciate everything it has to offer. It still isn't up there with PES in terms of fun factor, but it is a very realistic simulation of the beautiful game.

Well I just played the FIFA 09 demo and like always its very polished. The only thing that lets it down is the slow pace of the game and the sluggish controls. They sort of taken a step back as well in those two areas from Euro 08, which I was hoping that would be carried through to FIFA 09. Looks like I'm still gonna stick to PES 09 (from the bargain bin mind you)

I absolutely agree that, in those two aspects, FIFA 09 has gone backwards in comparison to EURO 2008.

It's a shame really as they had the chance to really match PES this year if they had them two aspects in. It would of really would of given the PES dev team a kick up the arse for next year. On a side note anyone seen the new Football manager 09. It's looks hot and has been revamp with new features and it finally has a 3D match engine.

Yeah, but I think Konami has been given a kick up the arse anyway because of last year's effort. Anyway, I have seen Football Manager 09 and it looks quality.

If it ain't broke, hire a small child and a blind man to fix it.

I was disappointed, slow, sluggish, unresponsive. All the technical things are well done as expected though. I said it in the front news, but I have to say it again, if you still have the Euro demo play it after some 09, you will be pissed off.

Shooting improved, everything else went downhill in terms of gameplay. Sad.

Yep EA are boneheads... 1 step forward 2 back. lol

Unfortunately, I deleted the Euro demo... I'm going to download it again though. How can they go so wrong with the gameplay? They've slowed the pace down compared to Euro 2008 and it hasn't done the game any favours at all. It seems like players take an eternity to turn when they have the ball and it really is frustrating.

It looks as though PES 09 is going to get my money this year, which is kind of strange because I never thought I'd be saying that after last year's effort.

I don't think any soccer game is getting my money.

I had really high hopes for this one. If they had just left the player controls the same it would have been PERFECT! The thing is when you make a sharp turn, they send the ball so far from them it isn't even funny. Basically, you can NOT dribble at all unless it is an actual move--which we know are useless.

The best way to explain would be to say that it feels like controlling a fat dude after hours of exercise. I'm not saying the game is totally crap, but it isn't worth the purchase at full price.

I'm the kind of football (or soccer) fanatic that has to have a football game to play for the year. I have to see what the PES demo offers before I decide which one to buy.

You sum up the player movement perfectly by the way.

Fixed.When I first played the demo, I thought exactly the same thing but after spending a bit more time with it (After I stopped trying to play it like it was Pro Evo), I worked how to use the close control button better and I can now see how if it is mastered, dribbling can be bundles of fun (without using any ticks).

From what I can tell, Fifa 09 tops Euro 2008 is every department, theres so much more depth to the gameplay, especially in terms of passing. I think the game is awesome.