General

FirstCuts: UEFA Euro 2008 Review

Jun 9, 2008, 5:25 PM UTC

As far as sports offices go, I feel like ours is pretty progressive. I’d say I count at least four of 16 or so people sitting near me who are really following Euro 2008 with great interest. Some, so much so, that they ran away from me with their ears plugged and humming when I even thought to mention a result from a game.â†µ

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â†µâ†µSadly, I’m not among this group. I don’t dislike soccer, but just tap me on the shoulder when the best teams get together and I’ll be glad to sit and watch. Ultimately, what I’ve got to say about UEFA Euro 2008 will have just as much to do with EA franchises across the board as it does the latest soccer title from EA Sports.â†µ

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â†µSo here we are in UEFA Euro 2008 and you can compete as any of the 52 teams. Feel free to play a quick match or go the distance from qualifying to the big finish. You're open to playing in all eight official stadiums from the event. That much, you'd assume from just buying the title.â†µ

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â†µâ†µWhat’s special about UEFA Euro 2008? Two things stick out to me, not only because they’ll be well-received in this title, but because they could be the next great step in other EA titles.â†µ

â†µâ†µCaptain Your Country mode allows you to play with up to three friends on the same team. You’re each playing an individual position. You’re trying to win games, but you also want to outdo your teammates and earn the right to ... captain your country. â†µ

â†µâ†µBecause I have no friends, I didn’t get very far into this feature. Still, I see this as a particularly interesting feature in the college titles -- maybe they could call it Big Man On Campus? -- and even in the pro titles to see who gets to slap a “C” on their jersey. Above all else, it’d probably be a new way for you and your friends to hate each other ... you know, other than the fact that your one buddy keeps failing songs in Rock Band.â†µ

â†µâ†µBattle of Nations allows you to represent your country against players from around the world. But this is beyond just head-to-head online play. Basically, anything you do in online play is uploaded to the leaderboards at www.easportsfootball.com and it counts toward the performance of the nation you’re representing. You’re not locked into actually playing with the nation you represent. For example, if you’re representing Italy, but want to play with a lesser team to earn an upset and thus pad your stats, you could still play as another nation, but the points count toward Italy, not the nation you just played as. â†µ

â†µâ†µThis mode doesn’t do much for you when your country isn’t involved, and in my case, I felt no allegiance to any of the other countries. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder how popular this feature would be in a NCAA or NFL title from EA Sports. Maybe I like the system because it’s not unlike what we do on SportingNews.com with competition between fan bases. If EA doesn’t implement this in other sports titles, they’ve truly missed the boat.â†µ

â†µâ†µOK, so I’ve said 300-plus words on this game, but not a lick about the gameplay itself. Here’s what I can tell you, I thought it was extremely difficult. Perhaps it’s because I lack the patience to take the proper, strategic approach, but even when I cranked the difficulty all the way down, and played with a loaded squad like Italy, I had a difficult time. So first off, I’ll say that this title takes patience. If you want to play soccer, but lack that patience, go get FIFA Street 3. (Did I just recommend one of the Street titles?)â†µ

â†µâ†µThe shot system was difficult for me to pick up, but the skill moves felt accessible to someone like me, who hadn’t played a true soccer sim in quite a while. There are plenty of moves, too, considering there’s about two pages of the instructions dedicated to everything you can do with the ball. But while I was entertaining myself with juggling tricks, I kept getting the ball stolen.â†µ

â†µâ†µAnother feature, right out of the Madden 09 playbook, is the Interactive Celebration feature. Check out the video for a full explanation.â†µ

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â†µAnd as usual, EA has loaded up the game with little details you might not even notice. Dynamic Player Ratings update a player’s rankings based on performance. Even the weather creates a dynamic environment where rain can create a sloppy field, which directly impacts performance.â†µâ†µThe final verdict? The Xbox 360 version played like a true soccer sim that any diehard fan will enjoy, so long as you’ve got the patience to move the ball in the manner you’d see on a real pitch. UEFA Euro 2008 is available in stores now for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and PC.â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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