fifa 08
FIFA 08, Now Shipping Across 94 Versions
9:30PM Luke Plunkett | Need an example of how important EA Sports games are to EA’s bottom line? Consider how much work went into shipping FIFA 08. As part of his keynote address at DICE, EA boss John Riccitiello told us just how many versions of the game they got out the door. Now, for a game like Mass Effect, you ship 5,6 versions, or SKUs: US, PAL (with a few different European versions), Japanese and Asian editions. If it’s a dual-platform game like, say, Skate, you can expect to ship double that. FIFA 08? It shipped across an absolutely ridiculous 94 SKUs. Which, I guess, is what happens when you release a game in 20 languages across 16 countries on seven platforms. Nintendo, you could learn a thing or two about that kinda localisation effort. More »
Box Art Goes Honest
5:40AM Mark Wilson | Many of you have probably come across the Calloftheday’s video game boxes gone honest, but we wanted to point them out for those of you who haven’t. Not all of them are side splitters, but we enjoyed this response to Star Wars Galaxies (and really, all Star Wars games) pictured here. We also enjoyed the “Same Shit, Different Year” title for Fifa 2008 or MotoGP’s “Don’t Drive After Playing This Game.” We also wouldn’t mind the DualShock 3 being renamed “we lied, you do care” or Nintendo’s friend codes going by something more catchy like “we want you to play with buddies IN PERSON, get it through your f’ing head already.” You say one thing, but you mean your mother. (VideoGame Box Art Edits 2) [via digg] More »
FIFA 08 Is Britain’s First Million-Seller
12:20AM Luke Plunkett | Sure, Britain’s not as big a market as the US or Japan. Still pretty big, though. Big enough for a game to have sold a million units at retail in 2007, which is exactly what FIFA 08 has done, beating out other likely candidates such as Halo 3 and…oh, I don’t know, Pro Evo, and probably FIFA 07 to be the first to do so. In patting themselves on the back, EA reckon the feat was achieved thanks to a bunch of bullet-point features implemented for this year’s edition, as well as *ahem* “gameplay issues” affecting their competitor. That’d be Pro Evo, then. Cheeky sods. FIFA 08 passes the million mark [GameSpot] More »
PS3 Owners Waiting for Games (EA Games, Apparently)
9:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Sony has the hardware. Consumers can totally get that. And the games? It has a couple must-haves, but not a massive library yet. EA’s VP for Ireland and the UK Keith Ramsdale points out that PS3 owners are a patient lot. They are waiting, poised like a lion, ready to pounce on quality games. Quality EA games. Keith Ramsdale, the floor is yours: If you look at FIFA 08, on its first weekend the PS3 numbers were 75 percent of the Xbox 360 numbers, despite the 360 having a massively higher install base. That’s not that the 360 has underperformed, not for a moment. That’s because the appetite for a quality game on the PS3 is there and maybe FIFA is the first game to come and show where the quality is. I think PS3 consumers are waiting for the right game and they want to see the quality. Really? We like FIFA and all, but somehow his argument seems flawed. PS3 Owners Are Waiting [GamesIndustry] More »
FIFA 08: A Million Served (In Europe)
9:30PM Luke Plunkett | FIFA 08 usurping Halo 3 at the top of the British charts was no accident. Case you slept through the tutorial, Europe loves football. Loves it to bits. Certainly loves it more than any unfinished fight. Want proof? FIFA 08 sold a million in Europe in its first week on sale. It helps that the game’s available on every format barring the Spectrum, but still, a million sold in Europe in seven days is what Pro Evo’s going to need to beat if it wants to walk past FIFA’s house with its tongue out making silly, childish noises. Press release follows. More »
FIFA 08 Soundtrack Announced
3:20AM Mike Fahey | Are you ready for some football? It’s getting awfully close to FIFA 08 time, and EA has gone ahead and dropped the soundtrack list for it’s annual footie outing. This year the game will feature tracks from 50 artists from 27 different countries, including Algeria, Ethiopia, and Ghana. Looking over the list, which is posted in its entirety after the jump, I don’t recognise a single song or artist, which is just all sorts of pathetic I’m sure. I only know that Wayne Rooney, pictured above with UK band The Hoosiers because I looked him up on Google. I can’t wait for the comments section to fill up with, “WTF Fahey!? You haven’t heard Cheb i Sebbah’s Toura Toura: Nav Deep Remix? What the hell is wrong with you?” More »
