In addition to regular matches and competitions there are a number of scenarios to play out, which put you in control at moments from the actual qualifying campaign that were particularly significant. For instance, you might be tasked with coming out on top after having been dumped into a game 2-0 down with 10 minutes to go, or you might be required to replicate Scotland's famous 1-0 victory over France in Paris. Winning the European Championship with any side unlocks a batch of new scenarios from Euro 2004.
In previous midseason football titles released to coincide with major championships, playing through the full qualifying campaigns was a nigh-on pointless experience when playing as a high-ranked team, because you would steamroller the poorer international sides, but that isn't the case here. The opponent AI changes are noticeable from the get-go of your campaign, with weaker teams defending in numbers and making your life in front of goal very difficult indeed. Crowds are more vocal than before, too, and are more hostile both home and away. When you're already a goal down in a match that you have to win, hearing even virtual fans chanting "We want our money back" does nothing for your confidence. These changes do really give the game a lot of added value as it
The other significant gameplay factor that has been tweaked is the weather, which now plays a more significant role than before. Rain has noticeable effects on the speed the ball skids over the surface; if you hit wet turf, your pass will fly off faster than you'd expect, but if you hit a muddy patch, you will howl in dismay as the ball slows down and a defender slips back to cut out that seemingly perfectly weighted pass to your advancing centre-forward.
UEFA may look just like FIFA, but there are some noticeable differences between the two games.
The multiplayer game has also received a certain amount of attention. The most obvious change is presented to you front and centre: UEFA Euro 2008 features a metagame that will tally up the performance of the various European nations throughout the tournament, with daily prizes for those who perform best. This performance is measured with a new in-game scoring system that attempts to quantify the skill you've shown. This is based on not only the number of goals you score and let in, but also on pass completion, shot accuracy, and more. It's adjusted for the skill of your team and the skill of your opponent's team. This may help to address the main problem FIFA 08 has had online--where Barcelona, the best-rated in-game club side, are the most popular team to play because they're so good--but we're sceptical. More significant is the introduction of quick 16-player tournaments, which can be set up among friends or with random people over Xbox Live or the PlayStation network. This is a compelling addition to the series' basic multiplayer modes and is something we hope to see replicated in FIFA 09.
Despite its smaller scope, Euro 2008 replicates the drama of a major international cup competition very well. The gameplay isn't a significant enough an improvement over FIFA 08 to make it easily recommendable as an upgrade given the sticker price, but if you're yet to experience EA's football offerings this season then now's the time to start.
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