FIFA Soccer 2003

"FIFA 2003 is great for fans of the sport."

The long-running FIFA-series, while pretty famous, got a rather bad reputation, as many claims it considers real player and team-names to be far more important than providing gamers good gameplay. Despite this, each FIFA game (usually they comes out each year) is a big-seller, coming out on every major console and causing lots of the sports many fans (at least in Europe) to rush out and get the most updated version. However, is this success deserved, or has the FIFA-games fooled the world? Well, that really depends on how much of a fan of the sport you really are.

Graphics: This part of the game is a bit of a mixed bag. On the plus-side, the different stadiums are quite good-looking, the players certainly look pretty realistic and the animation is (mostly) very pleasing. Pretty smooth and colorful it is too. But there are some problems here, like some pretty nasty glitches that might seem plain comical and the spectacors looks poor, to put it mildly. Still, the overall impression of its visuals are still good, and its weaknesses are not too much of a downside as a whole.
7/10

Sound/Music: The sound-effects are strong and satisfying, and the crowd-noise is also pleasing. The commentary sounds quite good too, and got many different lines, and even though it might at times sound hopelessly inaccurate, it is still a very welcome feature, and really contributes something to the experience. When it comes to the music, the sound-track is strong, with many real songs played in decent quality, but it has to be admitted that the quantity of songs isn't that impressive. Still, the sound of the game is absolutely a strong point of the game, better than in many other Gamecube games.
8/10

Gameplay: As with the graphics, FIFA 2003's gameplay got both important upsides and downsides. To start with the bad stuff, the control isn't really that good, it sometimes feel slow and sluggish, and other times unresponsive, like when shooting (FIFA 2003 got a pretty difficult shooting-system). This can have serious consequences for a match, and in the wrong way. You will learn to tollerate it after a while,though so that it doesn't ruin the game, which keeps it from becoming unplayable. However, with several difficulty-levels, you're bound to get close and exciting matches, and it got lots of different options too. The game is as good for a quick match as it is for a long and realistic season, and the multiplayer is very enjoyable, and keeps you coming back for more and more. Mostly addictive and enjoyable, the gameplay is quite good indeed.
7.5/10

Lifespan/Replayabilty: Essentially the main thing that decides how much you will play the game, is how much you love the sport. With an impressive number of different teams and leagues, the match-possibilities are nearly endless, with lots of classic matches being recreated, and it is also quite tempting to start a new season, and win it all using your favorite team. Multiplayer-gaming should also account for many hours of fun, especially if your friend supports a different team than you! And finally, the replay-value is sky-high, and you will return time and time again for a quick match or 20. Lasts a long, long while then, at least for the fans.
9/10

Pros and Cons

+
Good-looking players and stadiums
Decent commentary
Good sound-track
Mostly addictive and enjoyable gameplay
Tons of different teams
Real player-names
Lots of different options
Realistic and well-made full season-mode
Very enjoyable multiplayer-mode
Strong replay-value

-
Some graphical glitches
At times inaccurate commentary
The control can feel quite unresponsive at times
Rather poor shooting-system
Not recommend for people who hate the sport

To rent or to buy?

If you hate the sport, then there is no real reason to buy this game at all, let me just state that right now. However, the target-audience most certainly is the fans, and for those, FIFA 2003 delivers a flawed, but overall very good experience that will last for a very long time indeed. The flaws will be forgotten, but the matches will be remembered, and therefore this game is strongly recommended for all fans of all ages. Get it, play it, and take your team to the top!

Overall: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/30/03, Updated 10/01/03