UEFA EURO 2008 REVIEW

I have now played a lot of Uefa Euro 2008, and therefore I will give you a review of it.

The game plays very well and offers new modes that I like very much. The graphics are slightly better, with puddles on the pitch, very nice weather effects and stadium visuals. Some faces are a little bit strange though, but when you have looked at them closely, you will recognize them. The game is also slightly faster that feels great. It said that this game is more responsible, and its true, but not by very much.

The thing that is very sad for Netherlands fans, Wales fans, Faroe Islands fans and Iceland fans is that their national team isn’t licenced! Trouble with the rights from FIFA I think. Especially Netherlands since they are a very good team and they have a chance to win EURO 2008.

Now over to the gameplay. New animations, new passing system, managers on the sideline, new heading system and better keeper. New animations is especially for the manager that we now can see on the sideline. He shouts, interact with the play and do manager things. If you shoot and miss you will often see the manager get disappointed on the sideline and if you substitute a player you see him standing there thinking.
Its a new cool feature but it can be too much of it, because you see him in every stop of the play. When you substitute a player you cant skip the manager cut- scene. A bit annoying, but you can live with it.

The passing is better as you now controls the power of the pass, and have better control over where it goes. Its a good feature, but I had hoped for that you could choose if you would use the “tap the pass button” or this “choose the power of the pass” system. Don’t misunderstand me, its a good system that works great.

The heading is also improved as the player now really goes for the ball in the air, and that you controls the heading better. It is very difficult to head at goal at very close range, but I think its a training thing.

I also think the keeper is better. You cant score from 16 meters so often now on amateur, as on FIFA 08. You must really work to get a goal. New goalkeeping animations do it more various and fluidly. If you run out with the keeper, he will now go for the ball more often than he did in FIFA 08. The keeper in FIFA 08 went out and waited for the ball to come to him, this is now much better. He is a bit slow to react on some shots, close and from long range. Should be better in FIFA 09.

Modes: Kick Off, CYC (Captain your Country), UEFA EURO 2008 mode, Story of Qualifying and EURO online knockout cup. Kick Off is the same as in FIFA 08, you pick two teams and play. A quick match. CYC is the new mode everyone is talking about. It is nearly the same as BE a Pro in FIFA 08. In EURO 2008 you create yourself or pick a football star that is in the game and play your way to the EURO finals. You pick a national team that you would like to play for. Then you first play for the B-international team and if you play good enough, you will be playing for the first team. If you create yourself, you earn points for playing good. These points are used to improve yourself in the game. For example you improve your shooting.
This is a very funny mode that I have played for many hours. Very cool that you could play for your own national team and maybe win EURO 2008. You can set your commentator name also, so if your have a common name, it should be there.

UEFA EURO 2008 mode is where you play the tournament itself. You can choose to play only the finals or begin at the qualification. If you begin straight at the finals, you can only choose between the teams that have qualified in real life. A mode that must be in to be called UEFA EURO 2008. Funny and challenging.

Story of qualifying is moments that has happened in EURO matches in the history that you play and try to do various challenges. Funny, but difficult at some matches.

Euro knockout online cup is where you choose a team that you use in all matches. You search for a opponent and play. If you win, you go further in the cup. Each time you win, you come closer to the semi-final and then the final. This is a great mode, but since you choose one team for the whole cup, you get troubles if you use San Marino and meet Portugal for example. Its therefore a difficult mode. Haven’t played it so much.

Battle of the Nations isn’t a mode, it is statistics of how good you and your country are. The first time you play UEFA Euro 2008 you choose the team that will get the points for every match you win in any mode. So if you chose Norway, they will get higher on a table if you win much since Norway gets points for your victories. Its great too see how good you and your team are, and you will try hard to get higher on the tables.

A new feature this year is also Gamer Controlled Celebrations. Here you have about 40 different moves you can pull off after scoring a goal. This is very funny I think, because you can celebrate how you want to for about 10 seconds. The two categories is running celebrations and finishing moves. Running celebrations is when you run and do a goal move, for example you get your hands high. Finishing moves is when you do a move that end your celebration. For example the “robot dance”. Some of the advanced moves is more difficult than the easiest ones, and that feels correct. You wont get bored with it.

The referees is unstable and don’t judge as they should. Sometimes he give just a free-kick for a tackle that he gave yellow card for earlier in the match. And he blows the match off when I sometimes is at an attacking position. Frustrating.

I also think that the players reaction to the situations is too slow. Its a little bit better than 08, but not good enough. When you turn around in some situations, the player is very slow, and the opponent can just take the ball from you. Something that should be fixed until FIFA 09.

I think I have written the most important things here. A very good and funny game that you will enjoy for several hours both offline and online. Some irritations is there, but not that will tear off your gaming time.

I give it 5/6 or 8.5/10.