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More than 300 million people worldwide are rejoicing as their Red Devils are crowned kings of Europe. It's good times for all football lovers, and with the Euro 2008 beginning in June, it will soon get better. Sadly and ironically, England won't be taking part this year, the reason being as I like to call it "they-messed-it-up-big-time-in-November." A team with some of the best players in the world fails to qualify for one of the most important events in football, leaving fans disgruntled. To rub it in, I received a copy of the Euro 2008 game from EA. But fanboy-ism aside, this turned out to be quite an interesting game, with a lot of content and enough game modes to keep you busy for weeks. Let's get some more details on Euro 2008 for the PSP.

Summary

Although this is a multiplatform game, we'll be looking at the PSP version. Basically, the game is a new avatar of Fifa: 08, with a few potentially good innovations. There are various game modes, ranging from a quick match to the entire Euro 2008 experience as well as mini-games. You've multiplayer in the ad hoc mode only, so make sure your friend has a copy if you want some multiplayer action.

I played most of the game with France, on medium to high difficulty settings. As mentioned before, the game feels generally similar to Fifa, including the interface and presentation. But Fifa 08 was an absolute gem of a game and any similarity is fine in my opinion. The game is quite challenging at higher difficulties, which definitely is a good thing. The controls are fairly simple; the player control with the single analog is also smooth. The game feels a bit faster in terms of gameplay than Fifa 08 -- again, not a major change but the slight difference in game speed feels great. Character animations are very well done, which is EA's forte. Something really innovative in the game is the Critical Moment feature. If the scores are tied or there is a difference of just one goal, all the key players in the team are highlighted with a red sphere. These players have a boost in performance for the remaining 10 mins, so you have a better chance to score if you pass the ball to them. The ball mechanics and control are superb. I enjoyed scoring multiple goals against Italy with the impeccable and invincible Henry (yeah, I am a big fan).

While playing the game, I realized that a faster gameplay leads to a more aggressive style of playing. In Fifa 08, you generally wait for a nice build-up that includes loads of passes. In Euro 2008, I found myself relying on passes and solo-runs. This is a good change that leads to some really exciting matches. The mini-games are nice, one of which includes holding the PSP vertically and scoring points while a player juggles the ball. The commentary is a little weak, though. The commentators are always a few seconds behind you in real time, so don't be surprised if he is still talking about a previous goal while you ready yourself for the second half.
Visuals and Sound

The game looks surprisingly good for a handheld title; it's smooth and lag free. Also, the player details are impressive. The soundtrack is amazing and features some amazing artists like Magic Numbers and Infected Mushroom. The in-game sound effects are good and create a stadium-like feel with a good pair of earphones.

Final Verdict

This is a good title to pick up for your PSP. It's a fast-paced football game with many game modes and loads of extras. The gameplay is entertaining and contains an impressive audio-visual presentation. You can always pick this up and help England qualify for the cup, or just choose your favorite team and play a quick match. This is definitely a must for your PSP.