So I've had WE9I for a week and a half or so, and for the first week I hated it as much as anyone here. All the players seemed mildly retarded at best, the constant fouls drove me crazy, and I couldn't score a goal to save my life.
I don't think many "professional" reviews of the game have really noticed how drastically different this game is from WE8. My last five or six ML seasons with that one, I'd play ****** and finish the year with a goal differential of +150 or so, never losing a match in any competitions. Streak down the wings with Solskjaer or Miunel, blow past the defense, cross, header, goal. One-two pass with Shearer and Zola, blow past the defense, opposite-side top corner. Lather, rinse, repeat.
But you can't do that anymore - you can't do a lot of things anymore. A couple days ago I made a real effort to stop R1 running almost entirely, pay close attention to the way I made and received passes, and concentrated on slowly building up my attacks. Now, instead of bursting forward the second I win possession, I'll play the ball back to a DMF, defender, or even the keeper if necessary, and really try to piece together an intelligent attack. In other words, I'm playing football the way it's really played.
Now, instead of struggling for a point against crap sides, I can compete against any of them. In one "game" week ('07 season) I beat Chelsea 4-1 and Liverpool 2-0 in the D1 cup match - and this was only days after getting thumped by West Brom. (This is with the base Newcastle side, plus Torres and Mathieu and minus Robbie Elliott and Lee Clark.) Now that I've figured out the game mechanics and what does and doesn't work, I'm enjoying it more and any other version. I've played them all faithfully, almost daily, since WE6 was released in the States, and this really is the best. My fouls have been cut in half (patience is key - stop pressuring so much and don't barge into players from behind!), and I'm regularly getting 15-20 shots per game.
For all the haters, know that I was once one of you but have seen the light. It's not too late for you, either. You owe it to yourself to experience this game the right way. I got tired of destroying every team in WE8; winning 10-0 gets old after a while. It's infinitely more satisfying to squeak out a hard-fought 2-1 win in WE9 and know that you've earned it.
I don't think many "professional" reviews of the game have really noticed how drastically different this game is from WE8. My last five or six ML seasons with that one, I'd play ****** and finish the year with a goal differential of +150 or so, never losing a match in any competitions. Streak down the wings with Solskjaer or Miunel, blow past the defense, cross, header, goal. One-two pass with Shearer and Zola, blow past the defense, opposite-side top corner. Lather, rinse, repeat.
But you can't do that anymore - you can't do a lot of things anymore. A couple days ago I made a real effort to stop R1 running almost entirely, pay close attention to the way I made and received passes, and concentrated on slowly building up my attacks. Now, instead of bursting forward the second I win possession, I'll play the ball back to a DMF, defender, or even the keeper if necessary, and really try to piece together an intelligent attack. In other words, I'm playing football the way it's really played.
Now, instead of struggling for a point against crap sides, I can compete against any of them. In one "game" week ('07 season) I beat Chelsea 4-1 and Liverpool 2-0 in the D1 cup match - and this was only days after getting thumped by West Brom. (This is with the base Newcastle side, plus Torres and Mathieu and minus Robbie Elliott and Lee Clark.) Now that I've figured out the game mechanics and what does and doesn't work, I'm enjoying it more and any other version. I've played them all faithfully, almost daily, since WE6 was released in the States, and this really is the best. My fouls have been cut in half (patience is key - stop pressuring so much and don't barge into players from behind!), and I'm regularly getting 15-20 shots per game.
For all the haters, know that I was once one of you but have seen the light. It's not too late for you, either. You owe it to yourself to experience this game the right way. I got tired of destroying every team in WE8; winning 10-0 gets old after a while. It's infinitely more satisfying to squeak out a hard-fought 2-1 win in WE9 and know that you've earned it.
That's covers half the game already!