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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9578 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Electronic Arts
• Released on: 2008-04-18
• Platform: PlayStation2

Manufacturer's Description

UEFA EURO 2008 features stunning visual representations of the world's best players, playing in a more accessible, faster-paced and responsive version of the market-leading EA SPORTS football engine, and all of the teams and official stadiums that will be part of UEFA EURO 2008. Take on the challenge of leading one of over 50 European national teams to glory as UEFA EURO 2008 recreates all of the drama and excitement of the official tournament in Austria and Switzerland. Play as your favorite country from qualification right through to a virtual reproduction of the championship tournament.

A new game mode called Captain Your Country enables gamers to customize them on the pitch and wear the shirt of their national team. Work through eight status levels to earn the captaincy of your team and then lead your country into battle for championship glory against your rivals. Go online in Battle of the Nations to earn status points for yourself and your country in a competition for global supremacy. Go for the biggest upsets to earn the most points and then watch you and your country move up the leader boards. Face the challenge and pressure of competing in the championship rounds in the EURO Online Knockout Draw to test your skills against the world's best.

UEFA EURO 2008 captures the look and feel of the journey from qualification to the finals with rain and mud dynamics that impact playing conditions, real-time player ratings that change based on player performance, and a penalty kick mode that re-creates the elation and agony of a penalty shoot-out as if you were on the pitch. Experience the thrill of scoring the goal that sends your country through to the next round and then choose how to celebrate it with all-new interactive user-controlled celebrations. Captain your country, play alongside your heroes, and inspire them to championship glory in the official videogame of UEFA EURO 2008.

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Customer Reviews

Not as sophisticated as FIFA 08, but not bad
This EA take on the Uefa Euro 2008 championships is obviously going to suffer commercially in England because of the execrable failure of the national team.

As a game, it is a lot closer in feel to the World Cup 2006 game, which first got me into the whole PS2 football thing, than the imperious FIFA 08. The camera angle is a bit weird, too low and off-centre and, despite frequent attempts to correct it, tends to revert to the same view. Shooting is easier than in the parent game; the AI tackling is downright feeble.

The main innovation is the 'kickstick' - which is using the right analogue stick as a draw back and shoot stick, a bit like putting in the Tiger Woods golf games. I can't say I was impressed. On penalties - and there are suppose to be penalty shoot-outs in a tournament like this - you get a sideways view. Again, I've tried to get a proper view, but the thing just reverts. Could be me, I guess, but sureley a head-on view for penalities should be default. Side on using a 'kick-stick' makes penalities a real piece of fun, like catching a lippery bar of soap with well-greased hands. As an ace penalty taker on FIFA 08, to be reduced into John Terry in this version was shaming.

Quibbles aside, the game play is fine. Sliding in is a lot harder to achieve and Andy Townsend, co-commentator with Clive Tyldesley, manages to sound as inane and banal on this as he does on ITV.

The main fun of FIFA 08 is manager mode and transfers etc, which is obviously not available in this game (much as we might like to buy Zlatan Ibrahimovic). It's much simpler and, in my view, should be cheaper, though that is not apparent. You do get a good indication of where certain players are going to be rated in FIFA 09, notably Luka Modric who wasn't in the main game (comes in at 82 overall).

Last point, the 'mascots' for the tournament are really annoying. I had not noticed them in the build up to the championships proper, but there are all over this like a bad case of scabies.