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FIFA 08 for Nintendo DS
FIFA 08 for Nintendo DS brings club football and international matches to two screens. You choose a team, build attacks and try to use passes to find space behind the defence. Matches take place in a three-dimensional stadium, while the lower screen shows extra information and tactical choices. Real teams and players give every encounter a familiar foundation. A quick kick-off needs little preparation; for a longer series of matches, you can choose a tournament or take charge of a club.
During normal play, you use the buttons to move, pass and shoot. The touch screen becomes more prominent for free kicks and penalties: you decide where the ball should go. The goalkeeper's position and your formation also deserve attention. Training sessions and penalty shoot-outs let you practise individual elements without immediately starting a full competition. Scenarios place you in a match situation with a particular objective, so you might have to overcome a deficit rather than always start at kick-off.
Locally, two people can play on two DS systems. DS Download Play means that only one copy of FIFA 08 is needed; no connection cable is required. The second system is not included. The original online matches through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection are no longer available. That discontinued online feature is separate from local wireless play.
Region and language
Our Nintendo DS games are European editions, unless stated otherwise. This product contains a loose cartridge for the European market. A box is only included if explicitly stated in the product details. We note any different region in the product details. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
With FIFA 08 for Nintendo DS, you receive a loose cartridge. A box and manual are not included unless we explicitly state otherwise in the product details. This is the standard way we supply this copy.
The history of FIFA 08
FIFA 08 was released in 2007 under the EA Sports label. The DS edition was part of an annual football series in which clubs, players and competitions received a new seasonal update each time. Electronic Arts developed different versions for different devices. Nintendo DS had its own buttons, two screens and a stylus, so sharing a game name did not mean that every edition had the same controls or content. Football on this handheld received its own screen layout and match presentation.
An EA development team worked with Exient on this DS edition. That collaboration fits Exient's role in portable sports games of the period. The focus was on combining familiar FIFA football with features that could be operated directly on DS. Set pieces in particular lent themselves to touch controls: you could indicate a shot's direction while the match action was briefly paused. Formations and match information also had room on the second screen.
Wireless competition was another important element. Alongside local matches, FIFA 08 also offered online matches through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The official service ended on 20 May 2014, so that online component is now unavailable. The single-player activities and local wireless connection are separate from it. FIFA 08 therefore mainly preserves a snapshot of portable football from 2007, with the player squads of the time and experiments using the dual screens.
Similar games for Nintendo DS
FIFA 09 on Nintendo DS builds on the same club football, but adds Be A Pro: you follow one footballer through multiple seasons instead of constantly taking control of the whole team. FIFA 08 focuses more on ordinary matches, scenarios and club management. Anyone primarily interested in following their own position and individual development will therefore find a clearly different kind of career in the following year's edition.
FIFA 10 for Nintendo DS keeps ordinary matches and tournaments familiar, but develops the individual Be A Pro career further by adding national-team selection. You can also design set pieces by placing players and their runs on the touch screen. FIFA 08 already uses that screen for free kicks, but focuses less on preparing such detailed routines in advance.
FIFA Street 2 on Nintendo DS scales football down to four against four on enclosed street pitches. Tricks fill a meter for a powerful Gamebreaker shot. FIFA 08 demands more attention to moving a complete team around and exploiting the space on a large pitch. Both use real footballers, but their match rhythm and the rewards for individual actions differ greatly.
Pro Evolution Soccer 6 for Nintendo DS also offers football with clubs and national teams, with positioning and building an attack at its heart. Its touch screen likewise helps with tactical changes and penalties. FIFA 08 adds its own FIFA presentation, scenarios and club management to that comparison. The main similarity is the complete football match; the execution of passes and movement determines which rhythm you prefer.
Inazuma Eleven on Nintendo DS combines football with a story about a school team, finding players and RPG-style development. You direct actions with the stylus and meet opponents with spectacular techniques. FIFA 08 focuses on existing clubs and recognisable matches without that kind of story-led journey. Both call for a well-assembled team, but the route to victory looks very different.
