Stuck in UEFA Euro 2008 – probably the best football game

World Cup 2022 mode in FIFA 23 is far away.

Kiber user Maxim Tikhonov, in a post about EA Sports’ last chance, rightly noted a forgotten but cool experiment – UEFA Euro 2008. It was a time when separate games were released for major tournaments, and for the simulation of the Euro 2008, EA even became generous with a couple of unique modes. Then they fell in love so much that I decided to dust off the old boxes and found a disc with the same game. Now the impressions have changed, but in UEFA Euro 2008 you definitely want to play more than in the fresh World Cup 2022 mode in FIFA 23 – the hack is visible from afar.

The first thing that catches your eye is the abundance of modes. A clumsy translation confuses only in the first minutes, then it becomes clear: “Game” is a Friendly Match, and “Euro Campaign” is the main mode of the game, for which it was started.

Friendly matches are valuable because they allow you to play any of the 53 teams with a unique scenario – only your imagination limits! If you are a hard fifer, then try to beat Spain with a modest Belarus, losing 1-5 being in the minority and left without replacements! If you rarely turn on FIFA, then it’s fun to beat Germany with Italy when you have more outfield players, and the Germans also have a couple on injury.

UEFA Euro 2008 is the title mode of the arcade, where you can go all the way to any of the 53 European teams, or you can choose one of the 16 teams that have already made their way. Will you try to win the coveted cup for your native Russia, Ukraine or Belarus? The first two even have all the names and faces of some of the players licensed: Shevchenko, Tymoshchuk, Rusol, Kerzhakov and Smertin look pretty good for a 2008 game in close-ups.

There is an online mode, which is empty for obvious reasons, and a separate mode where you need to shoot a penalty. Now I still don’t understand how to do it right, although in those years I played FIFA 300 hours a year. But thanks to the videos and animations, it looks good even after 14 years.

I found a cool “Team Captain” mode, which for some reason was hidden in one of the menus. It repeats the usual UEFA Euro 2008, only this time we manage not the whole team, but the chosen player. I usually play for France – and it’s great to run for legends like Henri, Ribery and Viyer again! Score goals for Henry for France, young Cristiano for Portugal or turn on the maestro for Pirlo – gameplay for every taste. The trick is that you can play it with two, three or even four. Connect gamepads, and everyone runs for their own player, controls their own zone – this way it will be much easier and more fun to win the European Championship!

The main mode “Euro Campaign” was left for the end – thanks to it, you can linger in the game for many months. Here we are offered to become the best team of the continent. To do this, you will have to play a lot: first with weak teams and, finally, with strong ones. The gameplay is based on the passage of special scenarios. They are divided into several types: team, captain and penalty shootouts. In teams we play a short segment of the match – usually you need to score a couple of goals and win.

The captain’s passes are passed by the player who chooses the AI ​​for us: again, score a goal, don’t miss or don’t get a card. The mode is good because it does not get boring: you constantly play against different teams, and they ask you to fulfill all the new conditions. In which case, no one forbids putting other players in the base – and Trezeguet and young Benzema to score already. There are 123 scenarios in the game – you won’t be able to beat it in a couple of sittings!

If you successfully fulfill the conditions, then development points are awarded. And it already looks like pumping: choose a few favorites and gradually upgrade important characteristics for them. In time, Henry will become the undisputed number one player, and Gallas will become the best defender of our time – and it will be easier to win important matches this way!

Pleased with the internal album of stickers. In addition to development points, money will also be accumulated. They can be spent on buying sets of cards. Doesn’t it remind you of anything? EA Sports was already dabbling in Panini-themed, although the set included 5 cards that simply appeared in the album and were pleasing to the eye without affecting the gameplay. In addition to the players, the kits included balls, stadiums and roller skates – and it was a great success to pull them out back in 2008!

Interestingly, the 2008 arcade tries to surprise and entertain players for many hours in quite a variety of ways. Modern EA Sports is busy with completely different things. It seems that for new impressions it is worth plunging into the past!