FIFA Soccer 2004

"Fifa has definitely scored."

Before PES was born Fifa was the king of all football games. When PES came out Fifa had some new rivals. PES became more popular over football fans and this was bad news for Fifa. Fifa knew they needed to shape up and give PES a real competition.

So has Fifa 2004 given PES 3 a real competition or is it just another update?

Gameplay-9/10

Gameplay is probably the strongest part of Fifa 2004 as the score shows. There have been so many changes to Fifa 2004 that it takes time getting use to the gameplay even if you have played past versions. In past versions scoring goals were no problem as all you had to do was press the speed button to get passed a defender. If you do this in Fifa 2004 you will lose the ball before you know it. It now requires a few tactics and passes to break the defence. This makes Fifa more challenging.

The way you kick, pass,tackle and lob has all changed for the better. As you kick or pass the ball you will notice a curl in the ball. You now have to time your tackles well otherwise the ball will go loose or you will take the player out in slow motion which is a nice touch. If you press the L2 button before you lob the ball you will have the choice of lobbing the ball to three players. You can also control the player you want to lob to by moving right analogue stick. This is just one of the new features known as of the ball control. To see all the latest features move down the page to the ''New Features'' section.

Graphics/Sound-8/10

Players, crowds and stadiums are all realistic and very detailed. Sometimes you feel that you are watching a live football game on TV. The instant replays look good and show how good the graphics are. But there are a few problems with the graphics. Sometimes the player's kit change different colours and as you take free kicks, corners, throwing and goal kicks there is a big gap in the players waist. The game can also slow down. These graphic problems don't effect the game to badly.

Most of the commentary from John Motson and Ally McCoist has not changed since Fifa 2003. This is disappointing but there are a few new conversations added about the refs and players which makes the commentary interesting. Both the sounds of the crowd and the music in the menu has improved. The crowd actually shout different things depending on your team and is really helpful while playing the game. There are plenty of tracks to hear from the likes of Radiohead, Junior Senior, Tribalistas and underworld. It is not my type of music and I think Fifa should try all genres of music such as heavy metal. You can also choose which tracks you want to listen to from the Ea Sports Trax menu which is quite handy.

New Features-9/10

Fifa 2004 has so many new features and because of this Fifa has become a good football game. The main feature is the off the ball control which is one of the best features. There are now 10,000 players, 350 teams and 18 leagues. Season mode has been replaced by Career mode in which you have to sign a 5 year contract with the club of your choice. This is no ordinary season mode because you can now train your players. Practice mode is back which is vital for getting use to the new gameplay and features such as the new free kicks system. Online play is now available so if you don't have a friend around you can play people around the world. Football Fusion allows you the ability to import data from Total Club Manager meaning that you can actually play your Total Club Manager fixtures on Fifa 2004. There are plenty of more features to explore which just shows how much thought has been put into the game.

Play Time/Replay Value-8/10

It really depend how much you like football. With the new career mode and all the new features this game should last until the next Fifa comes out. Fifa is also a good multiplayer game so you can play against your friends or with them if you get bored playing by your self.

Final Recommendation

Fifa 2004 is one of the best games on the block. It's a game a football fan must have. Renting the game is only good for multiplayer purposes because there are so many things to do which take time such as career mode. Buying the game is so much better and trust me it is worth it.

Overall

Fifa is back on track and gets a nice 8/10.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/16/04, Updated 01/17/04