But it wouldn't be a Euro 2008 game if it didn't capture the passion of the European championships. Introductory cutscenes before each match are brilliant; the fanfare and festive atmosphere are depicted extremely well. However, graphical slowdown and iffy player character models do take away slightly from the wonderful environments, which include faithfully and impressively recreated stadia, which will host the matches in the tournament starting June 7.
Play-by-play commentary by Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend is top-notch and seldom seems out of place. Although the commentary seems a little delayed at times and you may occasionally hear Tyldesley mention Joe Cole when England isn't even playing, it effectively enhances the overall experience.
Crowd sounds are also much improved from FIFA 08. Team-specific crowd chants and varying noise levels based on the match situation go a long way in immersing the player into the on-field action.
Visually, Euro 2008 isn't very much different from FIFA 08, apart from the aforementioned Euro 2008-specific touches. The lighting and shadows are great and playing at different times of the day really creates a different mood.
One negative here is that even when it's pouring down, the rain does not affect gameplay at all; the ball behaves the same as it does on a bright, sunny day. Also, like all other sports games, the crowds are quite unsightly; like they were lifted from a PS One game.
Player animations are top-notch and you can identify many of the top players just by the way they run. The addition of custom goal celebrations is a nice touch as well. It must also be said that quite a few of the players' faces looking nothing like their real life counterparts, some even look horribly disfigured. Example: Alessandro Del Piero's face during goal celebrations looks bloated like he's been stung by a hundred bees. On the whole, however, these minor details aren't much of a bother and you won't find much to complain in the visual department.
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