Whoever said that video games do not influence their players, lied. Maybe I’m just weird, but after playing FIFA Soccer 09 I find myself trying to talk with a British accent.

The commentary in FIFA Soccer 09 is absolutely great. If it wasn’t for “that one thing” the game could have achieved a perfect score in the sound department. Since I let the rabbit get out of the hat, I think it is time to explain “that one thing.” I’m talking about the chanting going on at the stadiums. For the most part EA has got it right, but there’s nothing like playing in the Italian league and having the crowd chant U.S.A. While there are many U.S. teams that you can play as, I just do not appreciate the chants that are obviously wrong.

Besides “that one thing” the sound in FIFA Soccer 09 is pretty much perfect. The game’s soundtrack is absolutely great, with the music actually incorporating multiple genre sounds including songs sang in foreign languages (assuming that English is your main). Once again, the commentary is absolutely spectacular, and as far as I can tell, the sounds on the field sound just about right. With the exception of the crowd sometimes cheering for the wrong team, their sound is almost authentic, and I’m pretty sure that the whistle sound sounds are 100% accurate. And, if you watch enough soccer on TV, even the ball-kicking sounds sound authentic; EA, great job buddies!

“That one thing” ended up costing FIFA 09 one point in the sound department. While the graphics in the game end up costing the game one point as well, it is not because of one main factor; several very tiny factors are actually the cause.

Before I get all dramatic about Beijing, I will cover the vamp look; I don’t know if it is just my wild imagination or if a good amount of FIFA 09 players have the vampire glow in their eyes. Even at character creation, the eyes are just not done right. This is more like soccer meets the Day of the Dead. And once you get used to the eyes (assuming that you ever do), you’ll have to deal with the grainy effects.

I’d like to think that the folks from EA read my review on Beijing 2008, but I seriously doubt it. Never the less, the same graphic package was implemented in this year’s FIFA, with the only difference being that Beijing did it much better. I’m talking about the grainy effect that makes all things in the background look cool. Beijing pulled it off perfectly, but EA failed. EA almost got it right but instead of just duplicating the technology or possibly making it better, EA managed to make the image even grainier. Once again, more does not necessarily make it better and this is the case with the grainy effect in this latest FIFA release. But as a whole, the graphics in FIFA Soccer 09 are great; they just are not quite perfect.