FIFA or Winning Eleven? Whichever rules the virtual soccer roost is really down to personal taste, but FIFA 08's senior producer, Joe Booth, certainly seems confident of the series' position in the game: "I want to make this statement: EA is back. We own football." And of course by "football," he means "soccer." Ah, don't you love regional differences?

This assured answer seemed to be on a slight tangent to the question Booth was asked by UK Official PlayStation Magazine ("What specifically do you want to achieve with the PS3 version of FIFA 08?"), but there can be little doubt that his response was a shot to affirm the continued improvement of the series.

Last year's FIFA 07 certainly marked a change for the better and early impressions of FIFA 08 have been unanimously positive - shots and ball behavior are reported to be nigh on perfect, while this year's A-Gimmick™ (take control of a single player in Be A Pro mode) could, according to UK Official PlayStation Magazine, "be the first step towards a revolution in gaming."

If you haven't already, check out the first FIFA 08 details and screens (which, incidently, we don't think look much different to last year's game) before placing your early bets as to whether FIFA 08 or the next Winning Eleven (which is still to be unveiled by Konami) is going to be the next kickabout champion. We're sure it's going to be a fascinating contest.

June 6, 2007