The EA Sports directive to provide for a more casual audience's gameplay needs in its releases has been most thoroughly developed, naturally, in its All-Play Wii releases. In the case of FIFA 09, which we saw recently in Vancouver at EA Canada's studio, the PS2 version has been developed with the same ideals in mind. That manifests itself in the most prominent new feature of the PS2 version of the game: Easy Play.

The idea of Easy Play is similar to the Family Play mechanic seen in last year's Wii game, where the game removes most of the game's controls to make it a simpler experience. Playing In Easy Play mode requires the usage of only two buttons; one button shoots on offense and switches players on defense, while the other passes on offense and attempts a slide tackle on defense.




Unlike Family Play, though, the game allows you to take over player movement and the advanced controls if you choose to do so. Tapping the analog stick allows you to take over the movement of your player, while you can still perform the through balls and lobbed passes that you can do with the standard control scheme by pressing those buttons. If you choose to leave them alone, though, the game will perform them as warranted.

In addition, using the trick stick to pull off stopovers has been simplified. Four trick moves are mapped to the different directions of the stick. Hit the stick in the right area and you do the trick move. Simple enough.




The other improvement to the game is more subtle -- the game's producers have focused on the gameplay engine and, much like in the next-gen versions of the game, the collision and shielding techniques have been improved to allow stronger players to pick up an advantage. You can use the right stick with the ball to elbow your defender and get him off you, but you can also pick up a foul in the process.

Player attributes have a much stronger effect on the game, with speed and strength paying a much larger role in determining the outcome of 1v1 battles. Players looked like they weren't on rails, as they were in previous versions of FIFA. The ball is more likely to stay on the foot of Lionel Messi than it is on Marco Materazzi, and the former will be able to dribble around the latter if he has enough momentum. We're warning you now -- Didier Drogba has serious Bo Jackson-esque potential in the game.

The game builds some of the 500 new animation sequences into the game off this shielding technique. Two new skill moves specifically work off of shielding your player, including a sweet 180 degree scoop turn maneuver you can pull off when your opponent gets a little too feisty trying to get the ball. There are four new tricks in the game altogether, including the vaunted rainbow flick.

Check out Page 2 for more details on the PS2 version of FIFA 09, including an interview with FIFA PS2 Executive Producer Paul Hossack.

__________________