FIFA 09: "50,000 different combinations of tactics"
EA is already boasting about FIFA 09's new toy, its customizable tactics system, claiming that it allows up to "50,000 different combinations of tactics". Try and find 'em all!
Speaking in the latest issue of PSM3 UK, lead producer David Rutter boasts, "there are roughly 50,000 possible combinations. That's not really doing it justice. The point is there are over 40 different defensive ways to play and over 500 attacking ways."
In case you're not up to speed, the system works with a series of sliders "incorporating key parts of the team dynamic - aggression, mentality, positioning, etc". You can even assign four of your own custom plans to the D-pad and switch them mid-match.
"You can totally change the way your team plays, and apply it during the match. Every game is going to be different," says Rutter.
"A long passing game isn't just about hitting the ball long. We've changed the support play so your midfield needs to be further up the pitch, looking for the long ball to be knocked down for them to run on to. In a short game, the team pushes together and is more compact to allow short passes to be played.
"But the AI will do it too, so if you play Man Utd and they go a goal down, they're gonna change to try to get a goal back."
You can read the entire preview, with the first screenshots, in issue 102 of PSM3 UK on shelves from today.