FIFA Soccer 2004

"Better or worse? We will see..."

Every year, Electronic Arts (EA) group will improve on their game. Ranging from NBA Live to NHL, and that will definitely include FIFA 2004. However, sometimes they do better, sometimes they produce worse game.

How about this game? We will find out shortly.

Gameplay 6/10

There are a few good points and some bad points here. The good points are that they made the corners more realistic as you must control your players to get past the man marking you to score. You also cannot solo run all the way as the defenders are quite alert and they will intercept your ball. This is the same as real life, have you ever seen a defender dribbles the ball from his own goal post and score? NO!

Here come the bad points. Firstly, almost all my goals are scored outside of the penalty box, sometimes even near the mid field. The keepers seem a bit retarded as they will just stand there and see the goal past them… You have no control over the power of short passes, thus making them easily intercepted. Also, sometimes when you try to pass diagonally, the ball will end up going straight… It seems like the referee is a bit retarded too, he will often miss out some obvious fouls!

Graphics 9/10
This is the part that EA are very good at. The graphics of FIFA 2004 is simply AWESOME. The players' faces are almost the same as the real life players (excluding some). However, some do not look like the real player. Take Cristiano Ronaldo as an example, his face is totally different. But the shoes he is wearing and the way he runs looks exactly the same as real life. The players will also start pushing each other when there is an unfair tackle. The players will also quarrel with the referee when they are booked.

However I find another flaw about the graphic. When you play End-to-End camera, you will find out that the spectators are as thin as paper. They look more like cardboard than human…

Sounds 10/10
EA Sports added more phrases for commentary in this game. The commentator will sometimes talk about the World Cup, sponsors etc. If you listen carefully you will hear that the crowd will chant the home team's name. For example, they will shout, ''United!! United!!'' You will also hear the crowd singing (e.g. Glory Glory Man Utd).

You will also hear cheers when a team scored a goal, jeers when there is an unfair tackle.

Replayability 9/10
There are a lot of cups for you to choose from and the Career Mode allows you to play seasons. You also can buy or sell players so as to try different squad.

Value 8/10
This game will last you a year till FIFA 2005 will be out. And this game is not expensive as well. You also can use your team to challenge other teams online too. This will show how good you really are.

Overall 8/10
This game is definitely worth your money. After you install the patch, you will be able to fix some of the bugs and allow key configuration. This game will at least last you a year, and it is not too expensive. So what are you waiting for?

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/12/03, Updated 12/16/03