At a glance...

Reviewer	Platform	Publisher	Developer	Players	Screenshots
Unknown	PlayStation 2	Electronic Arts	EA Sports Canada	1-4 (Share), 2 (Online)	Here
Requirements				Also on...	Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Requires Network Adaptor for online play. Memory Card: 75kb				Xbox, GC, PS, GBA, PC, Ng	Click here to buy FIFA Football 2004.

FIFA Football 2004 review

Ah, the pre-Christmas run of games. And the nation's favourite sport (at least, before England won the Rugby World Cup) - football - sees three key titles for release on the PlayStation 2. First we had the review of the latest version of the modern classic, Pro Evolution Soccer 3, and now here's its main rival, EA Sport's latest update FIFA Football 2004. There's also a review coming very soon on this year's new contender to the crown, Codemasters' Club Football. However, which game will come out on top and claim the much-coveted best football game on allaboutgames.co.uk award?

Well, I can safely say from the offset that this is the best version of FIFA so far. For the third year running EA Sports have made significant improvements in the gameplay departments; moving away from their old style of just providing graphical and statistical updates each year, the developer has been refining the game now that it faces stiffer and stiffer competition from the excellent Pro Evolution Soccer series. So what's new in this edition? Well, one of the game's most touted features is the Off-The-Ball mode, previously seen in EA Sport's NBA Live series. It's certainly an interestingly idea; when initiated through the tap of L2 the concept allows you to choose a player (through subsequent taps of L2) and control them with the right analogue stick, getting them into position before ground passing or lobbing the ball to them. It sounds great in concept; you can get players right where you want them, allowing you to break through the tough defences. However, it is difficult to master, and the advantage of using it isn't that great; it seems takes too long to carry through effectively, and when playing a human player in split-screen they will know in advance that you are using Off-The-Ball. Of course, the same is not true in the game's other big new feature, online player. Here the player will only be aware of it while you are using it, but its still not as easy as playing a computer-controlled opponent. The online mode itself is exclusive to the PlayStation 2 and PC versions of FIFA Football 2004, and uses EA's own online system to achieve this. Although you unfortunately can't tap into the North American EA Sports Nation network (instead being kept to European-only players) the global EA.com login is used to provide your online persona, as well as keep track of your progress, and for the friends list. Being a fan of online play, and being with both Xbox Live and PS2 online since their launches, I certainly was looking forward to playing the first online football title. And indeed, the online play is excellent fun; playing against human players is always more enjoyable, and being able to hook up and play without having to share the screen and your home with mates makes it all worthwhile. As soon as I had logged in I was able to hook straight into a game via the Play Now option (also present on the main menu while offline) which quickly hooked me up with an opponent, we chose our sides and away we went. But the experience wasn't as good as I had hoped; the game was a bit laggy, although it was enjoyable nonetheless. The biggest problem with the online mode is actually connecting to a game; for some reason EA have made it difficult for people who connect their PS2 to their broadband via a router to be able to play online. So when I wanted to play another game I was presented with the same error I have been seeing again and again. A sweep around on EA's site informs me that the game doesn't like 'private IPs' - IPs usually issued by routers and used between machines on a home network. This means that in order to play online, unless the other person has changed to 'public IP', you will have to change your IP settings and reconfigure your router. Certainly not a user friendly option, and not a good start to online football gaming.

Also available in the game, although not new, is the Career mode. Here you choose from a huge range of licensed teams, which you are able to manage (transfers, budgeting, goals to achieve) as well as play games with. Winning games is important, not just for basic progression, but in order to attract better players to your team, and thus decision making is often as significant as your ability to play the matches. Overall, the mode is very good and will keep you occupied for quite some time, but the mode still lacks the same kind of depth presented in Pro Evolution Soccer 3's Master League.

Despite the gameplay advancements, the classic updates to graphics and stats are also present. There's not much to say on the stat front, except that's its quite up to date at the time of writing, and there are hundreds of licensed clubs to play with, complete with accurate replica shirts and sponsors. On graphics though, FIFA has always had the advantage over Pro Evolution Soccer, and this year things are certainly no different. While PES3 offers some fairly good graphics, but lacking in detail, FIFA 2004 presents high levels of detail, with excellent player recognition, and animation. The details are less crisp on the PS2 version than the other formats, but are still worthy of competing against others games on the format. Stadiums, although not present for every club in the game, are present in a wide variety, and provide high detail in surroundings (the stands and the impressive crowd), as well as pitches; the mud isn't just brown blobs on the pitch, and actually dirties players. Music, too, is better than ever before. The wide range of tracks on the soundtrack should appeal to many, and I was surprised to discover Radiohead's
Myxomatosis playing while I setting up a game, considering it's a current favourite of mine, and not something I would expect to find in a football game. Crowds too are certain to please, and the chants have got to be heard to be believed. The commentary certainly isn't perfect, and sometimes repeats itself, but it's still better than the shambles that is the disjointed mess in PES3.

Reviewed by Matt Bailey

Ratings

Graphics	Very well animated, and plenty of detail on the character models. Not as crisp as the other console versions, but still impressive.	9/10
Gameplay	Although it's certainly improved on previous games, the gameplay still isn't as fluid or authentic as PES3's.	7/10
Value	At the time of writing, we did not have a value for money ranking.	0/10
Lifespan	The Career mode provides should keep you going for some time, although its not as in-depth as PES3's Master League. The online play, although not perfect, will keep the game alive for months to come, as will the 'pick up and play' multiplayer.	8/10
Audio	Excellent soundtrack, providing music for a range of people. The commentary is also pretty good, but the crowds are fantastic.	9/10
Overall	FIFA Football 2004 is a worthy update that owners of previous games should pick up. Online play is good but could have been better, and despite the appealing presentation and the licensed clubs, the overall experience of the game still doesn't match up to that of Pro Evolution Soccer 3, but the series is certainly catching up.	8/10

Click here to buy FIFA Football 2004 from Amazon.co.uk.

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