FIFA 2003
Soccer:
It isn't quite perfect, but the latest FIFA game is a refreshing and compelling
step ahead in a series that's known for its quality.
As we've seen both in 1998
and this year, EA Sports generally tries to take full advantage of the World Cup, and how much interest it generates in the
sport of soccer, by releasing not one, but two soccer games in a year. And now,
just five months after 2002 FIFA World Cup comes FIFA Soccer 2003. The latest edition of
this decade-old franchise is perhaps the most intriguing in some time,
highlighting the tactical battles of the real-life sport and at least partially
abstaining from the slam-bang superhuman action of past versions. Make no
mistake, the pace can still be inordinately fast unless you choose to slow it
down, but this may well be the FIFA that hard-core fans have been waiting for.
After each goal, FIFA 2003
superimposes the team logos and current score onto the pitch.
Presumably since EA Sports
has already covered international competition in its earlier game, 2002 FIFA World Cup, FIFA Soccer 2003
focuses on club competition. However, its scope is absolutely huge,
encompassing 450 teams from around the world and more than 10,000 individual
players, each modeled after real-life counterpart. You can choose from globally
renowned powerhouses such as Real Madrid, North American Major League Soccer
teams such as the San Jose Earthquakes, or somewhat
less-renowned franchises like Korea's Pusan Icons.
The game also features the complete 40-squad international roster from this year's
World Cup competition, more than two-dozen gorgeous and purportedly accurate
stadiums, and a full allotment of home and away uniforms (and additional
"alternate" kits where applicable) for each and every team. Play
modes include one-off skirmishes, league seasons, and authentic and custom cup
competitions and tournaments. Skilled players have an opportunity to unlock
even more tourneys and stadiums by proving themselves worthy on the pitch.
This time around, EA Sports has opted
for a deceptively minimalist user interface that makes it easy for rookies to
jump right in without being assaulted by a barrage of information screens and
choices, but the interface seems poorly designed for veterans who feel the need
to tweak and customize. Furthermore, most menus tend to look comparatively
rough, with little of the flash and high-end options you might expect from an
EA Sports game. Particularly frustrating are the small arrow-shaped icons used
to advance forward and move back; they're difficult to locate and hard to
activate once you do see them. It's not a completely minor issue either,
because these annoying little arrows are used throughout all of FIFA 2003, even
for the in-game menu system.
One interesting amenity that
you won't even find in the game but can download free
of charge is the official "FIFA creation center," a nifty utility
that lets you create new players, customize their physical attributes and
soccer skills, concoct new kits with predesigned or personalized artwork,
modify competitions, and even construct your own logos and banners. It's
certainly great, but it should have been included in the game right out of the
box.
But FIFA 2003's most
important feature is its increased focus on a realistic playing experience. In
that respect, EA has significantly tweaked a number of gameplay elements to
reward those who calculate their movements in advance, devise pass-based
attacks, and use every single button and button combination at their disposal.
It has also devised a game with substantially fewer offside calls, and that's
good news for everybody.
In FIFA 2003, you can't
always rely on the good old speed-burst option to pull you through. In fact,
speed bursts are nothing like they were previously. When you hit the jets, your
players will take a moment or two just to get up to speed. They'll also take at
least that long to slow down again at the end of the burst, and they'll also
have a lot less control over the ball while they're in the process of speeding.
To make matters worse, the defender marking your runner will dog him every step
of the way, most often closing ground simply because he doesn't have to worry
about dribbling a soccer ball. Clearly, the speed burst
is much more realistic than it was in previous games.
Scoring a goal in FIFA 2003
is similarly more challenging. You'll no longer pull off amazing on-target
blasts by simply touching the shoot button and letting go of your movement key
or gamepad. Now, you're forced to point your striker directly at the net and
punch the shoot button in precisely the right spot or face a string of missed
opportunities. Snapping one wide from even a scant 20 feet out is a distinct possibility. In addition, goaltenders now stray well
off their lines to cover the entire penalty area, and they sometimes go beyond.
It doesn't help that the game still tends to direct too many shots toward
goalposts just to keep the score close, though in FIFA 2003, you'll get less of
a sense that the game has decided the final score in advance than in previous
games.
With the aid of FIFA's new
metering system, Roberto Carlos lines up a potentially dangerous free kick.
FIFA 2003 is certainly a more difficult
game to master than its predecessor was. More players touch the ball via
deflections, bump passes, blocks, and missed passes,
and that calls for quicker reactions and better planning. Even gathering in a
high ball on the touchline involves more precision and skill. Fortunately, EA
Sports has included a number of complex advanced maneuvers and aids designed
for those who want to take the time to master them.
The most obvious of these
new features is FIFA's metering system. Though it's used for different purposes
in different situations, FIFA 2003's meter works much like the swing meter in a
PC golf game; it indicates the velocity or direction of
your upcoming pass or shot and ultimately gives you more control over the
proceedings. Advanced players will also want to experiment with the game's new
freestyle control feature, which, when used properly, coaxes a variety of
unique and often thrilling signature moves from star performers.
Back for a return engagement
in the announcer's booth is quintessential soccer broadcaster and FIFA series
veteran John Motson. Together with former Scottish football star and FIFA
newcomer Ally McCoist, who serves a satisfactory first-time stint as color
commentator, Motson is typically brilliant. His verbiage is believable and
wide-ranging, and his delivery is impeccable. In fact, the commentary is so
seamless that you may sometimes wonder if Motson and McCoist have set up shop
inside your computer.
With FIFA 2003, EA Sports has proven it will
finally take a few risks by varying the formula behind the world's number one
soccer game. In so doing, it has produced a considerably more challenging and
complex affair that should stand the test of time better than its predecessors.
It isn't quite perfect, but the latest FIFA game is a refreshing and compelling
step ahead in a series that's known for its quality.
System=
Pentium III CPU 933 MHz
RAM= 256 MB
Video Memory= 32 MB
OS= Windows 98, ME 2000 XP Vista 7 and WIndows 8
RAM= 256 MB
Video Memory= 32 MB
OS= Windows 98, ME 2000 XP Vista 7 and WIndows 8
