The recently-released second Winning Eleven game for the Nintendo DS was basically the same game as last year's but in a new box. And since last year's game was an unmitigated disaster it left me feeling very, very ripped off. However, unlike Konami, EA Sports haven't stood pat and some notable improvements in gameplay plus the addition of online play make FIFA 08 DS an improvement over last year's game and title worthy of consideration -  even if it is hampered by a crippled Manager Mode.

Graphics 70/100

Both on and off the field the graphics in FIFA 07 and FIFA 08 for the Nintendo DS are incredibly similar. Like last year the top screen depicts the action while the bottom screen shows the radar. The in-game resolution is still disappointingly grainy (particularly when you compare it to games like Mario 64 DS and Phantom Hourglass) and the player models are solid if unspectacular. Apart from skin colour and body shape there isn't much to differentiate players on the field. Likewise, because of the poor resolution, kit textures are barely noticeable even when you do see close-ups on replays.

Animations are also largely unchanged and the players still look like they're skating on grass rather than running. Transitions between animations are generally smooth but animation cycles still have to finish before another one starts.

The game features the same stadiums as last year's game (took them a whole year to add...nothing) but the pitch textures are somewhat disappointing as the grass is more grainy and dark. In fairness this does look more realistic when you compare it to FIFA 07 whose pitches were almost fluorescent green, but when you combine the grainy player models with the grainy pitch textures it makes everything look a little miserable. Another disappointment is that the animated fans of last year's game (who jumped up and down in unison after a goal) don't seem to be present. One of the best things of last year's visuals was watching instant replays and seeing the fans behind the goal go bonkers after the ball hit the back of the net - I felt this added a great deal to the atmosphere and the visuals definitely take a hit with its absence.

Strangely, the frame-rate in FIFA 08 seems to be less smooth than in last year's game which is baffling to me particularly since the rest of the visuals haven't been beefed up. It's not a big deal and doesn't really hinder your enjoyment of the game (only a little bit of stuttering as the ball crosses midfield in the air) but it's really odd that last year's game moves noticeably smoother.

Fortunately, it's not all steps backwards as the TV-style presentation is still fantastic (and more concise than the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions!) with end-of-half highlights and a variety of cut-scenes. Also really impressive are the net animations which are some of the best I've ever seen - the mesh moves an incredibly realistic fashion when the ball smacks the back of the onion bag. There are also new bottom-screen graphics for the enhanced stylus commands that I'll talk about later.

Audio 80/100

FIFA 08's audio is incredibly similar to last year's game with Clive Tyldsley doing the play-by-play and following the action quite well (even if he still doesn't say player names). The generic crowd chants are practically the same as in FIFA 07 but the mixing between the different effects is much better. The game features a few of the same licensed songs found in the home console versions of FIFA 08.

The game also retains the same custom-chant feature present in 07 whereby you can record a chant using the DS' mic and then play it back during the match. Neat, but still practically useless.

Options 75/100

The major modes of play in FIFA 08 for the DS are pretty much the same as last year with exhibition matches, cup competitions (the domestic cups for each of the nations included), training, scenario mode and manager mode. The scenario mode this year is slightly different as you can make and share your own scenarios rather than having several pre-set or historical ones.

The biggest drawback with the Manager Mode in last year’s game was the fact that there was no active transfer market and thus you couldn’t change your team at all. Shockingly, this is STILL the case!! This essentially kills much of the depth of this mode as you’re not at all involved in the transfer market. As a result, if you’re trying to bring a lower-division team up to the Champions League you’ll be using the same players throughout. I have no idea what the developers were thinking with this omission. Also making me scratch my head is the fact that you can only play 5 seasons and you can only have one Manager Mode ‘career’ going on at a single time (there are no other save slots).

FIFA 08 DS features the same number of leagues as the home console versions so if you want to play in the Coca Cola Division 2 or the MLS you can. Unfortunately, rosters are butchered –Liverpool have Fernando Torres in their starting eleven, but they also have Djibril Cisse and Craig Bellamy on the bench! There is an option to adjust rosters and make transfer moves from the main menu but it’s still a hassle to go and manually correct squads.

The game does, however, feature single cart, local Wi-Fi and infrastructure multiplayer support which is a great addition that can add a great deal of replay value.

Gameplay 80/100

FIFA 08 for the DS plays very similar to last year’s game but has received improvements in the following areas; responsiveness, stylus controls and AI/difficulty.

The control scheme is the same as FIFA 07 with the option to switch to a Winning Eleven-style configuration - labeled as ‘Arcade’-style which I thought was a nice dig at EA Sports’ competitors. The first thing you notice when you step out onto the pitch is that the controls are tighter and far more responsive than last year’s game. This is particularly noticeable with skill moves and you can actually pull of a few of them without having the ball fly 10 yards away. Likewise, making tight turns and cuts on the wing is much more satisfying as you don’t have to worry about inadvertently knocking the ball out of bounds.

The stylus controls in last year’s game were limited to specifying player runs on the radar. This year EA Sports have added a few more features that really add some spice to the gameplay. Penalty shots now involve you using the stylus to drag the ball into a particular area of the net – speed of the shoot is determined by the speed at which you move the stylus! This works very well and makes even mundane penalty shoot-outs more involving. There is a similar control scheme for defending a penalty as you us the stylus to control the keeper’s movements.

My favourite stylus control scheme, however, is that for free kicks. Here you have a diagram of the ball on the touch screen and have to use the stylus to not only control which part of the ball you strike but also to determine the speed of the shot/pass and also the degree of swerve! For example, if you were just outside the 18 yard box and wanted to curl the ball up and around the wall to the left you’d touch the bottom of the ball and gently drag the stylus up and to the left. It actually requires a great deal of practice but there’s a great sense of satisfaction when you do finally get the ball over (or under!) the wall and past the keeper.

The final, and most important, improvement in FIFA 08 DS is the vastly superior AI and increased difficulty level. Last year’s game was heck of a lot of fun until you realized that even on World Class the CPU were far too easy to beat. This has been fixed but not by the CPU cheating, instead they do a much better job of tracking back with midfielders, having defenders push up to meet attackers (last year they’d just sit back) and they’re also much more effective at tackling. As a result the game really is fun to play – there are a wide variety of goals that can be scored, no identifiable money plays, quasi-unscripted ball physics and decent variety in build-up play. It’s definitely more of an arcade-style game than a simulation but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun. When you add in the neat stylus controls you get a title that’s infinitely more enjoyable than Konami’s lame DS Winning Eleven efforts.

Replay Value 75/100

The inclusion of Wi-Fi and Infrastructure play is a great addition that should add to the replay value. Personally, however, I’m rarely near a wireless hot-spot when I’m playing my DS and if I’m at home I’d much rather play FIFA on the home consoles. Your mileage may vary.

That leaves the unfortunate fact that there are no transfers in the crippled Manager Mode and that kills a great deal of the single-player replay value but there are still a great number of different leagues/nations to use if you’re interested in a single season.

Overall 78/100

EA Sports have done a commendable job improving upon last year’s game, unfortunately they needlessly concede a late equalizer with the lack of an engaging Manager Mode. If they had only included an active transfer market I would have gladly given this game a score in the 80s as the on-field gameplay is an enjoyable arcade romp. That said, it’s still far and away the best soccer game on the Nintendo DS and definitely worth a purchase if you’re craving a soccer fix on the go.

The recently-released second Winning Eleven game for the Nintendo DS was basically the same game as last year's but in a new box. And since last year's game was an unmitigated disaster it left me feeling very, very ripped off. However, unlike Konami, EA Sports haven't stood pat and some notable improvements in gameplay plus the addition of online play make FIFA 08 DS an improvement over last year's game and title worthy of consideration -  even if it is hampered by a crippled Manager Mode.

Graphics 70/100

Both on and off the field the graphics in FIFA 07 and FIFA 08 for the Nintendo DS are incredibly similar. Like last year the top screen depicts the action while the bottom screen shows the radar. The in-game resolution is still disappointingly grainy (particularly when you compare it to games like Mario 64 DS and Phantom Hourglass) and the player models are solid if unspectacular. Apart from skin colour and body shape there isn't much to differentiate players on the field. Likewise, because of the poor resolution, kit textures are barely noticeable even when you do see close-ups on replays.

Animations are also largely unchanged and the players still look like they're skating on grass rather than running. Transitions between animations are generally smooth but animation cycles still have to finish before another one starts.

The game features the same stadiums as last year's game (took them a whole year to add...nothing) but the pitch textures are somewhat disappointing as the grass is more grainy and dark. In fairness this does look more realistic when you compare it to FIFA 07 whose pitches were almost fluorescent green, but when you combine the grainy player models with the grainy pitch textures it makes everything look a little miserable. Another disappointment is that the animated fans of last year's game (who jumped up and down in unison after a goal) don't seem to be present. One of the best things of last year's visuals was watching instant replays and seeing the fans behind the goal go bonkers after the ball hit the back of the net - I felt this added a great deal to the atmosphere and the visuals definitely take a hit with its absence.

Strangely, the frame-rate in FIFA 08 seems to be less smooth than in last year's game which is baffling to me particularly since the rest of the visuals haven't been beefed up. It's not a big deal and doesn't really hinder your enjoyment of the game (only a little bit of stuttering as the ball crosses midfield in the air) but it's really odd that last year's game moves noticeably smoother.

Fortunately, it's not all steps backwards as the TV-style presentation is still fantastic (and more concise than the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions!) with end-of-half highlights and a variety of cut-scenes. Also really impressive are the net animations which are some of the best I've ever seen - the mesh moves an incredibly realistic fashion when the ball smacks the back of the onion bag. There are also new bottom-screen graphics for the enhanced stylus commands that I'll talk about later.

Audio 80/100

FIFA 08's audio is incredibly similar to last year's game with Clive Tyldsley doing the play-by-play and following the action quite well (even if he still doesn't say player names). The generic crowd chants are practically the same as in FIFA 07 but the mixing between the different effects is much better. The game features a few of the same licensed songs found in the home console versions of FIFA 08.

The game also retains the same custom-chant feature present in 07 whereby you can record a chant using the DS' mic and then play it back during the match. Neat, but still practically useless.

Options 75/100

The major modes of play in FIFA 08 for the DS are pretty much the same as last year with exhibition matches, cup competitions (the domestic cups for each of the nations included), training, scenario mode and manager mode. The scenario mode this year is slightly different as you can make and share your own scenarios rather than having several pre-set or historical ones.

The biggest drawback with the Manager Mode in last year’s game was the fact that there was no active transfer market and thus you couldn’t change your team at all. Shockingly, this is STILL the case!! This essentially kills much of the depth of this mode as you’re not at all involved in the transfer market. As a result, if you’re trying to bring a lower-division team up to the Champions League you’ll be using the same players throughout. I have no idea what the developers were thinking with this omission. Also making me scratch my head is the fact that you can only play 5 seasons and you can only have one Manager Mode ‘career’ going on at a single time (there are no other save slots).

FIFA 08 DS features the same number of leagues as the home console versions so if you want to play in the Coca Cola Division 2 or the MLS you can. Unfortunately, rosters are butchered –Liverpool have Fernando Torres in their starting eleven, but they also have Djibril Cisse and Craig Bellamy on the bench! There is an option to adjust rosters and make transfer moves from the main menu but it’s still a hassle to go and manually correct squads.

The game does, however, feature single cart, local Wi-Fi and infrastructure multiplayer support which is a great addition that can add a great deal of replay value.

Gameplay 80/100

FIFA 08 for the DS plays very similar to last year’s game but has received improvements in the following areas; responsiveness, stylus controls and AI/difficulty.

The control scheme is the same as FIFA 07 with the option to switch to a Winning Eleven-style configuration - labeled as ‘Arcade’-style which I thought was a nice dig at EA Sports’ competitors. The first thing you notice when you step out onto the pitch is that the controls are tighter and far more responsive than last year’s game. This is particularly noticeable with skill moves and you can actually pull of a few of them without having the ball fly 10 yards away. Likewise, making tight turns and cuts on the wing is much more satisfying as you don’t have to worry about inadvertently knocking the ball out of bounds.

The stylus controls in last year’s game were limited to specifying player runs on the radar. This year EA Sports have added a few more features that really add some spice to the gameplay. Penalty shots now involve you using the stylus to drag the ball into a particular area of the net – speed of the shoot is determined by the speed at which you move the stylus! This works very well and makes even mundane penalty shoot-outs more involving. There is a similar control scheme for defending a penalty as you us the stylus to control the keeper’s movements.

My favourite stylus control scheme, however, is that for free kicks. Here you have a diagram of the ball on the touch screen and have to use the stylus to not only control which part of the ball you strike but also to determine the speed of the shot/pass and also the degree of swerve! For example, if you were just outside the 18 yard box and wanted to curl the ball up and around the wall to the left you’d touch the bottom of the ball and gently drag the stylus up and to the left. It actually requires a great deal of practice but there’s a great sense of satisfaction when you do finally get the ball over (or under!) the wall and past the keeper.

The final, and most important, improvement in FIFA 08 DS is the vastly superior AI and increased difficulty level. Last year’s game was heck of a lot of fun until you realized that even on World Class the CPU were far too easy to beat. This has been fixed but not by the CPU cheating, instead they do a much better job of tracking back with midfielders, having defenders push up to meet attackers (last year they’d just sit back) and they’re also much more effective at tackling. As a result the game really is fun to play – there are a wide variety of goals that can be scored, no identifiable money plays, quasi-unscripted ball physics and decent variety in build-up play. It’s definitely more of an arcade-style game than a simulation but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun. When you add in the neat stylus controls you get a title that’s infinitely more enjoyable than Konami’s lame DS Winning Eleven efforts.

Replay Value 75/100

The inclusion of Wi-Fi and Infrastructure play is a great addition that should add to the replay value. Personally, however, I’m rarely near a wireless hot-spot when I’m playing my DS and if I’m at home I’d much rather play FIFA on the home consoles. Your mileage may vary.

That leaves the unfortunate fact that there are no transfers in the crippled Manager Mode and that kills a great deal of the single-player replay value but there are still a great number of different leagues/nations to use if you’re interested in a single season.

Overall 78/100

EA Sports have done a commendable job improving upon last year’s game, unfortunately they needlessly concede a late equalizer with the lack of an engaging Manager Mode. If they had only included an active transfer market I would have gladly given this game a score in the 80s as the on-field gameplay is an enjoyable arcade romp. That said, it’s still far and away the best soccer game on the Nintendo DS and definitely worth a purchase if you’re craving a soccer fix on the go.