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MANY OF YOU MAY have read our recent review of This is Soccer and noted how we praised its good looks and playability. Since writing that piece we've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of EA Sports' latest soccer offering, FIFA Soccer 2002. Each game in this long-lasting series always comes with great anticipation as Electronic Arts strive to improve on a label that has become more refined as time has gone on. What makes this game even more interesting though, is the fact that the developers have removed some of the AI-assisted aspects of the series and opted for a control system that makes the player responsible for his or her own actions.
The first noticeable control change is in how the player passes. In previous FIFA games you need only click a button and your player would pass the ball off to the nearest team-mate in the direction you were facing. Now you not only have to face in the right direction, you need to time the ball and get the angle just right, or you'll find the ball rolling over the sideline, or worse falling to the feet of your opponents. The developers have also incorporated a power meter when kicking, so you can poke soft shots around if you so desire, or you can opt to boot the ball up the field with all your might. This becomes essential for goal scoring, as a soft shot will be easily recovered by the keeper, whereas a very hard shot will sail over the bar for a goal kick. You even have to aim directly at the goal in order to have a hope of scoring (something which has always been AI-assisted in the past).
The use of one-two passing is also a big feature of the gameplay, and can lead to some excellent goal-scoring opportunities, but can also lead to some disastrous situations if you start passing too close to your own goal (as you'd be effectively taking two of your defenders out of the play with a one-two combo). The new passing engine also prevents a favoured tactic of many FIFA fans, so if you think you're going to run up the sideline and constantly lob the ball in for a bicycle kick or header then you've got a big shock on the way. That's not to say that these tactics aren't possible anymore, but to do them consistently you'll need plenty of practice.
Like This is Soccer, EA have gone the worldly route and included teams from all over the globe in FIFA 2002 (yes even New Zealand is playable). With 10 tourneys, 16 leagues and well over 500 teams on offer there should be plenty here to please even the most die-hard of soccer fanatics. Even more features can be unlocked including new tournaments which just add to the game's longevity. EA have also made sure that you can play through any of the World Cup qualification rounds, so you get a real "road to the World Cup" experience. Add to all this the ability to edit a team's roster as well as creating your own players and you can see why this game is good value for money.
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