FIFA Soccer 2003

"Have EA finally ruined a FIFA title??"

FIFA 2003

As a fan of most of the FIFA football titles, I was looking forward to FIFA 2003. It says on the box that it is an “immersive, football experience” However, this is far from the case….

Gameplay
Probably the most important part of any game, the gameplay of fifa 2003 is not very good. Firstly, you are left to 3 main options. A season, friendly & club championship. Veterans will notice that I have left out the ‘training’ section. This is where you could play 5 a-side matches, practice free kicks, penalties and all the other things you do in training to perfect your own skills. Well, it isn’t even in the game. A great disappointment, because if you are struggling with something, there is nowhere to practice…
Next are the main modes. They are all pretty boring and similar to all other FIFA games. The players you buy never really seem to have an impact on the team either.

Controls
One of the gospel rules of any football game is to have good controls. If they are awkward and hard to learn, you’re already on a loser. FIFA’s controls are very easy to learn. It’s just a shame they are very awkward. You use the left analogue stick to control your player and the other usual rules apply of pass, shoot, lob, tackle etc. However, dribbling is a huge problem. You can try to run round the opposition with the left stick but that rarely works. The other option is the right stick. This uses the EA Freestyle Control System (wow) to dribble more effectively, tap the ball ahead of you and run onto it and dance round the opposition. However, it’s slow to react and many defenders just run into you and steel the ball.

Graphics
Possibly FIFA’s only good point are its graphics. The players and stadiums are all well created looking very authentic.

Sounds
The sounds of FIFA are quite good too. The crowd often cheer your teams particular chants and songs. There’s also plenty of cool music from top artists

A.I
The ai of the players is ridiculous. All players run around randomly, the computer misses shots anybody could score with their eyes closed and players often get in each other’s way and pass the ball to the wrong team.

Lifespan
The lifespan of this title is very short due to all of its problems

Other Problems And Good Points
+ Points
Thousands of real players, stadiums and teams

- Points
Annoying commentary
Very poor loading times
The game often jumps and stutters
No ‘professional foul’ button
Poor referee decisions

Conclusion
In conclusion, this is one of the worst FIFA titles released. There are many more problems than good points. Definitely rent this before you buy it, even if you love all the other FIFA titles. There’s many top football games around but unfortunately this isn’t one of them.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 01/01/03, Updated 01/01/03