FIFA 09 wiki

From Software Informer

FIFA 09 is the latest installment of Electronic Arts' FIFA Series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it is published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released on 2 October 2008 in Australia, 3 October 2008 in Europe, and 14 October in North America.^[3] The N-Gage version was released on 18 November 2008.^[4][5] An intended release of the game for the iPhone OS some time in 2009 was announced by EA on March 24, 2009.^[6] The demo was released on 10 September 2008 for PC^[7] and on 11 September 2008 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.^[8][9] The PS3 and Xbox 360 demos were identical with the exception of the stadium used with the PS3 featuring the FIWC Stadium and the Xbox 360 version using the new Wembley Stadium.

[edit] Improvements

It has been stated in an interview with David Rutter that there are over 250 improvements in the game.^[10] Among the improvements in the new FIFA are improved responsiveness that allows for quicker release of the ball, greater urgency in off-the-ball running, a new jostle system that takes into account the strength of the players when going shoulder-to-shoulder, and subtle animations that enable players to take first-time shots. Another of the edition's biggest changes is a completely revamped collision system, which calculates speed, weight, and power when the players collide, as each player will have their own individual strength and power statistics depending on their body characteristics. New goalkeeper technology has also been added which allows for better positioning, better reactions to saves, and faster recovery after a save has been made. A further improvement from FIFA 08 is the weather and time. Rain and snow can be switched on and off before games, which affects whether players wear gloves. Games can be played at either day, dusk or night, depending on the stadium choice. FIFA 09 includes a "10 vs. 10" "Be a Pro" online game. The game also features user-controlled player celebrations, like in UEFA Euro 2008, in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. ^[11] The "Be A Pro" mode of the game has also been improved. On the PC, Xbox360, and PS3 version, the user can now play four seasons as a single player. The PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles also allow the player to change clubs, and play for his national team, depending on their performance. This feature is not present in the PC version.

[edit] Adidas Live Season

On 20 August 2008, EA unveiled the new Adidas Live Season feature that will dynamically update player form and attributes each week, in-game, based on the player's last game to reflect real-world ups and downs. Live Season is a premium service that will be available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC and covers six leagues: the Barclay’s Premier League, La Liga BBVA, Ligue 1, the Bundesliga, Serie A and the Mexican Primera Division. Gamers have access to one league of their choice as a free trial that runs from the moment they activate the service to the end of the 2008–2009 season, while purchasing extra leagues will cost £4.99 (US$7.99) each, or all six leagues can be purchased for £12.99 (US$20.00).

[edit] User-controlled celebration

User-controlled goal celebrations are also featured for the first time in the FIFA series, having been trialled in the official video game of Euro 2008. The player can choose from a variety of pre-loaded celebrations. This feature is on seventh generation consoles only due to capacity limits.

[edit] Update

FIFA 09 was updated to correspond with the transfers made in the January 2009 transfer window. This update was added on to the game via an online squad download on 10 February 2009. On March 19, 2009, FIFA 09 was updated to version 1.02 that added the Ultimate Team mode and also Trophies for the PlayStation 3.

[edit] Ultimate Team Mode

This strategic expansion of FIFA 09 lets users create their own teams by buying, selling, trading, and auctioning off their players with thousands of other users. Gamers earn points by playing their teams online or offline or by using Microsoft Points to buy card packs, or you can use coins which you gain from playing matches. Card packs are categorized as Gold (5,000 pts), Silver (2,500 pts), or Bronze (500 pts). Card pack contain random cards, so the user does not know exactly what he or she will get in them. Essentially, Ultimate Team is geared toward letting the user have full, customizable control over their teams. "You can also compete with your squad against others across the world^[12]"

[edit] Covers

FIFA 09 Covers from around the world.

There are different covers for the regional versions of FIFA 09. All covers feature Ronaldinho with different players for each region except for the cover in Spain: the UK and Australian covers feature Wayne Rooney; the German cover features Kevin Kurányi; the Italian cover features Daniele De Rossi; the Irish cover features Richard Dunne; the Czech cover features Petr Čech and Rooney; the French cover features Franck Ribéry and Karim Benzema; the Hungarian cover features Balázs Dzsudzsák; the Portuguese cover features Ricardo Quaresma; the Spanish cover features Gonzalo Higuaín; the Swiss cover features Tranquillo Barnetta; and the North American version features Guillermo Ochoa and Maurice Edu. Edu signed for Scottish team Rangers, which caused the cover to be altered to feature Edu in a US national team shirt and Ronaldinho appeared in a Milan shirt, so that a club shirt was featured.^[13]

[edit] Leagues and teams

There are over 500 teams and 30 leagues in the game, as well as 41 national teams, two fewer than in FIFA 08.

[edit] Leagues

¹SC Rheindorf Altach and SK Sturm Graz feature unlicensed badges. ²Goiás Esporte Clube and Sport Club Internacional feature unlicensed team names, kits and badges. ³Chester City FC feature unlicensed team names and kits. ⁴Bologna F.C. 1909, Catania Calcio, Cagliari Calcio, Genoa C.F.C., S.S.C. Napoli, U.S. Città di Palermo all feature unlicensed team names, kits and badges. ⁵A.C. Ancona, A.S. Cittadella, Salernitana Calcio 1919 all feature unlicensed team names, kits and badges. ⁶Modena FC and Treviso F.B.C. 1993 feature last season's official team kit. ⁷Piast Gliwice, Polonia Warsaw, Śląsk Wrocław all feature unlicensed team names, kits and badges. ⁸AIK Fotboll, Djurgårdens IF Fotboll, Hammarby IF, IFK Göteborg all feature unlicensed team names, kits and badges.