Shooting in FIFA 08 is a lot different from previous FIFA versions, but certainly for the better. Shooting is much more realistic, the actual trajectory and physics of the ball during shooting in particular. According to EA, there are nine factors which determine the success of a shot, and they apply to all kinds of shots, including volleys:

  1. Ball Speed - the greater the speed of the ball in any direction when you hit it, the less accurate your shot will be.
  2. Ball Height - this pertains to volleys, the height determines the angle at which a player kicks.
  3. Ball Bounce - a bouncing ball is much more difficult to accurately shoot, especially if the ball takes a bounce just before you hit it.
  4. Kick Power - the harder you attempt to hit the ball, the less accurate your shot will be.
  5. Player Speed - the current speed of the player as he takes the shot affects his ability to get the shot on target (i.e. greater speed = harder to control) but keep in mind that this could positively affect the power of your shot, provided you do get it on target.
  6. Pressure - if players are pressuring the player attempting to shoot, the less likely it is that he hits his shot on target.
  7. Balance - a balanced player is more likely to get his shot on target.
  8. Player Attributes - players have stats such as shot power and long range shooting which will affect how accurately he shoots the ball.
  9. Shooting Foot - every player in FIFA 08 has a preferred foot, and if you are using the opposite one, it is much harder for your player to pull off an accurate shot.

 

Regular Shots

The traditional laces strike is the default shot in FIFA 08. By pressing the default shoot button for your particular gaming console, the player will execute this shot. These shots are more powerful than the chip or finesse shots, but much less predictable and sometimes less accurate due to how quickly the power bar can fill up. I recommend this shot if you are shooting from relative distance (18+ yards out) because while in the box, the finesse shot will be more useful in most cases. The regular laces shot is more useful in the box in some scenarios such as a right footed shooter aiming for the wide left post while approaching from the right side of the goal. This of course isn't the only scenario, but you will have to experiment to figure out what works when deciding between regular shots and finesse shots, which are explained below.

 

Finesse Shots

Chip shots are useful shots which are used to cheekily loop the ball over the goalkeeper and into the goal. A chip shot has a high arc and is not very powerful, but is useful for when the goalkeeper is not on his line and a bit farther away from the goal than he should be. This scenario occurs a lot when a player is on a breakaway and the opponent rushes his goalkeeper out too early, giving you enough time to chip it over him before he gets too close to cut off your angle. Sometimes in FIFA 08, goalkeepers are off their line for no good reason, so you should look for this and give it a try if he is. On Xbox 360, chip shots are executed by holding down LB as you are pressing the shoot button, and likewise for PS3 although you want to hold down the L1 button instead.

 

Volleys

Volleys are shots taken while the ball is airborne, making it much harder to get on target, but they look spectacular when you do so and it results in a goal. Volleys tend to be much harder than ground shots, both in real life and in FIFA 08. The control for a volley is the same as a regular shot on your console. Keep in mind that the volley category includes any airborne shot except for the header, so look out for opportunities to pull off an acrobatic shot such as a bicycle kick, which occur randomly and you cannot do much to increase the chances of them happening other than try to shoot when the ball is in a position where your player will have to bicycle kick it or something to actually shoot it.

 

Headers

There isn't much to say about headers as shots. The control is the same as what it is for a regular shot for your console. Remember that a good header is usually accompanied by a good cross, so if you don't provide good crosses in from the wings, don't expect good headers. Crossing situations aren't the only ones that provide heading opportunities, but keep this in mind.

 

Setting Up for a Shot

When thinking about taking a shot, keep in mind the position of your player in relation to the goal. Also think about how the ball and your player are moving and how this will affect your shot. An example of an ideal time to shoot is when your player has enough room for a decent run-up, not pressured by opposing players, and the ball is on the ground and not moving fast.

 

Manual Shooting

By default, FIFA 08 is set to assisted shooting. This means that whenever you take a shot, the computer ultimately directs the shot and determines its power for you in relation to where you "sorta" directed the shot and how long you held the stick for. Once you set your shooting settings to manual, you will realize just how much the computer helps you get your shots on target. When you first set manual settings, don't be discouraged by how your shots go everywhere but into the net. You will improve over time and in the end it will be worth it as your shots will be determined 100% by your command. This means that once you get good, you can hit the far corners out of the keepers reach much more frequently than if you'd spent the same amount of time practicing shooting with assisted settings.

See more on the Assisted vs. Manual debate here.

 

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