2002 FIFA World Cup

"Another amazing work by EA Sports"

Gameplay: 10/10
Well, this thing rocks. The controls are not very easy to memorize (I'm talking about the controls for those amazingly amazing juggles), but that doesn't spoil the game. Not at all. A lot of new features with a advanced passing and shooting system. The speed is realistic, although, it is, true to a lot of reviews, slow. Quick passes are hard to pull off without a fast enough computer. But what's speed when you've got all the gameplay? Airplay situations are realistic, the juggles and special kicks are wonderful sights to see. The element of soccer games, like this one, keeps you glued to the seat and keep tapping the controls because one slip-up could mean the difference between the trophy and utter humiliation. You just can't stop playing this one.

Graphics: 10/10
EA Sports games are great in graphics, and this game proves it once again. A good enough 3D card is all you need to view the live-like players, animations, and videos featuring real people talking about the game of soccer. The stadiums are by all means, near perfect. Detailed to the very inch but some parts, like the player's tunnel, is not very well presented. But that is a tiny bit, not even worth mentioning. The crowd is nothing special, and kind of weird since they cheer whenever a goal is scored-even if it is against their supporting team! Other then that, the graphics are just about as close as you can get to the real thing, unless you are one of those lucky once to be flying to the far east.

Audio: 10/10
The music suits the mood of the game well, and the musics themselves are great, too. When a crucial goal like an opener, an equalizer or a winner is scored, a cheery and majestic fanfare goes. When you fail to enter the finals, gloomy music and a sad looking background are there to fit the mood. Commentary is good and not very repetitive, and the other side sounds such as the players speaking are all generally well done.

Replayability: 10/10
After you beat the World Cup, you can always try with different teams under different difficulties. You can even use non-world cup teams like Greece or Israel. Plus, the concept of bonus teams spurs people to conquer the World Cup with different teams in order to unlock the all-powerful bonus teams of the continents.

Buy or rent?:
By all means, BUY!!! Renting would be long enough to enjoy this sweet game of practical perfection. The features are explored in so many different ways that you can never get tired of this game! So by all means, BUY!!!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/27/02, Updated 11/27/02