FIFA 08

Started a game of this a week ago, two players v AI like Nick has just said. On my own we can both beat the CPU by one or two goals on professional, together the cheating seems to step up a notch and the "round and round the mulberry bush" routine is done over and over and over, a hell of a lot more than when you play on your own.

We discovered (through wanting to break all their legs individually) that slide-tackling is the only way to win the ball in those situations, but then when you do win the ball, clean as a whistle, the referee blows his whistle!

We stuck it down to semi-pro and every game was far too easy, 2-0 or 3-0 each time. Stick it on pro and it's a nightmare. So far we've won two games on pro, drawn about eight and lost at least twice that amount - with a large number of goals coming from nowhere around the 90 minute mark. We both know when it's coming now, we say "here we go, watch this" and a defender plays a pin-point pass to a striker in the middle of our half, who smacks it and it goes over the keeper and in.

When you play online it's literally like playing a different game, you have so much more freedom in certain situations it's as if you've put new batteries in the controller or something. You push to run towards the ball and they actually do it - it's a culture shock, you don't expect it at first. Just a shame that everyone we seem to play online A) quits before 15 minutes, B) scores a goal and then kicks it amongst the back four for the rest of the game or C) is a master of the game.

So we're playing it on our own again from now on...
 
Jack Bauer said:
Started a game of this a week ago, two players v AI like Nick has just said. On my own we can both beat the CPU by one or two goals on professional, together the cheating seems to step up a notch and the "round and round the mulberry bush" routine is done over and over and over, a hell of a lot more than when you play on your own.

We discovered (through wanting to break all their legs individually) that slide-tackling is the only way to win the ball in those situations, but then when you do win the ball, clean as a whistle, the referee blows his whistle!

We stuck it down to semi-pro and every game was far too easy, 2-0 or 3-0 each time. Stick it on pro and it's a nightmare. So far we've won two games on pro, drawn about eight and lost at least twice that amount - with a large number of goals coming from nowhere around the 90 minute mark. We both know when it's coming now, we say "here we go, watch this" and a defender plays a pin-point pass to a striker in the middle of our half, who smacks it and it goes over the keeper and in.

When you play online it's literally like playing a different game, you have so much more freedom in certain situations it's as if you've put new batteries in the controller or something. You push to run towards the ball and they actually do it - it's a culture shock, you don't expect it at first. Just a shame that everyone we seem to play online A) quits before 15 minutes, B) scores a goal and then kicks it amongst the back four for the rest of the game or C) is a master of the game.

So we're playing it on our own again from now on...
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Found just the same, we have been skipping pro and trying WC and legend... A good compromise is playing SP at home for all teams outside top 6 and pro or above for the rest...
 
Found myself going back to the AI lately, Online is annoying as fuck(Check where i am in my league) I think 09 will fix this to a degree when they allow you to play against the same controls your playing on though.
 
Jack Bauer said:
When you play online it's literally like playing a different game, you have so much more freedom in certain situations it's as if you've put new batteries in the controller or something. You push to run towards the ball and they actually do it - it's a culture shock, you don't expect it at first. Just a shame that everyone we seem to play online A) quits before 15 minutes, B) scores a goal and then kicks it amongst the back four for the rest of the game or C) is a master of the game.

So we're playing it on our own again from now on...
Click to expand...
Me and CW played us two on the same console against someone online last night, we had 2 matches, the first was a bit of a cocknocker and was Man Utd, he got so much luck as well, it was absolutely untrue! We lost about 5-1 as we got pissed off.

2nd was a much better game, Norwich v Ipswich, we were 2-0 up at half time and absolutely cruising, maybe cruising too much, as with about 15 minutes left he woke up and scored 3 goals :CONFUSE:.

Great match though :TU:.
 
Jack Bauer said:
Started a game of this a week ago, two players v AI like Nick has just said. On my own we can both beat the CPU by one or two goals on professional, together the cheating seems to step up a notch and the "round and round the mulberry bush" routine is done over and over and over, a hell of a lot more than when you play on your own.

We discovered (through wanting to break all their legs individually) that slide-tackling is the only way to win the ball in those situations, but then when you do win the ball, clean as a whistle, the referee blows his whistle!

We stuck it down to semi-pro and every game was far too easy, 2-0 or 3-0 each time. Stick it on pro and it's a nightmare. So far we've won two games on pro, drawn about eight and lost at least twice that amount - with a large number of goals coming from nowhere around the 90 minute mark. We both know when it's coming now, we say "here we go, watch this" and a defender plays a pin-point pass to a striker in the middle of our half, who smacks it and it goes over the keeper and in.

When you play online it's literally like playing a different game, you have so much more freedom in certain situations it's as if you've put new batteries in the controller or something. You push to run towards the ball and they actually do it - it's a culture shock, you don't expect it at first. Just a shame that everyone we seem to play online A) quits before 15 minutes, B) scores a goal and then kicks it amongst the back four for the rest of the game or C) is a master of the game.

So we're playing it on our own again from now on...
Click to expand...

my online expereiences range, but there overall pretty good. Last night I was wet brom and the dude was nottingham. good game. I get quit on 1/10 games, and B what is wrong with b, if you hit down on the d pad your forwards will apply pressure and they cant do that all game... c i have no problem with cause i want to beat then even more...
 
I may be alone in saying I've never had anyone quit a match with me. Even the one time I had lag, they still stuck around. I must have a warm virtual faceless gaming personality.
 
Might be because you're playing on PS3, it's a sweeping generalisation (and who doesn't love one of them) but when I play a game on there you seem to get more mature gamers as a whole. Playing CoD on 360 and then playing it on PS3 was like going from sleeping on the creché floor to moving in with the Queen.

As Rad said, he gets messages saying "sorry" from the guys on Battlefield when somebody team-kills him by accident. Never seen that before.
 
Nick Cave said:
Found just the same, we have been skipping pro and trying WC and legend... A good compromise is playing SP at home for all teams outside top 6 and pro or above for the rest...
Click to expand...
Nick, have you ever tried playing Euro 2008, 2 v AI?

We tried this morning and it is a huge difference. The reaction time improvement helps, but they seem to have turned some of the cheats off (or at least toned them down).

For example, FIFA 08, cross comes in, I'm in the perfect position to head it but my player either A) doesn't jump or B) gets pulled three feet backwards by an invisible lasso. On Euro, I've won 9/10 of the defensive headers (the ones that you would easily win in reality).

That's just the tip of the iceberg, there's so much less cheating going on than in FIFA. You can tackle and win the ball off them (far less roundabouting), you can pass it about nicely, you can get shots off, brilliant. The only downside is there seems to be a lot of 0-0s, especially against the one-star teams who just pack the defence with ten men.
 
Jack Bauer said:
Nick, have you ever tried playing Euro 2008, 2 v AI?

We tried this morning and it is a huge difference. The reaction time improvement helps, but they seem to have turned some of the cheats off (or at least toned them down).

For example, FIFA 08, cross comes in, I'm in the perfect position to head it but my player either A) doesn't jump or B) gets pulled three feet backwards by an invisible lasso. On Euro, I've won 9/10 of the defensive headers (the ones that you would easily win in reality).

That's just the tip of the iceberg, there's so much less cheating going on than in FIFA. You can tackle and win the ball off them (far less roundabouting), you can pass it about nicely, you can get shots off, brilliant. The only downside is there seems to be a lot of 0-0s, especially against the one-star teams who just pack the defence with ten men.
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To be honest I don't think I gave Euro a fair crack. I just missed the whole league structure too much... I may have to pick a copy up again now :LOL:
08 is effecting my mental state, you know it's going to cheat yet we still think we can master it or not let it, then when it does it's so much more annoying, and even more obvious...
 
I hadn't played it 2 v AI before, only on my own or online. It's so much better than FIFA 2 v AI, I can't begin to tell you (although rent it just in-case, I don't want you to buy it and think it's shite :lol:).

There's a niggle here and there but that "bogged down" feeling you get in FIFA, where it's like playing in mud (pressing the button ten times only for your player to run straight into the opposition), isn't there. And you can actually get the ball off the AI without having to wait for them to do ten circles first - they still go to the corner flag back and forth occasionally, but it's so much more free. They've definitely toned the cheating down, I couldn't believe it when I was winning nearly every header - you know how hard that is against the AI in FIFA for God's sake, you put Crouch on and he gets beaten to the ball even if the defender is only 5ft tall.

Wouldn't play FIFA 2 v AI again now, I know exactly what you mean about "feeling like you can beat it", but it just never works out. It's almost worse than the cheating in the PES ML, dare I say it. Especially when the goalkeeper watches the ball go in, or they score a miraculous screamer with ten seconds left to play...
 
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So, finally threw away PES5 and played PES 2008. I didn't really like it so for the first time ever, I'm thinking about FIFA. Is it worth it or is it as bad as PES 2008? I kinda like the idea of being able to play as Stockport County.

EDIT- Forget it. My PC is not powerful enough.
 
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FIFA 08 is alright on the PC, nothing special though. I wouldn't say it beats the old PESeses. It's a lot better on the PS3/360, with a totally different physics engine; that's what most people talk about in these threads.
 
Chris Bauer?!:w00t: What happenend there then? Anyway yeh mate the PC version is pretty much worse or on par with the PES08 but the 360/PS3 one is a quality game.
 
There are a few updated option files over at pesgaming.com, they're not great but they could give you a base to improve that wouldn't take long.
 
Well, I've fucking seen it all now:

Playing on the same team as CW last night online, I lofted a perfect ball through to Torres who was QUITE CLEARLY in his own half when the ball was played, Torres is clean through and the whistle goes, offside. Even our opponent was stunned as we watched the whole replay, which showed the two lines - one for second last defender and one for furthest forward attacker. The furthest forward attacker was Torres and the line was INSIDE in his own half for fucks sake.

I accept that officials make mistakes, and that should be reflected in computer games, but FIFA is just fucking bollocks for refereeing decisions :((.
 
I had a quality one last night. Playing against chelsea as arsenal, through on goal with van persie, ashley cole chasing me. Cech comes out and i slide it under him it hits the inside of the post and is rolling across the line, looks as though it's going to go in. But ashley cole had went the other side of his goalkeeper and cleared it at the last. Looked amazing, i tried to save the replay but it wasn't having it.
 
An essay on FIFA 08 (360), FIFA 08 (PS2) and PES2008 (PC), by Chris Bauer.

Wasn't sure which thread to put this in but this will do...

Last night, I played three football games with mates, for something like six hours; FIFA 08 on 360, FIFA 08 on PS2 and PES2008 on PC. We usually play FIFA 08 on the 360 against the CPU, but on semi-pro every game is a walkover and on professional the CPU players spin like spinning tops, score miraculous last-minute goals and just generally cheat from start to finish. We started playing Euro 2008, and even though we all agree it is literally 100x better against the CPU (with less cheating - you can actually head the ball for a start - and with better responses, more intelligent movement etc.), the goalkeepers save EVERY SINGLE SHOT, even from point-blank range. God I'd like to shoot them from point-blank range.

The entire reason we did this is because all we want to do is play a football game, against the CPU (purely because we want an in-depth game not one-off matches, and there's no online manager mode), with no cheating, but that provides a realistic challenge (i.e. a team in the league above are very hard to match, a team in the same league are difficult to match but not impossible, a team in the league below are easier to beat).

We decided to test all the decent football games to see if we could just play a decent game of football against the CPU, so I borrowed a friend's FIFA 08 on PS2 in-case the engine in that (even though I know it's nowhere near as good) cheated any less, and I had PES2008 for PC lying around - I didn't get around to taking it back because by the time I was arsed they'd slashed the price in half.

Last night, we got fed up of the 360 version after two hours of winning every semi-pro game and losing every professional game, without fail, and we switched to FIFA 08 on the PS2. We started a manager mode game on professional, and the goalkeeper difficulty was set to professional (how good is that option, they should definitely have that on next-gen for when the keepers are like they are in Euro 2008), and...

A LOT of the game is the same, CPU-wise. They don't spin like tops but they do that thing where they will run up and down the pitch in a straight line waiting for the perfect pass (especially by the corner flag), and bouncing off every player that goes near. There's times when you press the pressure/stab-tackle button right next to an opponent and, because the CPU can't afford to lose the ball, your player gets "stuck" and walks aimlessly forwards for a second or two, letting them run off. Perfectly good tackles (and even astoundingly good tackles) are punished, and sometimes the game just won't let you select a player, e.g. your central defender (when the CPU is running straight at him with the ball for fuck's sake). Their defensive line, whether they are Man Utd or Mansfield, is always perfectly straight and it's impossible to beat a man - teams who should be average play like Brazil, thanks to the difficulty level doing it in an arse-about-face way.

Two hours of that was enough, with the results being exactly the same as on the 360 (semi-pro games are wins, pro games are losses). So we moved onto PES2008. We played as Liverpool, to try and give ourselves an upper hand against most teams in the league and make things a bit easier for us.

This is where I was really shocked. The game was ridiculously fast, impossible to keep up with, but at least the reaction times were good because of this. But what shocked me the most was; the cheating was exactly the same as on FIFA. I don't mean "just as rampant", I mean it was doing the exact same things. Running in straight lines up and down, especially by the corner flag. Press pressure/stab-tackle next to a man with the ball, even when you're in a great position to get it, and he will just ignore your command and walk in the wrong direction. You bounce off them sometimes, as if they've picked up the "invincible star" you get in Mario games. Perfect defensive lines for all teams. The reaction times slowed up when you were anywhere near to having a shot, so that you'd run the ball into their defence at every opportunity, and the player selection would lock entirely for up to five seconds when all you wanted to do was select a different midfielder. Absolutely infuriating.

FIFA 08 on the PC felt clunky/clumsy and had the worse reaction times, which made PES2008 more enjoyable to play, but all of the same cheats were there and playing any of the three games was just as futile because the CPU would always win on the medium difficulty. It made me realise that, even though FIFA 08 on 360 has better physics etc, the CPU AI is exactly the same across the three, almost as if Konami have never changed it and EA have been given license to cut-and-paste it.

I've been playing Football Manager this week and I've seen my average Tranmere side win five, draw three and lose two, and in the cup we managed to knock out Premier League Fulham (before losing to Southampton). It made me wonder, why can't football games be as random as that? Beating a PL side in bad form, but still getting mixed results in the league. I think that's what's missing; you either beat every team or get beaten by every team, and I can definitely understand why people say every team in FIFA is the same. But saying that, even in PES (2008 at least), our results were all the same.
 
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I agree with you on all of that, I never feel that against the AI I have a fair game in any recent football game, even Football Manager makes your team go on an inexcusable losing streak even though you have good players who have gelled and are dominating the league table...

PES3 was the last time I feel that I have had fair games on a football game - when you won, it was because you took your chances, defended well, kept possession well etc. When you lost, it was because you make too many mistakes or they took their chances. Maybe it's just that i'm not too good at PES3 so I couldn't win every game, but playing against the AI (especially with a friend) was both challenging and enjoyable.

Also, centre backs attacked corners on PES3 :D.
 
I'm thinking of buying an older PES off eBay - trance_allstar seems to think PES5 is the best PES ever made so I might try and get hold of that. I don't even care about going back to Merseyside Red and the Master League (sounds like a film), I just want to be able to play the CPU against mates without wanting to smash the pad up.
 
Played WE9 today and its a good game but you wont be able to play it for that long without thinking its shit, i think you would like PES6 more PS2 version.
 
Chris Bauer said:
I'm thinking of buying an older PES off eBay - trance_allstar seems to think PES5 is the best PES ever made so I might try and get hold of that. I don't even care about going back to Merseyside Red and the Master League (sounds like a film), I just want to be able to play the CPU against mates without wanting to smash the pad up.
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PES5 is the best one although the AI cheats are more obvious in it than in any of the previous ones but co-op ML with a mate is a lot of fun, it's what we do now a lot on his PS2 and my PC (looks fab on my PC now as well with the SuperPatch :D).

It's not that realistic (it can be in parts) but it's action packed, responsive and there's that certain flair the game has which made us love it, and it still has it in my opinion (PES5 does anyway). The game also has a lot of replayability, the ability to play it for a long time and not get bored, and the quality of hardly ever seeing the same thing twice - after almost 3 years of having the game, I am scoring different types of goals all the time still. The variety of goals is incredible - it has everything from goalmouth scrambles to unstoppable driven shots.

Also, after playing FIFA, the PES5 keepers seem quite realistic too! They can be sent the wrong way with a first time shot from close range, they can wrong-footed, they can get rooted to the spot when they know they won't get to the shot (which looks amazing if the shot goes in) and they come out to claim crosses and corners and they make mistakes (not too frequently though, fairly realistic rate).

I just wish it had proper manual passing instead of 8 way, it would have made it so much better - you see opportunities for defence-splitting passes but most of the time you can't play the ball exactly where you want it to go because of the fully AI controlled or stupid 8 way manual passing.

Also, it should still be online - Konami took the servers down :(( It would still be a lot of fun to play online.

I say you should go for PES5 - especially if you are getting it for PC as the Superpatch has been re-uploaded :)).
 
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