Best (association) football game for the xbox 360?

September 10, 2009 7:00 PM

Best (association) football game for the xbox 360?

I used to enjoy the FIFA games on the original xbox, but the last one I got (08, probably...) sucked. I could never get a cross working, and the whole thing came down to a tiny amount of passing and a lot of trying to outrun people.

I've heard good things about Pro Evo Soccer, but years back, and there are new versions of everything.

So what's the best football game for the Xbox 360? Something which allows me to use recognisable players (Australian teams a huge plus), but also allows me to get the little guys to play football far better than if I just went outside and did it in the real world.

posted by pompomtom to sports, hobbies, & recreation (6 answers total)

FIFA '09 was a huge improvement over '08... It felt like they did a complete overhaul of the gameplay and physics.

FIFA '10 looks like yet another big improvement, and they have tons of teams all over the world. However, '10 doesn't come out for another few weeks.

You can bet that when it comes out, every video game site out there will be doing "comparison reviews" that stack FIFA up against its competition... Happens every year.
posted by twiggy at 7:58 PM on September 10, 2009

Seconding FIFA '09 being a massive improvement- looking forward to '10. Also hated '08. So yeah!
posted by xmutex at 8:24 PM on September 10, 2009

This video is a quick demo of FIFA 10's improved dribbling.
posted by Palamedes at 8:47 PM on September 10, 2009

People say that FIFA has really closed the gap to PES over the last couple of iterations, but personally I still far prefer the way Pro Evo plays, and have done since the days of my (first generation) Playstation. Although I've been a bit distracted by Arkham Assylum lately, I'm still loving the "Become a Legend" mode in PES '09 (in which you control a single player, rather than controlling whoever's nearest the ball - I find this to be a much more immersive experience). I believe FIFA has an equivalent game type these days (I assume it does, since they have the same thing in other EA sports franchises like Madden).

The shortage of licensed teams and players is a bit infuriating, admittedly, and the commentary makes me want to track down Mark bloody Lawrenson and do violence to him, though I presume each region will have its own comms in any case.

Sorry if that muddys the waters. Buf the FIFA/PES debate has always been a bit of a holy war.
posted by kxr at 11:52 PM on September 10, 2009

You want to wait for FIFA 10.
posted by slimepuppy at 3:36 AM on September 11, 2009

Can you download the demos of FIFA and PES from Xbox Live and test drive them? I've usually gone with FIFA. The Manchester Blue vs. North London thing in PES grates on me and takes away from the immersiveness. In your case I don't think either game has Australian clubs in them so that may not matter. The Australian national team is fully licensed in PES.
posted by IanMorr at 7:19 AM on September 11, 2009