FIFA Soccer 2005

"Great football game, still a couple of issues though"

Intro
Microsoft made a deal with EA not too long ago and as of the summer EA's games are finally on xbox live this is a great addition to their games and this years FIFA is ultimatly the same as last years version ( See my review on the GameCube Version of FIFA 2004 ). To let you all know the 1 point improvement is for graphics and online play.

Graphics- 8.5/10
Similar to last years, improved but not by much. The faces look decent at best and the croud is clearly a cardboard cutout but the player models and animations all look fantastic. This is not to say I disliked the visuals the were fantastic all I'm saying is that they could have been a little bit better.

Sound- 10/10
Same as last year as well. The sounds put you right in the middle of the game and the commentaters although they sound good are still using the same phrases as they were when FIFA was first introduced. This didn't bother me personally but some people might be bummed by those tiny little details. The soundtrack contains a nice variety of foreign music which is suiting for the game because football is mostly popular in the rest of the world as opposed to the US.

Gameplay- 7.5/10
A slight slip from last years despite the whole game was ultimatly the same I did have some issues. First off the control works quite well and this year instead of having to do the through balls manually you can now do it automatically with a touch of the Y button. You can still do it the old way if you want but the new way is easier. The AI has been improved, the computer will now change formations on the fly and knows better then to run down the center of the field. It is now a little harder to score off freekicks and corners which make for more believable scores even against easier difficulties. The shooting system in this game is impossible from long range because of the camera angle and it is very difficult to get in close because of the AI. This can lead to some frustrating moments in the game but once you get used to it the game is very fun.

Online Play- 7/10
The coolest new feature this year is online play which is really fun and there is little lag during gameplay but I did notice some lag in the menus and there are a few too many people using five star teams out there which kinda ruins it. Bring honor to your favorite club and not to a team you've never heard of just because it got a good rating. Also EA can't seem to get Xbox Live perfect as most of the key features either missing or confusing.

Overall- 9/10
I have some clear problems with the game but overall due to Xbox Live support this is definetly a game worth picking up and is well worth the numerous hours you will spend trying to get shooting down and figuring out the online stuff.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/18/04