Interview with/about Jozy Altidore.

IGN INTERVIEW WITH JOZY ALTIDORE

There’s one name on everyone’s lips right now. One name that American soccer fans just can’t stop talking about. He’s a fan favorite, appears in ADIDAS ad campaigns, and happens to be one of the most exciting talents to come to MLS in years, if not in the league’s history. No, it’s not David Beckham – it’s Jozy Altidore.IGN: First off, congratulations on the U-20 World Cup.

Jozy Altidore: Thank you, thank you.

IGN: The team made it to the final eight and you scored 4 goals in 5 games, that’s a great tournament.

Altidore: Thanks a lot man.

IGN: You made your professional debut with the NY Red Bulls last August, and now in less than a year you’re on the cover of FIFA 08 next to Ronaldinho. Things are moving fast for you, huh?

Altidore: Definitely. It’s come by complete shock, but I’m just thankful to be a part of something like this. The FIFA game, and the franchise, has been around for so long that to be a part of it in any way is fantastic.

IGN: You’ve actually had a chance to play FIFA 08 already. How’s it look?

Altidore: Yeah, I got to play an early version of it and it looks great. It’s very realistic. The skills they’ve added this year are cool and the new Be A Pro mode I think, is really gonna take FIFA gamers all over the world by storm.

IGN: What’s Be A Pro mode all about?

Altidore: It allows you to play as one character during a match and play as if you were actually on the pitch in that position, whether you prefer being a left back or a right forward, you can play an entire season only in that position, just like real life. It’s pretty exciting and a lot of fun.

IGN: Did you actually get to see your character model in the game?

Altidore: Totally. I got to look at him, see how he moves and it’s pretty spot on. About as close as you can get, really, with my facial expressions and celebrations. It’s just great.

IGN: If there was one trait you wanted EA to capture of you what would it be, and did they get it?

Altidore: Um… (pauses). Probably my goal celebration. They used my celebration from my goal against DC United, which was the most memorable one for me, and I’m glad they used that one.

IGN: If you couldn’t play in Be A Pro mode as yourself, who would you play as?Altidore: Theirry Henry, definitely. He’s my player.IGN: Nice. I’m excited to see how he does for Barcelona this year. Altidore: Yeah, we all are.IGN: Are there any other gamers on the Red Bulls squad? Any FIFA playing on the road between matches? Altidore: There’s a couple. There are a few guys who I play with on the road and we get a couple of games in here and there to pass the time before a match.

IGN: What do you think about David Beckham coming to MLS?

Altidore: Becks? Aw, it’s great, man. Beckham I think is going to do a lot marketing and exposure-wise for MLS and he’s also gonna be good for the Galaxy. He’s a great player and you know he’ll provide those crosses and free kicks for them, but overall he’s going to do nothing but help the league.

IGN: Apart from FIFA, are there any other games you’re into now?

Altidore: I play Halo. Everybody plays Halo here in the states. I think it’s a great game and I know I’m not the only one who thinks that. I gotta jump on Halo 3 when it comes out.

IGN: It’s a dream for many athletes to land the cover of a videogame. You’re still a teenager and you’ve already done it, so what are you other future goals in professional soccer or anything else?

Altidore: Like any player, I want to play for the full National team. I also want to play on the Olympic team and try to win a medal, and of course one day to play in a World Cup on the world’s biggest stage is a dream of mine of course. Plus playing abroad or in Europe in one of the top leagues in the world. Those really are the three main goals for me. It’s just important for me to always be patient and take the time needed to achieve any goals I set for myself.

IGN: Speaking of playing in Europe, I heard Freddy Adu (your teammate on the U-20 National Team just signed with Benfica in Portugal. If you get the chance to go play for a club in Europe who would you hope to play for?

Altidore: Maybe Barcelona. It would be great to play alongside a guy like Henry. He’s a great player. As for Freddy, I’m couldn’t be happier for him. I think it’s a perfect opportunity to show the world what he can do, and I think he’s gonna do really well there.

---

TEAM XBOX INTERVIEW WITH JOE BOOTH

Imagine being soccer superstar and barely being old enough to drive. That’s the life of U.S. phenom Jozy Altidore, who also happens to be FIFA 08’s cover athlete. Just like Jozy, FIFA 08 is brimming with fresh moves and youthful vibrancy, thanks to features like online, persistent leagues, a new ball-striking engine and offline training.

To help us learn more about FIFA 08, we called upon the game’s lead producer Joe Booth. Joe talks about everything from the reasoning behind their cover athlete choice to the gist of “building block” playmaking, and everything in between.

So without further ado, let’s see what Electronic Arts has up their kit for FIFA 08…

Why did you choose Jozy Altidore for the cover of FIFA 08?

Joe Booth: Jozy Altidore is an emerging young talent in the United States and we like to work with young up-and-coming athletes. We believe he is one of the next great American stars. Last season he burst onto the scene with the Red Bulls and instantly became a fan favorite. We looked at his enormous potential, his incredible skills and his fan appeal and thought he would be perfect for our cover alongside Ronaldinho and young Mexican national team goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa of Club America of the Mexican Primera Division.

Taking control of the ball.

It’s exciting to see that online leagues will be included in FIFA 08. Can you tell us a little more about them?

Joe Booth: Yes, there are persistent online leagues for up to 32 players. The league organizer is able to set up the league the way he wants to, choose the number of teams, how many times they will play each other, if its an open or private league, etc. Then each player who joins selects their team. Players work out between themselves when they want to play and they can play the games in any order at any time. There is even a message board so you can trash talk the other players in your league.

What about user-created videos? Will players be able to show off their personal highlight reel online?

Joe Booth: You can now upload your videos from instant replay, it’s as easy as marking the start and end position of your highlight, choosing your camera and clicking upload. The video is then compressed and uploaded to your own space on our website where you can share it, download it or even enter it for goal of the month competitions, etc.

It seems as though the defensive system in FIFA 08 is more intuitive and analog-based. Can you go over player switching and the general defensive controls?

Joe Booth: You can use the right stick to quickly move between the defensive players. You still have the auto-switching or quick change player, but this advance control allows you quickly move to any player on the pitch.

How has the opponent A.I. system been reworked for ’08?

Joe Booth: Our goal with the gameplay engine rewrite was to unlock the power of the Xbox 360 for gameplay, so now each AI player views the pitch through a new threat map system, analyzing and reviewing over a 1,000 options per second. So now, rather than just marking players, or keeping zone positions, they will defend space, pushing attackers into a safer position before going in for the tackle.

You guys began dabbling in random ball striking and passing last year. How far will you be taking that concept this year?

Joe Booth: We rewrote the ball striking engine. When a player goes to strike the ball, everything from the player’s attributes, the ball height and spin, if the player is off balance, if he is under pressure, etc., is taken into account. These factors then apply the error between the foot and the ball to create spin or swerve.

How “signature” will stars’ moves be this time around?

Joe Booth: Because of the new organic skill move system, you can re-create the moves of your favorite stars in real time. If you see Ronaldinho pull a new move in the game on the weekend, you can work out how to re-create it and practice it in the arena, and then try to pull off the move against your friends in the game.

Elaborate on the “building block” mentality of playmaking that is going into FIFA 08.

Joe Booth: Our approach to skill moves was to break them down into organic building blocks and with our animation system it now allows you to interrupt an animation at any time to transition into your next move. So if feels very responsive and you can really express yourself. So you start with simple step over’s, then you can combine these with touches and roles and exits and fakes. Then there are more complex moves such as the rainbow where first you have to flick the ball up, then hook it over your head and if you’re really good, volley it into the net!

Eying up the field…

Any insight on what the Game Achievements may be, or what types of Marketplace DLC will be in the works?

Joe Booth: We haven’t announced our DLC yet. For the achievements we have overhauled our system so there is a lot more depth.

What kind of work has been done to improve the overall look of FIFA 08?

Joe Booth: I really challenged our art team as I kept taking their CPU and memory budget for gameplay so they had to do more with less – but these guys are the best in the industry and the game looks amazing.

Word on the street is that there’s an offline training mode featured this year. True?

Joe Booth: We have Be A Pro: Offline Training – its our first step in our vision to create a virtual 2010 world cup with the best 11 players in each country taking part in 11v11 online team-based play with each player responsible for one position. Offline training is the first step; it trains you to understand your role in each position giving you live feedback and an overall rating at the end of the game. There is also a unique camera (pro camera) which dynamically frames you, the ball and the goal. If you are off the ball, it will frame a lot of the pitch, but when you are sprinting in on goal it will zoom close in to make you feel the emotion of being on the pitch.