While the FIFA series gets pretty much most of the attention when it comes to EA Sports’ soccer offerings, it can be easy to forget about the other series in their roster, UEFA EURO. Focusing on the 2008 European Championship which will take place in Austria and Switzerland, UEFA EURO 2008 is the latest title in the soccer series. For the most part, the gameplay is very reminiscent of FIFA 2008, but the overall game is a bit better thanks to cleaned up gameplay mechanics. European fans of the sport looking forward to the big championship shouldn’t be disappointed.

UEFA EURO 2008 allows you to play as your choice of teams that are eligible for the upcoming tournament, which basically includes national teams from throughout Europe. Given the narrow focus, team roster is pretty small, especially when compared FIFA. However, this does lend a bit more intimate feel to the game.

The game mostly uses the same game engine as FIFA, albeit with a few nice changes. The game moves a lot faster than FIFA 08, and the controls feel a lot tighter, making the game a lot easier to get into and have fun with. Additionally, the AI is also very good, making for an easy to learn yet challenging game of soccer every time.

One of the big new gameplay features in EURO 2008 is the Captain Your Country mode. This mode plays out quite a bit like the Be A Pro mode that debuted in FIFA last year, but adds a few more elements. You can take a single player through qualifying matches, while bringing him up to captain your national team. You do so by besting other candidates and excelling in your position, whatever that may be.

The game’s online element has also been tweaked to some impressive results. You can now play through 16-player quick matches, and leaderboards with real-time point tallies add a great element to the game for online fans.

Graphically, the game is not too terribly far removed from FIFA 08. It does sport a few improvements here and there, like cleaner animations and some new details.

The sound effects are also pretty good, with some nice musical tracks and commentary. The crowd effects are probably some of the best in the game, as they sound quite dynamic and add quite a bit of emotion to the matches.

UEFA Euro 2008 is a solid entry to EA's soccer offerings, emulating the FIFA mechanics while making the whole experience a lot faster and smoother.

Gameplay: 8.7
The gameplay shouldn’t be unfamiliar to anyone who played FIFA 08, but the mechanics feel quite a bit tighter than they did in FIFA. Additionally, the AI is quite good, and the Captain Your Country mode is pretty fun.

Graphics: 8.5
Aside from some improved animations here and there, the game looks almost exactly like FIFA 08.

Sound: 8.5
The announcing and the soundtrack are well done, and the crowd noise sounds great.

Difficulty: Medium

Multiplayer: 8.5
The 16-player matches are impressive and the leaderboard system is a great touch.

Concept: 8.0
The game is a nice representation of the championship event, even though the gameplay is what you found in FIFA.

Overall: 8.7
UEFA EURO 2008 is a nice entry to the series. While the gameplay isn’t quite a groundbreaking departure from the formula they created in FIFA 08, it’s still a cleaner experience and a lot of fun for soccer fans.