To all you soccer (or football for our European cousins) fans out there, EA recently announced the release of a brand new "strategic" game mode for Fifa 09. Set to be released on March 19, the mode, entitled 'Ultimate Team', will task players with collecting or creating soccer players, and drafting them into a dream team of sorts. Check the press release for more info:
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – Feb. 10, 2009 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced the development of a unique, downloadable game mode called FIFA 09 Ultimate Team that will deliver a strategic new online experience to the award-winning EA SPORTS™ FIFA 09 on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system. FIFA 09 Ultimate Team challenges gamers to collect or create the most talented football players in the world, develop them into a dream team and then compete online against a legion of challengers to be crowned the ultimate team.
Winner of 25 international game quality awards, FIFA 09 is the most popular EA SPORTS game played online*. Over 141 million games of FIFA 09 have been played on the PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360 by gamers connected online since the game’s European launch on Sept. 25, 2008. An average of 1.25 million games are played online daily, which is a 321 percent increase over FIFA 08. FIFA 09 Ultimate Team expands the FIFA 09 online experience by delivering the ultimate fantasy in club football to the record number of individuals playing while connected online.
"Online is the next great frontier in sports gaming. We are seeing a record number of individuals globally playing FIFA 09 online so we are focused on developing games that maximize the online experience,” said Andrew Wilson, Vice President & Executive Producer for the franchise. “A dedicated team developed FIFA 09 Ultimate Team and they have created a game within the game, delivering a strategic new way to play FIFA 09 that will create hundreds of additional hours of playing time.”
FIFA 09 Ultimate Team challenges gamers to collect 30 different types of bronze, silver and gold virtual cards, including Player, Staff, Contract, Formations, and Tactics, to create their fantasy team. Strategically collect and manage players and different types of cards, and then set the match strategy to win. Carefully select or trade for the right Manager, then choose the best Tactics and Formations that forge the team chemistry necessary to take your club to the top. Plus, deal Gameplay cards on your opponent at key moments of any match for a tactical advantage.
Live the ultimate dream in FIFA 09 Ultimate Team. Create yourself in game, line up alongside your heroes and captain your squad to glory. Customize everything from players and stadiums to the kits and badges, creating the world’s next great football club. Compete offline and online to earn more valuable cards or trawl the market for the ones needed to complete a winning team. Climb the league table or compete in knockout tournaments for the most coveted trophies, where the opposition becomes more difficult after each victory.
Feel the exhilaration as you take your carefully assembled squad into matches and tournaments online against the most formidably talented teams ever assembled—and out play them. Here is the ultimate test of your skills as a player and manger. Write your own legend with FIFA 09 Ultimate Team.
FIFA 09 Ultimate Team will be available as a download to FIFA 09 beginning March 19, 2009. Fans will be able to experience the new game mode by creating a team with a starter package of players and virtual cards and play a five game trial before deciding to purchase the FIFA 09 Ultimate Team mode. FIFA 09 is required.
For more information about FIFA 09 Ultimate Team visit http://www.fifa09.ea.com. Screenshots and product fact sheet can be downloaded at http://info.ea.com.
Features of this new game mode include:
-Build Your Ultimate Team: Collect Players, Managers, Head Coaches, Goalkeeper Coaches, Physiotherapists, Fitness Coaches, Tactics, and Gameplay modifiers, and then foster team chemistry through effectively organizing your squad. Accumulate Staff, Fitness and Medical cards to gain the tactical edge, and then deal Gameplay-influencing cards at key moments during a match.
-30 Types Of Cards: Collect, trade and play 30 different types of cards to form your ultimate team and your best strategy to win. Categories to collect include: Players, Managers, Staff, Player Contract, Advanced Training, Injury Healing, Formations, Tactics, Team Talk, Arenas, Crowd, Celebrations, Stadia, Kits, Badges and more.
-Develop Team Chemistry: Determine the direction of your team by collecting players to fit your system or designing a system around your players. Organize players in preferred positions, preferred formations and alongside countrymen to boost your player attributes and give your team a tactical advantage. Acquire Contract cards to keep your team on the winning track.
-Complete Customization: Live the ultimate dream. Create yourself in game, line up alongside your heroes and captain your squad to glory. Personalize your player with thousands of new items, including new hairstyles, tattoos, and bandanas. Listen to the broadcast team call your name while your created player steps into the spotlight. Customize everything from players and stadiums to the kits and badges, creating the world’s next great football club.
-Acquire New Cards: Play games to earn coins to acquire new cards, trade or auction unwanted ones and trawl the market for the cards you need to complete your winning team. Plus, acquire additional packs of cards using Microsoft points from XBOX LIVE Marketplace or purchase them from the PlayStation Network.
-New Leaderboards: Compete with your squad against the rest of the world in league matches and watch your club climb the leader boards.
-Knockout Tournaments: Here is the ultimate test. Compete in 36 different tournaments while connected online against CPU-controlled football clubs or a legion of challengers. Face your toughest competition in knockout tournaments for the most coveted trophies, where the opposition becomes more difficult after each victory.
-New Interactive Celebrations: Score a goal and then control your player’s movements to celebrate the way you want to with 20 new user-controlled celebrations.
Screenshots of the new feature are attached below, and more information can be found here. Looks like it could be interesting. Were I a bigger Fifa fan, I would be happy about this. Perhaps some new achievements to accompany the mode...
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