FIFA Soccer 2005

"don't be tricked by the adverts this is NOT as good as pro evolution"

This is an improvement on FIFA 2004, there is no doubt about that, however in comparison to Pro Evolution Soccer 4, it is like schoolboy football. As it does every year it will outsell Pro Evolution, but like every year it won't be as good. But without doubt it is getting closer.

GRAPHICS: 10/10
Superb. Players look increadibly realistic, you can tell who the player is without any difficulty. The players all look accurate as do the stadium, however some stadiums appear to big for there capacity.For example, highbury can only take 38'000, but it appears as if it can take 50'000 in the game. The graphics are great, you wont find a sports game with better. Even the lesser known players look accurate.

SOUND: 8/10
The commentating is very good, however sometimes it seems a bit repetitive, but it is much better than Pro Evo. The music is not to my taste apart from the one STREETs song (fit but don't you no it). You wont of heard of any of the groups.

GAMEPLAY:6/10
Very dissapointing. The shooting seems to have little control, the tackling feels fake and the free-kicks, well they seem to rely more on luck rather than skill. The AI seem to score free-kicks from any distance at all, which can be very frustrating.
The main problem is the huge gaps between the different positions. The midfielders are miles away from the strikers and are no help when defending.The midfielders never seem to score!!

LIFESPAN:7/10
The 15 year career mode is a good idea but you will be bored of it by the third year. Good for a kickabout but wont last long.

Although it is a huge improvement on last years game, the faults still outweigh the good points each year it gets closer but until the gameplay is improved it will never be as good as Pro, if all you care about is the number of leagues and licences, FIFA may be your game. But, if you just want a good game of footy, trust me and buy Pro Evolution Soccer 4 instead.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/13/04