Last week i laid my hands upon the hotly awaited fifa 2009.I had been a fan of fifa since the breathtaking fifa 2003.I still think,that was the best fifa ever..Fifa has always provided that extra streng5th,extra reality that pes or other football games have ballantly failed..

One thing about EA sports is the alternating pattern of excellence.Fifa 2003 was great.Fifa 2004 was a damp squib.Fifa 2005 wrote a new chapter in football gaming.Fifa 2006 again disappointed.Fifa 2007 was good.fifa 2008 introduced new features,but was still grossly maldeveloped.

So naturally i had great expectations on fifa 2009.

So i clicked the fifa 2009 icon on my desktop.The starup was smooth.the intro video was good not exceptional though.Well i dont care about it anyway.The overall feeling was good.the background was attractive and music great as always..

Time for game play.

The loading was smooth and fast.I specially liked the indicator.

Its Arsenal Vs Tottenha.By the way i am a die hard ARSENAL FAN.Completed about 43 seasons with arsenal.Veteran am'nt i?

Well the tunnel video was similar to fifa 2008 with almost same graphics..It was good in fifa 2008 too.The first thing i looked was the turf.I hated the turf in fifa 2008.The lush green turf at emirates was a thing of beauty.Well the first positive point in fifa 2009-the turf.

Time for kick off..

I had set my own controls.I was never comfortable with the default controls.Thepitc was good,the lighting was great and the players seemed lively.Except for Van persie all other players had almost realistic faces.Van persie seemed 3 yrs older and more powerful.Walcott also looked a little odd.I was dissappointed with his rating of 79..He certainly deserved better.

The play seemed a bit slow.There was not much pace in the players.Actually the pace was realistic.actually fifa 2009 has room for both tactical as well as pace play.I like it this way.really.

The defenders at times seemed a bit odd.especially in the wings.They dont seem to close in on wingers.The central defenders were good but not unbeatable.with bit of passing the defence was easily unlockable.

The most important aspect of fifa 2009 is its physical aspect.you can wriggle out of defenders with your physical power.The collision system is also vastly improved.

So i put 4 for the graphics and 4.3 for the gameplay.

Out of the game,the controlss are fully customisable with custom tactics.The be a pro feature has laso been improved with better camera angles.But still not perfect.It has to evolve still to be a hit.

Another addition is the addidas live gadget which i have not trie,but sems to be good.

Overall i put fifa 2009 at 4.4 out of 5..Fifa 2008 had 3.5

So if you are a football enthusiast,go to the nearest game dealer and get your fifa 2009 Now..Its worthy it.Bye