Release Date	April 18 2008
Format	360, PS3, PC, PSP
Publisher	EA
Developer	EA Canada
Price	Various
Distribution	Centresoft
Contact	01216 253388

UEFA Euro 2008

1966 and all that? Well not exactly, it’s actually 2008 and the grim reality of England missing out on Euro 2008 this summer has been a bitter pill to swallow. But the nation is coming to terms with the setback and, with a shiny new manager, it’s fair to say a shade of optimism has returned.

With a proven track record, Capello is a great prospect, and it makes you wonder how England would have fared had he been in charge for the Euro 2008 qualifiers. Now it is time to right those footballing wrongs and take England to the final in Electronic Arts’ UEFA Euro 2008, the official video game of the upcoming tournament, which is due for release next week.  

Players can pick from over 50 European teams and lead them to cup glory by playing in the official stadiums of the tournament. Gamers begin from the start of the qualification campaign, so there’s plenty of scope to clear up some of those footballing gaffes England made in qualification.

This does lead us to a crucial question though: how will sales of the game be affected by England’s no show in Euro 2008? EA believes that the game might actually help soften the blow for England fans. “In spite of the fact that none of the home nations are in the tournament, there is still significant interest in the launch of the game in the UK and Ireland,” says Electronic Arts’ UK marketing manager Dan Holman.

Holman points to some of the key features of the game that will put gamers in control of England’s footballing destiny: “There are some amazing new features in the game, not least the ‘Battle of Nations’ mode which can be played online. That should give England and home nation fans the chance to get their own back.”

That new Battle of Nations feature incorporates an online quest for global footballing supremacy. Players earn points in their quest for worldwide dominance, with the biggest gains to be had by causing upsets against the stronger international teams.

The phrase ‘dynamic rain and mud’ may seem more suited to a game set in the UK, but the weather plays its vital role in UEFA Euro 2008 matches, authentically created in order to affect player reactions.

In fact, attention to detail, accuracy and real-world experience have been taken very seriously whilst making the title, as lead producer Simon Humber explains: “We have taken the football engine to another level and added innovative new features to create a video game that captures and simulates the real-world experience and all the emotion of this tournament.”

EA Sports’ football engine has indeed been boosted in all sorts of ways. The extra work has all helped make the franchise faster paced and more responsive than before. Other new additions include enhanced collisions, trapping and goalkeeper AI.

Another new aspect comes in the form of the Captain Your Country game mode, which allows gamers to put themselves on the pitch to earn the captaincy of their team and inspire them to Euro 2008 glory. This new mode provides players the opportunity to customise their very own character, and even craft them in their own image – once this is done they can then place their character in the game to play along side the likes of Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham.

UEFA Euro 2008 even gets the gamer involved in interactive goal celebrations, giving players the chance to put their own spin on those classic routines.

While the nations of Europe prepare to do battle for the ultimate European accolade, UEFA Euro 2008 gives the gaming world the chance to right the wrongs of England being knocked out, and there’s no need to wait until June to get started. So, it may not be 1966 and all that, but 2008 can still be full of footballing excitement.