FIFA Soccer 2003

"Have EA reclaimed the football crown?"

Since Pro Evolution Soccer was released for the PS2, FIFA games have taken the back seat.
No matter how hard EA tried, they just couldn’t compare with Konami’s masterpiece, but now, with the release of FIFA 2003, EA have finally won back the football game crown. The game excels in nearly every area and most importantly; puts Pro Evo 2 to shame.

Gameplay
FIFA 2003 shows off its official license spectacularly, offering over 10,000+ real players, nearly 400 official teams and 16 of the worlds top leagues.
Great care has been taken to ensure FIFA 2003 plays exactly like a real game of football. It’s easy to pick up due to the simplicity of the control scheme and tough to master in the harder difficulty levels.
The games AI has been drastically improved over previous incarnations, difficulty levels are all fairly balanced, with Amateur for beginners and World Class for the best of the best.
There are a few small gripes with the AI however, most notably the Goalkeepers, who are sometimes too good, and a pain to beat. Another small problem about the AI is that, at times, it can be extremely frustrating to break down the defense, due to the final pass of the midfield almost always ending up at the defenders feet. The camera has also been changed and put into a ‘Broadcast’ view, where the camera is zoomed up to an almost birds-eye-view position. This may sound bad but it works a treat, with the only real gripe coming from when you are shooting, which can sometimes be hard to see.
The actual game plays great. The tempo is fast moving, and you can no longer dribble the ball up the whole pitch in a straight line and score, which makes the games emphasis more on pinpoint passing and crossing. Another aspect that has also greatly improved is the free kick system. You can now pinpoint an exact spot to shoot and also ad ball spin when hitting a kick. The power is controlled via a small meter in the corner of the screen, just press the B button when the line moves into the green and your almost guaranteed a goal.

Graphics
One advantage the FIFA series always had over the ISS games was the visuals, and believe me, in this game, they don’t disappoint. From the amazing facial details right down to official kits and real stadia, FIFA really excels in the realism department. The only major gripes with the graphics are the sometimes blocky and blurred textures and the less know players faces, which are a lot of the time nowhere near what they look like in real life. Don’t worry though, EA have done a great job creating the more prolific players, particularly David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Zinedine Zidane and Edgar Davids.

Sound
Sound in FIFA 2003 is absolutely amazing.
The commentary is spot on, with John Motson and Ally McCoist providing interesting, funny and informative speech. Especially good is the small tidbits of information Ally McCoist sometimes spurts out like; “He [Rivaldo] was responsible for breaking German keeper, Oliver Kahn’s grip in the World Cup final”.
Also, the crowd atmosphere really helps the game too. This is the fist FIFA game to include actual crowd songs and chants for individual teams, such as Manchester United or Barcelona. Listening to the fans shout “two – nil” when your winning the match or chant “U-Ni-Ted” when your playing well adds that extra bit of excitement.
The menu music is a mixed bag; I suppose it depends on your tastes though, but if you like Fat Boy Slim or Avril Lavinge (sp?) then you’re in for a treat.

Lastability
Multiplayer is a joy to play (though not quite on par with the original Pro Evolution Soccer).
Aside from the usually 2-4 player friendly matches, you and your friends can also take part in a tournament to find who the number one player is.
The excellent multiplayer coupled with tons of tournaments and unlockable stadiums gives FIFA 2003 quite a bit of replay value and at least 2 weeks of play.

Features:
- 10,000+ real players, including David Beckham and Ronaldo
- 350 officially licensed teams
- 16 of the worlds top leagues
- 4-8-player multiplayer
- Lifelike graphics
- Amazing sound with commentary from John Motson and Ally McCoist

Final Thoughts
Overall, FIFA 2003 does have its flaws (where the hell are Holland?) but the wondrous graphics, excellent sound and tons of replay value make this a stand out football title and a great buy for fans.

SCORES:

Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 9/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Lastability: 7/10

FINAL SCORE: 8.5/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/13/03, Updated 04/13/03