=-=-=

_______ __ _______ ___ ___ ___

| ____|| | | ____| / \ / _ \ / _ \
| |__ | | | |__ / ^ \ | | | | | (_) |
| __| | | | __| / /_\ \ | | | | > _ <
| | | | | | / _____ \ | |_| | | (_) |
|__| |__| |__| /__/ \__\ \___/ \___/

fifa 08 faq
nintendo ds version
version 1.0c
written by gamegurucale
ascii title made by ascii generator
=-=-=

/-------------------\
| table of contents |
\-------------------/
tip: use the find (ctrl+f) command to scroll through easier.

/-------------------------------------------------------------\
| *title* *ctrl+f command* *completion* |
| 1. introduction [idtn] done |
| 2. legal [legl] done |
| 3. version history [vshr] n/a |
| 4. controls [crls] done |
| 5. rules of the game [rotg] done |
| 6. main menu [mnmu] done |
| - kick off [mnm1] in progress |
| - scenarios [mnm2] n/a |
| - game modes [mnm3] n/a |
| - multi-card play [mnm4] n/a |
| - single-card play [mnm5] n/a |
| - nintendo wfc [mnm6] n/a |
| - my club [mnm7] n/a |
| - my fifa 08 [mnm8] n/a |
| 7. teams and leagues [talg] n/a |
| 8. tips and hints [tnhs] n/a |
| 9. contact & thanks [ctnt] done |
\-------------------------------------------------------------/

/-----------------------\
| introduction - [idtn] |
\-----------------------/

hello. my name is cale (gamegurucale), and i'm the writer of this guide.

as an actual player of 'football' (it's going to be called football from here

on in. no excuses.), i find fifa games pretty interesting - in fact, i can
find all games interesting, no matter what they are. i just have to find
something about them that make them really good to play.

fifa 08 is an interesting game. although lacking in the graphics side, the

gameplay is chock-a-block. with many modes, fifa 08 is sure to keep you
entertained for hours on end. it sure has with me.

so, hope you enjoy the faq, and drop me a line (refer to contacts section).
yours truly,
cale.

/----------------\
| legal - [legl] |
\----------------/

� 2007 - copyright cale black.

this may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. it may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. use of this guide on any other
web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a
violation of copyright.

authorised websites:
gamefaqs
neoseekers

for the latest version of the faq, see gamefaqs.

if you see this guide used on a website that is not authorised above, please
email me and do not notify or take action of the situation. my email address
can be found at the bottom of the faq.

/--------------------------\
| version history - [vshr] |
\--------------------------/

=-=-=
version 1.0a (rejected)
date submitted: 8th october 2007
* completed introduction
* completed legal
* completed version history
* half-completed controls
=-=-=
version 1.0b
date submitted: 9th october 2007
* completed controls
* rewritten introduction
* started rules of the game
=-=-=
version 1.0c
date submitted: 14th october 2007
* start main menu with kick off
=-=-=
i hope to expand a bit more on kick off with more on the options after team
selection and start on scenarios. since i don't have another ds to test out the
multi-card and single-card play, and i know of no one else who has a ds, if
anyone would like to write a detailed description of each one, it would be
really appreciated. no need to do ascii - i'll do that.

you'll be credited also, so try your best!

/-------------------\
| controls - [crls] |
 \-------------------/
ascii made by gamegurucale

key
a: attacking
d: defending

(l-trigger) /----------------------------------\ (r-trigger)

a: skill move | | a: sprint
cancel kick | |----------------------| | d: sprint
d: call 2nd defender | | | | |
recieve corner/throw | | | | |
\ | ... | | ... | |
\ | ... | | ... | |
\ | | | | |
\ | | | | /
\ | |----------------------| | /
\| |/
(d-pad)---------\ \ ---------------------------- /
a: move player \ / ----------------|-----------[][]-\ |(x button)
d: move player \ |----------------------------------| |a: through ball
\ | | |d: gk charge
\| |----------------------| | |(y button)
| | | | | |a: lob/cross
|\ | | |____| x | |d: sliding tackle
| - - | | | y a-|--|(a button)
| | | | | b | |a: shoot
(touch screen) | | | |____| | |d: pressure (hold)
in game - tactics |\_|_____|_______ | | o-| | |(b button)
- player position |/ | |----------------------| o | | |a: pass
| / | |d: switch player
\----------------------------------/
(start button) /
pause game /
(select button)
replay

l-trigger:
when attacking, it serves as the skill move. i have found no purpose of this,
besides showing off, but it can really entice your opponent to strike in. it
can also cancel your kick. say, you go for a cross. a really long cross. and at
the last second, you see a better, shorter opportunity, quickly press l to
cancel the kick - but this requires some practice so you don't accidentally do
a skill with it.

when defending, the l trigger can call a second defender. this could be
crucial in times of need, so use it well.

r-trigger:
there's only one purpose here - sprint. and to get back to that ball, you'll be
doing a lot of this. and, as with all fifa games - tapping the r trigger
does conserve your sprint, while doing the same speed as holding it down.

how much does it conserve, you ask? well, about two seconds for every bar.

d-pad:
an important part of nintendo handhelds - the d-pad. obviously, to go up, hold
up. to go down, go down. and there's no prizes to whoever can guess what you
have to do to go left and right. you can also hold down the up and the left
sides to go diagonally up and left. same principle applies to other diections.
use this as a substitute to the stylus to select your option in the menu.

x button:
this button isn't used much by newcomers of the game, as they see no point in
such a kick that makes another player run to get it. what i'm talking about
here is the 'through ball'. this button can be a good option if you have the
following set-up:

b b
g a
a*
b a

b = opposition defenders
a = you (strikers)
g = goals
* = ball

this is when your team is attacking, in the opposition's half. a play can be
made if [a*] makes a through ball (x button) just a little bit to the right
of goals. then, you can select anotherr striker, and run for the ball, without
fear of the offside rule (see below section about 'offside').

when defending, it serves as the goalkeeper charge. this enables your keeper to
come out of his designated area and dive for the ball, if such an occasion
shall rise. you can also double tap (x) to take control of the keeper.

controls for goalkeeper:

x button (hold) - goalkeeper save
x button - push goalkeeper into attack
d-pad - move/aim

when in possession of the ball:

b button - throw
a/y button - high kick
x button - drop ball

when not controlling the keeper:

x button (hold) - goalkeeper charge

to tell you the truth - controlling the keeper and concentrating on the game is
a bit of a task. and besides that, the computer does a brilliant job of doing
the job at hand. but - for that extra challenge, go for it. for newcomers, just
conentrate on your defenders, and leave the goalkeeper to the computer.

y button:
when attacking, this handy button does two purposes - lob or a cross. these
depend on where you are on the field:

direction of attack: <-

|-----|--|--|-----|
|--| | | | |--|
|g | | (|) | | g|
|--| | | | |--|
|-----|--|--|-----|
- 1 - 2 - 3 -

areas 2 and 3 are where (y) serve as the lob command. a lob is where your
player does a long pass to another player. it is usually also high, depending
on how far you are kicking. the cross is used in area 1, where a long, but low
kick is made by a player usually close to the sideline to another player to
have a shot by a header (straight away after the cross), or control it and pass
it. the cross is an effective way to quickly make a crucial pass to a striker.

when defending, the button serves as the almighty sliding tackle. this tackle
can give your team a play-on, through to a red card to the executor of the
sliding tackle, depending on how you use it. if, for example:

direction of attack: <-

b a*
b g
b

a = opposition striker
b = your defenders
g = goals
* = ball

you are in this scenario, and the top * sprints ahead and slide tackles the
opposition from behind, a card is certain. if the middle * comes in from a
diagonal direction, and slides, a free kick may happen, but a card would not
be the normal procedure. the referee may even call for advantage (see below
section about 'advantage'). if the middle * sprints ahead, and slides the
opposition from a 90 degree angle, then it would be most likely a fair tackle.

test this out in kick off mode, and see how to execute this at the right time.
this tackle is not recommended inside of your goalkeeper's box! this may cause
a penalty, and most likely a goal. the below tackle is most preferred (a
button)!

a button:
when attacking, this handy button gives you the privilege of taking a shot.
goals determine the outcome of the game, and you'll want goals to beat the
best. to my understanding, by just tapping the a button with no additional
power, the preferred spot to do so is just outside the box. obviously, more
power by holding the a button down means more length and height, but the closer
you are, the more accurate you are. if troubled, here is a diagram:

direction of attack: ->

|-----|
| |
| |--|
* (| | g|
| |--|
| |
|-----|

around this area is where i achieve the best results. just play around in
training mode to see how you go and determine a good spot for you. everyone
plays in a different style, and it's up to you to find out that style.

for defending, the a button serves as the pressure command. pressure is when
you're following the opposition with the ball, and trying to find a spot in his
control where you can crack it and take possession of the ball. this is the
main way of defending, and the better, but less aggressive, alternate to slide
tackling.

b button:
for attacking, the b button is for passing. one of the, if not the most,
important button in the game, passing ensures you keep possession of the ball,
and keeps your opponent on their toes. passing is great if done in succession
(by tapping the b button after every pass), but be wary of the opposition - if
they're in the path of the ball, there's a good chance they'll steal the ball.
for longer passes, use the y button, or the lob/cross.

for defending, the b button enables you to switch players, so you can control
the player with the better chance of stealing the ball from the opposition.
i recommend turning off auto switch, due to the fact that it can mess up your
tactics and ultimately ruin your game, but again, test it out with it on, then
with it off, and decide your own verdict.

touch screen:
an exclusive to the ds, due to having two screens, is the in-game tactics
option. note, these are optional, but can help your team to victory. there are
choices such as to push your team up, and to bring your team back to defend,
and other options that enable you to set plays up and hopefully, score.

but the tactics only take up a little margin on the right. the rest of it is
the playing field and the position of all players, on the other team too. you
can use this as a reference to passing, shooting, but the good thing about this
handy feature is the ability to move a player to a designated area, by tapping
a location on the field. but, be cautious of the offside rule.

start button:
it pauses the game. options include:-

*resume match - go back to the match at hand.

*team management - manage your team and perform substitutions here.
*instant replay - shows a replay of the last five seconds of play.
*match statistics - shows statistics such as fouls, possession and bookings.
*game settings - allows you to change certain aspects of play (note: change
most of these settings before play!).
*control options - allows you to review the control map and change the setup.
the auto-switch option is also located here.
*save match - lets you save the match and resume it at a later time (note: if
you start a new match, the current save will be erased).
*quit match - abandon the match and return to the menu (in tournaments, this
means an automatic 3-0 win to the opposition).

select button:
the select button allows you to watch the last five seconds of play with a full
360 degree view, and the choice in speed. it isn't a crucial part of play, but
good if you want to show someone how you tackled that guy 'so good!'.

/----------------------------\
| rules of the game - [rotg] |
\----------------------------/

when i was writing this faq, i normally found people asking on the message
board "what is a hat trick?", or "what is offside???!!shiftone!". this section
hopes to keep you up-to-date with basic rules that are essential during play.

***the most commonly asked: offside:

offside is a rule most newcomers think is a bit stupid and annoying. yes, i
agree. when i played my first season with the offside rule implemented, i was
getting a bit angry when there was a million offside calls a minute. now, it
plays a vital task in tactics and no team is complete without a plan to tackle
offside.

offside was created so that all the strikers could not 'goal hang' and wait for
the ball to be booted down so no one can stop them, besides the keeper. offside
is hard to be taught at first, so i'll try my best:

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

|----|----|-gg-|----|----| key: here, the attackers have the ball in

| | |----| | | a = attacker possession. as you can see, in this
| | | | d = defender scenario, there are two defenders,
| |--------------| | m = midfielder one midfielder, and one attacker. if
| d2 | * = ball you can imagine a line being drawn
| d1 a | g = goals straight through d2 (closer to the
| | capitals goals) going horizontally, that is
| /-\ m* | vs. the limit to where the attackers can
|----------|---|---------| lowers go without being caught with the
| \-/ | offside rule.
| |

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

|----|----|-gg-|----|----| key: in this instance, [a] is not offside,

| | |----| | | a = attacker due to the fact that [d2] is closer
| | | | d = defender to the goals than him when the ball
| |--------------| | m = midfielder is passed, so the offside call could
| d2 | * = ball not be given.
| d1 a* | g = goals
| | capitals
| /-\ m | vs.
|----------|---|---------| lowers
| \-/ |
| |

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

|----|----|-gg-|----|----| key: but, in this situation as you can

| | |----| | | a = attacker see, [a] is closer to goals than the
| | | | d = defender last defender when [m] is about to
| |--------a-----| | m = midfielder pass the ball [*] to [a]. [d2] and
| d2 | * = ball [d1] can call for an offside, and if
| d1 | g = goals the referee calls, [a] is offside and
| | capitals the capitals are awarded a free kick
| /-\ m* | vs. where the offside took place.
|----------|---|---------| lowers
| \-/ |
| |

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

|----|----|-gg-|----|----| key: offside does not count if the ball is

| | |----| | | a/b = attacker passed, then [a] makes the run to
| b | | d = defender collect the ball - as long as [a] is
| ^--------a*----| | m = midfielder not parallel-wise, the closest to the
| ^ ^ d2 | * = ball goals, then there is no offside.
| ^ d1 a | g = goals
| b | captials but - if [a] goes to shoot, and [b]
| /-\ m* | vs. was onside when the ball was passed,
|----------|---|---------| lowers but then moves offside, and [a] takes
| \-/ | a shot, hits the crossbar, and [b]
| | collects it, that is offside.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------=

please also note that from a throw in, a player cannot be offside.

yes, a difficult rule for those who are new to the game, and even more
difficult to explain. if the above diagrams and explanations are not enough for
you to understand, please send me an e-mail, and i'll be sure to explain it to
you more thorough (see contact).

***advantage:
advantage is played when a player, such as yourself, makes a tackle that is
enough to cause a free kick, but the opposing team is able to play on. if you
interrupt this advantage, a free kick is awarded with no cards rewarded.

a* d2
d1
a2
a1

let's say that the opposition strikers (a) have the ball [*]. [d2] strikes in
to [a*] with the use of a sliding tackle, referee plays advantage and [a*]
loses possession of the ball. [d1] collects the ball [*].the referee than blows
the whistle and gives [a*] a free kick.

now, lets say that the same scenario occurs, but [a2] collects the ball after
[d1] slides [a*] and [a*] loses the ball. the referee plays advantage. now,
his teammate has collected the ball, so he has taken that advantage. if the
referee sees that the team can still make a play, he plays advantage. if the
team does not collect the ball first, a free kick is awarded.

/--------------------\
| main menu - [mnmu] |
\--------------------/

this is the first screen you'll have a selection from. with most main menus,
you have the option to start a match, or change game settings, or view controls
and amny other aspects of the game. i'll be talking about each selection one by
one and give in-depth information about each one.

--- kick off --- [mnm1] ---

this is at the top of the list, and for good measure too. most people who play
for the first time choose this selection to have a go at the game, where it is
their first time playing the game, just going to have a quick kick-around,
improving their overall win/loss ratio, or giving a friend a go. this is a nice
feature, because basically - you pick teams, change some options, and you're
in. handy for a quick game.
kick off
|
|--select teams

top screen
|------------------------------|
| select teams |
| |--------| |
| | logo | |
| |--------| |
| | rating | |
| | d/m/f | |
| |--------| |
| |
|------------------------------|
touch screen
|------------------------------|
| home |
| |||------------------------| |
| ||| ^ | |
| ||| logo < logo > | |
| ||/ v | |
| |/| league team | |
| |------------------------| |
| start (x) (b) (a) |
|------------------------------|

---options:
start - kick off: automatically starts a game with your team selected and a
team in the same league. it is always the same team everytime, which is usually
your team's major rival (eg. ac milan will always play inter milan in the serie
a in this mode).
x button - random: chooses a team at random, but does not select it for you to
play.
b button - back: takes you back to the main menu.
a button - select: takes you to the away team selection, then after that the
match options screen.

note: you can choose options with the stylus, too. select the icon, not the
effect it gives (eg. tap the a button, not the word 'select').

---in detail:
the top screen gives you a more detailed look at the team. attributes are the
important things to look out for. the higher the number, the better the group
of that specific position are. the stars that are displayed (one to five stars:
one being bad and five being excellent) show the skill of the team overall.
again, the same rules apply as with attributes. the team name and logo are also
displayed here.

on the bottom, or touch screen, gives you a selection of what league and team
to choose from. you can either use the stylus or the d-pad to select your
choice. touch the arrows to change teams and leagues with the stylus, and
press the d-pad direction up or down to choose a league, and left or right to
choose a team in the selected league. teams and leagues are sorted
alphabetically, with 'rest of world' and 'international' being at the bottom of
the list.
the same list applies when selecting an away team.

kick off
|
|--select teams
|
|--match options

top screen
|------------------------------|
| match options |
| ||------------------------|| |
| || logo logo || |
| || || |
| |/ name name \| |
| | stats. stats. | |
| |------------------------| |
| |
|------------------------------|
touch screen
|------------------------------|
| |
| / start match |
| / team management |
| / select kits |
| / select sides |
| / game settings |
| |
| b a |
|------------------------------|

---options:
b button - back: returns you to the team select for the away team.
a button - select:
*start match: starts the match
*team management: allows you to sort out positions, substitutions and reserve
players for the match.
*select kits: gives you the option of selecting the kit. check this to make
sure colliding colours are not being played (eg. black vs. grey).
*select sides: lets you choose if you wish to control the home or the away
team. the option to let the computer play both sides is not available in this
version of fifa 08.
*game settings: allows you to change aspects of the match, including time for
each half, computer skill level, camera type and what ground to play on with
weather options included.

---in detail:
again, the top screen gives you a detailed look at both teams. attributes like
attack, midfield and defense skill are displayed here, with the overall rating
of the team, and the team logo with the two main colours on the left and right
of screen, each belonging to the home and away team respectively.

the touch screen gives you five options: start match, team management, select
kits, select sides and game settings. for a more detailed look at each
selection, scroll a little bit up to options. the b button takes you back to
the selection of the away team, and the a button selects the highlighted
choice.
 /---------------------------\
| contact & thanks - [ctnt] |
\---------------------------/

=-=-=
e-mail:
cale_black(at)hotmail(dot)com

if you find any spelling mistakes, errors or something that doesn't quite fit,
please email me. credit given.
=-=-=
gamefaqs
usually at the ac:ww online board.
=-=-=

thanks to:
gamefaqs, for hosting this faq.
neoseekers, for also hosting my faq.
nintendo, for making the ds and dslite.
electronic arts, for making the fifa games and other great game titles.
jeff 'cjayc' veasey, for creating gamefaqs.