Can’t make it to Austria-Switzerland next month? Don’t worry, EA Sports has you covered with UEFA EURO 2008. In what may be their best soccer game to date, EURO 2008 includes all the ins and outs of what makes the sport enjoyable. UEFA EURO 2008 combines excellent game play, innovative game modes and most of the all, the tradition that every soccer fan loves.

*Game review based on XBOX 360 version.

Key Features:

Story of Qualifying. Sad that England missed out of Euro 2008? Don’t be. This game mode lets you retrace the qualifying round to compete as one of Europe’s 52 nations.

Interactive Celebrations. Back in FIFA 64, you had the option of choosing a sound effect after scoring a goal. Finally EA brings this feature back after almost a decade of absence. Score a goal and see what I mean.

Battle of the Nations. “Represent your country online against your rivals around the world to win global supremacy. Earn individual and team points. Think your nation is the best? Now you can prove it! A groundbreaking points system means that your every performance is rated, recorded and uploaded and your ratings all count towards players and nations.How crazy is that?

Captain Your Country! Wow! Create yourself, select a nation and take that team to European glory in Be A Pro mode!

Enhanced Penalty Kicks. Even though I hate penalty kicks, this new feature lets you experience the full effect of penalty kicks in the mind of a player in a big knockout match. Try and conquer your nerves to push your team through to the next round.

Team Manager Reactions. Ever wonder what your coach is thinking when you sail a ball over the crossbar from about 50 feet? Well in UEFA EURO 2008 your coach will appear with either excitement or disgust after a big play.

Home and Away Strategy. Trust me when I say there is a difference between playing at the San Siro and playing at the Stade de France. This feature will allow you to make arrangements for strategies to be used at home or on the road. This portion of the game can only be used in the qualifying stages of the tournament. Hint: Win the aggregate by scoring a lot of away goals.

Game Play: If you’re expecting the same game play as FIFA 2008, think again. UEFA EURO 2008 has many new things to test in this edition of the EA soccer series. EA has evolved its very own EA Sports soccer engine, which help developed goalkeeper AI, collisions, and trapping that easily makes it the best playing soccer game out there.

Just like in FIFA 2008, you can select to play a game as an individual or as a team. The Be A Pro mode(individual) has taken a step forward since we saw it last fall. In EURO 2008 your player is rated continuously throughout the game, even if he makes a simple touch pass in the middle of the pitch. Every move is critiqued. Playing mistake-free soccer teaches the gamer to develop better skills to handle tougher skill levels. If you love playing with just one player from a specific team, this mode is for you. Take control of Cristiano Ronaldo and guide him through the tournament that crowns a European champion once every four years.

If you love just playing as a team UEFA EURO 2008 provides you with a game that tests your soccer knowledge. Just like in FIFA, this game stresses team play. Forget about the long balls that you could kick up in past editions. You must work your way down through elegant passing and short through balls. The EA soccer series forces you to play the sport just like actual teams do in any of the sports they make a video game for. In Madden, you cannot play defense and win every game. In NBA Live, you can take a superstar and score at will. But in FIFA and UEFA EURO 2008, gamers have to establish team unity. Scoring is difficult in higher skill levels. Players have to be extremely patient and wait for the right opportunities. It will be frustrating at first but that’s where the fun comes in. Just remember, be patient and your goals will come.

Presentation: As soon s you load the game into the drive, UEFA EURO 2008 creates a perfect tournament experience. The atmosphere of the Austrian and Swiss stadiums undoubtedly makes you feel like you actually were awarded match tickets to the tourney next month. My favorite part of the presentation is without a doubt the national anthems played before and after games. Nothing better than hearing the Fratelli d’Italia before playing with the Azzurri and then enjoying it after a win over the French.

Another cool little touch that UEFA EURO 2008 has is the inclusion of scores from other games in your group, whether it is in qualifying or the tournament itself. Watching Germany beat up on San Marino really gives you extra motivation to win your match.

As usual, EA Sports carries the necessary licensing to make this game complete. Once you reach the actual tournament in Austria-Switzerland, all eight Euro 2008 stadiums shine with authenticity. Every detail, from sponsors to “Fair Play” patches, scream perfection.

Conclusion: EA Sports will never let you down when it comes to providing the best atmosphere. That is why they produce the best soccer game on the market, in my opinion. UEFA EURO 2008 allows you to keep records of all your matches as well creating the purest form of creativity and excitement.

All in all, the game is a must-buy for gamers who enjoy the FIFA soccer series. I love when a game comes out like this because it gives people the chance to play meaningful video games to represent their countries. In the regular FIFA series you can select nations, but licensed tournament is available. That is why EA Sports brings you the World Cup game and the EURO game. I hope you enjoy the game as much as I do. If you have any questions or comments about the game and would like me to answer any questions I would be than happy to.

Editor Note: We’d like to thank Marcus up at EA Vancouver for helping us out with a review copy. Also, be sure to read Sportable throughout EURO 2008, as we’ll be providing updates from the tournament itself! Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be breaking down each nation, as well as providing a pre-tournament podcast.