UEFA EURO 2008

"Euro 2008 - Great fun, yet annoying."

When I saw this game in the shop my initial thought was that it would just be another one of those disappointing 'money grab' releases - but I was wrong. The gameplay has been been improved quite significantly and has a different feel when you compare it with FIFA.

The most interesting feature in EURO 2008 is the Captain Your Country mode, this basically allows you to either create your own player or pick an existing one and play for your country with an aim to help them qualify for the knockout stage while competing against 3 other players on your team (computer controlled or your friends) to gain captaincy. The better your performances are, the more points you gain - the better the chance to become captain of your country. Normal Be-a-Pro mode also features in this game like in FIFA.

The AI has been improved and is much more realistic, playing on higher difficult levels is now very, very challenging. There is a new passing system that was not used in FIFA and the players are more responsive and try harder to get the ball. The crowd noise has also been turned up a notch which only makes the gameplay more interesting.

If you miss that all important chance to draw level or tie up the game you'll see you're managers reaction on the sideline - it all adds to the intensity and excitement of the game.

Another new feature is 'Gamer Controlled Celebrations'. Basically, when you score a goal you can celebrate your own way. There's many different ways you can celebrate, there is a full list of them in the 'in-game menu', you can even learn the advanced celebrations if you really want to rub your opponents nose in it.

Multiplayer has been stepped up slightly compared to FIFA 08, things are still quite similar but one of two noticeable change is the 'battle of the nations' feature. You represent your country against other players around the world to earn points, every players points are uploaded and all the countries battle it out to see who is the greatest. The other small change is the Online Knockout Tournament which see's you battle against rivals in a 16 team knockout to see who can win the trophy!

Good points:

* The different feel has kept me playing, no more boredom like with FIFA.
* Although there has only been minor improvements the future looks bright!
* More realistic crowd noises
* Good graphic detail and good quality sound
* Improved AI

Bad points:

* No license for Netherlands team.
* Improved through ball passing makes it much more difficult to defend. Especially when playing online.
* Small amount of teams.
* Lack of management modes.

If you are like me... tired of FIFA 08, you should buy or rent this game. Renting it is probably more wise as you may become bored of it - euro games never have much long term appeal but this is worthwhile in the short term. 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/07/08

Game Release: UEFA EURO 2008 (EU, 04/18/08)