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WHAT MANY EXPECT FROM EA Sports when a new FIFA title hits is normally the opposite of what they are about to receive. Gamers are normally left with a strange taste in their mouth and left wanting that little bit more that another certain soccer game may have. We bet your thinking that EA Sports have yet again not delivered on what was looking to be a very promising attempt at a brand new FIFA, filled with super-new engine and all new ball control. Well stop that thinking, because EA have delivered exactly what they promised. New, new, new.
For a FIFA fan the initial load up and unskippable Franchise logos are down right annoying; for the EA Sports fan the intro is a cut above the others with the three main sponsored Footballers doing what they do the best to a remixed version of Timo Maas' "To Get Down". A surprise is that the menu system and the music found in EA's Music Trax is a hell of a lot more low-key than that seen in others. Where as NHL 2003 sports flashy menu systems with stuff shooting about in the background, FIFA sports an almost static menu with few options. However, this stays true to the TV presentation style that EA is trying to portray.
There are enough settings to play around with so you get the right balance of difficulty, game speed, length, bookings, sound and display. A nice added extra is the EA Assistant. When activated it keeps checking up on you - if you're beating teams too easily the next time the ref blows his whistle a question will pop-up asking if you would like to try the next difficulty. Turn it off and you can continue your winning spree until you eventually bore of the lack of competition.
Game modes aren't as plentiful as most had hoped. No option to hold a World Cup and no practise mode, and for some reason (not since FIFA 98) still no indoor soccer mode. But that doesn't mean that you can't have the fun of practise and the World Cup -- quite simply put, the easiest skill level might as well be used instead of a practise mode, and there is the option of having a Tournament of which you can select all of the teams that were in the last World Cup. The lack of a practise mode does however mean one thing. Instead of having a stress free mode made to help you perfect your crossovers/penalty kicks/headers you may find yourself constantly pausing and reaching for the manual every time you come up against a new challenge.
Game modes included are: Club Championship Friendly/Season, Friendly, Season and Tournament. Season Mode is where you put the team you pick -- from one of the 14 worldwide leagues -- and play through 5 consecutive seasons, attempting to come out on top of both league and cup challenges. Club Championship is identical except its only the top 18 European teams involved. Tournament mode is where you put your team through a selection of some of the world's toughest cup competitions. Friendly is your team against another, and Club Friendly is the same but, as above, the choice of only the Top 18 Euro teams.
What needs to be mentioned is the amazing detail put into this game, helped intensely by the new and improved engine. Every animation looks flawless and a lot more emphasis is on how you control the ball. Instead of just running down the side and being able to boot it past the goalie, every time you run forward the ball will be knocked away from your foot. Every time the ball is away from your foot is a perfect time for the opposition to be able to slide in and grab it. However to advance further up the field and faster you may need to kick the ball forward allowing your player to run faster. |
