Free downloadable update will allow for 10 players in online FIFA 08 games

Now normally I couldn’t care less about FIFA news but this is pretty big and ultimately is a sign of where other sports games will be headed. While it was talked about a while back how the goal was to get to a point in a few years where there would be 11 vs 11 in an online game, it seems they’ve achieved nearly half of that already. Within 6-8 weeks following the release of FIFA 08, a free downloadable update will become available that will make it possible to have 5 vs 5 (10 consoles) in a mode being called “Be a Pro: Online Team Play”. This will be available with the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game.

“Be a Pro” mode is similar to Madden’s Superstar or NCAA Football’s Campus Legend, where you control an individual player for the entire game instead of controlling the team.

Be A Pro: Online Team Play is the evolution of a new play mode featured in FIFA Soccer 08 called Be A Pro that locks you into the role of a single, fixed player the entire game and challenges you to master the same disciplines as a real soccer player—from positioning and tackling to reading the field and passing. Users receive real time feedback and analysis on the fly and a unique camera angle keeps both player and action in focus, zooming in when you’re on attack. Now in Be A Pro: Online Team Play, up to five friends on different consoles will be able to select and take control of their own individual players on the same team, supported by AI teammates, to play against up to five rivals of another team. Alternatively, online users can select to play with free roaming players, and teams can have a combination of both.

FIFA will not only have this new addition to online play but it will also include online leagues and interactive leagues.

There was a couple other FIFA announcements made. Both the 360 and PS3 versions of the game will run at 60fps. Also it sounds as if it will utilize EA Sports World as they stated videos from the game will be uploadable to the internet.

Considering the history of poor performance from EA Sports titles online, there certainly will be concern whether or not the experience will be fully realized. If they haven’t been able to get consistently lag-free games in one-on-one environments, will they be able to do so with 10 different players taking part? It’ll be interesting to see. At least they appear to be increasing the online options and putting more focus into that area. Those will be expanding to the other titles in the near future so that is there to look forward to. The one I’d like to see the most in the future is a similar mode to this “Be a Pro” in NBA Live where you would control your one player in a five-on-five online game.