Next-gen - PS3 & 360
Is shirt-pulling part of the game?
No however we have done lots of work on physical play including a new jostling system and a re-written collision system with 100’s of new collision animations.
Can we play 2 vs 2 online?
Yes you will be able to play 2 vs 2 online using Multi-Player Co-op
Will the pitch degrade during a match or over the course of the season?
Yes, we have seasonal pitch wear to show how the pitch will degrade throughout the season and improve slightly towards the end of the year when the weather improves. But through the winter months in Manager Mode you will see a noticeable difference. The stadium you’re playing in will also make a difference. For example, playing in a Division 2 stadium will not have the same maintenance as the big top league grounds.
How are the goal keepers going to change based on the new shooting system?
Increasing the variety and realism of the shooting system has allowed us to make similar strides with the GK. Some of these improvements include:
Shot Preparation: The GK will prepare to save by hopping forward to narrow the angle and getting into a crouch position, thus narrowing the angle and enabling him to dive further.
Reaction time: After a shot is taken the GK will take a little time to react to the shot to enable him to ‘read’ the ball trajectory.
Line of sight: If he cannot see the ball being kicked then his reactions will be slower
Anticipation Saves: In 1-on-1 situations the GK will realize that the shot is too close to react to and thus preemptively dive as soon as the attacker starts to kick
Momentum: More realistic momentum will enable the user to wrong foot the GK. If the GK is moving left for example it will inhibit his ability to save shots that go to his right.
Animations: All of the GK animations have been reworked making them more fluid and realistic.
Will there be a full practice pitch in the next-gen version like we have seen in previous titles on current gen; not the arena but the full-on pitch where you can select how many players on each side?
Not for FIFA 08. Our focus was to really invest in our core 11 v 11 gameplay experience and we’re still using our Arena to showcase the new gameplay features that you’ll see this year. The skill move feature alone has a huge impact to what you can do in the Arena.
Will there be more club crest gamer pictures available?
We are still working on our downloadable content plan and will announce something closer to launch
How have free kicks changed from FIFA 07?
We re-worked the free-kick system from 07 and it now gives the user more control over the power and spin of the ball
Will weather be a feature in FIFA 08?
Not in FIFA 08 unfortunately. When we do weather, we want weather to affect primarily the pitch and how the ball and players move across the surface and then we want to ensure our visuals are ultra-realistic with kits, player’s skin and hair and the stadium and crowd all being affected by the weather conditions.
Can we now save replays?
This is one of the exciting new features we’re introducing into FIFA 08. You can now upload your replays directly to a specific location on the internet and then access it straight away. You can now share that replay with the entire FIFA community. We’ve been testing this feature internally and it’s generated a lot of banter and debate as to who has scored the best goal of the day and who had the worst result
Is the crowd 3D?
Yes and they look lovely.
Is there a free-kick editor?
No we don’t have this feature. We spent a lot of time working on the free-kick system to give the user more control over their shot using topspin, backspin and sidespin.
Has defensive heading been improved?
We have done lots of work on our trapping system and our in air trapping system to give the user more control over in air situations. Headers are definitely balanced a lot better this year as a result.
Can keepers get sent off or injured this year?
Unfortunately we weren’t able to add this feature into the game this year but it’s on the list for next year.
Can we use official boots like in FIFA 07 for created players and edit existing players boots?
Yes, we have all the latest official boots in FIFA 08 and you’ll be able to edit existing and created players and select which boots you want them to wear
Are there more official goalkeeper kits?
Yes, we’ve created more kits this year than in any other version of FIFA. In fact I can tell you that we have close to 1400 kits in the game this year. This includes the obvious official home and away kits as well as official goalkeeper kits for all the top teams. We also have a selection of 3rd kits that can be accessed via the Fan Shop within the game.
Will the “You’ll Never Walk Alone” chant be in the game?
Yes, this is one of our many licensed chants. It’s important that we not only convey an authentic performance from our crowd but also ensure that those trademark chants are included in the game. You’ll Never Walk Alone is a chant synonymous with the Liverpool and Celtic fans. I’ve been lucky enough to attend many matches at Anfield over the years and when you experience that atmosphere it really does inspire you to deliver that same sense of emotion in our game.
How many stadiums will there be and will Celtic park be in there?
We will have 30 environments. Unfortunately Celtic Park isn’t included this year but we’ve included the Scottish Premier League in FIFA 08. So you can take the helm as manager of Celtic in our Manager Mode experience and aim to keep the silverware coming back to the Bhoys. Conversely you can always attempt to take newcomers Gretna to glory! We will be launching a request for stadiums you'd like to see us work on for the next game.
Will there be more national teams?
We’ve added a handful of additional national teams. But what we’ve really focused on is domestic football. We’ve added three additional leagues in FIFA 08 on Xbox360 and PlayStation3.
One of the biggest criticisms we had on FIFA07 was the lack of depth and teams. It was our goal to address this for FIFA 08 and we thought let’s not just match the number of leagues and teams in our current-generation of FIFA titles, let’s add a lot more. And that’s what we’ve done. FIFA 08 has more players, teams and leagues than any other FIFA game to date.
Have any new celebrations been added?
We’ve added a few new goal celebrations this year. In addition to this we also play a goal celebration cut-scene based on its importance in the match. Getting the context right and ensuring we have a believable celebration is vital. For example, you don’t want to see the player’s jumping all over each other after they’ve scored a consolation goal while six goals behind!
Will the game be any harder than previous versions?
I wouldn’t say the game is simply more difficult than last year but that the improvements that we’ve made to the AI will provide more of a challenge. Each of our players now process 35 different choices simultaneously making them react far more realistically. There won’t be any cheats or sweet spots for beating the best players. We're very happy with the AI in the game and feel it’s really taken massive steps this year.
Will there be a create-a-player mode?
Yes; there is a create-a-player mode (it's like the one that was in FIFA 07 on the Xbox 360).
Have any changes been made to the goal nets?
We've looked into the physics of the goal nets and made changes to make them look more life-like.
Will you have some shirts tucked in and others un-tucked (Lionel Messi)?
Yes, this will feature in FIFA 08 and each player in our extensive database is assigned to either having a tucked in or loose shirt. Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney for example never tuck their shirts in.
