FIFA '09Publisher:EA Sports
Platforms:PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PSP, DS
UK Price:£24.99 (inc. Delivery)
US Price: TBA

Football games are the strange stalwart of the videogames industry and have been ever since we were all blown away by Sensible Soccer as kids. Even now the mention of that classic top-down adaptation is enough to make us all shiver with nostalgia.

Ah, the good ol’ days; the time of Cannon Fodder, Bloodwych and having to constantly swap out floppy disks every time you wanted to save a game. Those were the days.

Over the years though, that feeling has been somewhat lost and the resounding opinion among serious gamers seems to be that most sports games have surrendered themselves to the momentum of mediocrity; a series of gradual, lifeless iteration. It’s rare to think of a sports game nowadays that can offer something truly fresh and, apart from Skate, we can’t think of a single one.

In other words then, it’s hard to imagine that in ten years time anybody will be looking back with misted-over eyes at how truly fantastic FIFA 2007 was. The games are so plentiful that there’s rarely a feeling of real discovery to be had, especially for the super-cynical PC gamers like us. That doesn’t seem to slow things down though; the inevitable wheels of commerce, growth and capitalism keep turning and year on year we see a new instalment in yet another sports franchise. Can this one be any different?

Well, actually yes; the almost-re-run which is FIFA ‘09 actually is a little bit different and does try a few new things to help make the game more interesting to PC gamers. There are new features, control schemes and online extra-game activities – not just an updated team roster and rejigged stats.

That said, FIFA ‘09 is still very much a football game, which is obviously a good thing. FIFA ‘09 tries new things, but remains the same game at the core. Important and needful things have been tweaked, updated and re-examined. That’s more than we thought about Gears of War 2, but we won’t say any more on that issue right now. Let’s get back on topic instead.

So, the good news with FIFA ‘09 is that the game is going to be immediately familiar to anybody who has played some of the previous instalments. The other good news is that it isn’t just a remake of last year's game as this time around there are actually enough new features to justify a new release.

The major feature for PC players this time is the introduction of a new control scheme designed around just using the mouse to control your players. The fact that football simulators like FIFA ‘09 are primarily targeted at console gamers and are best played with a gamepad is no secret. And FIFA ‘09 clearly has the Xbox 360 controller in mind based on the interface and innate device support, but it is nice to see some alternatives provided.

The mouse control system is pretty straightforward and the game comes with a short and to-the-point video tutorial which is definitely more tolerable than a drawn-out watch-and-do practice session. Players can control the movement of their players simply by steering with the pointer, switching players by clicking on them or using the wheel. If you’ve not got possession then your mouse buttons are used for tackling and if you have then they are used for passing and shooting.

Unfortunately, while this point-and-click approach is useful for beginner players it doesn’t really hold up on the harder difficulties and a gamepad is definitely recommended for would-be pros.

The problems with the mouse control system arise mainly from player accuracy, as the game seems to demand a much higher level of precision than if you were using the gamepad, but a much bigger problem is the automatic player switching. It’s not uncommon to be controlling one player chasing after the ball when the game will automatically switch you to a closer player before you can correct your controls to compensate for this new position. It’s infuriating when the CPU scores a goal because you had your man running around like a stunned chicken.