Reg Wright
Club Supporter
Might seem a little late to do it, but this is the time of year I usually give up on this forum, save on checking back for the Creation Centre release, so I thought I'd give my 10 cents worth on the game for anyone who is interested or maybe thinking of FIFA 2004 as a gift.
Gameplay - Overall, this is the strongest FIFA yet. The gameplay is steady, my thought is that it bears a strong (but not perfect) resemblance to the real thing. Incredibly hard to break defenders down, they really dig in around the 18 and get men behind the ball. Can be challenging and frustration, but that's a better complaint than running roughshod through the defence.
Off the ball control is cool, as is the walk the ball option. Having said that, I think that the new tackling model, with heightened randomness, 50/50 balls and stricter punishment for clumsy tackles, is the best feature of the gameplay.
I enjoy spanking a few in from outside, although I know not everyone appreciates it.
Atmosphere/Audio: I remember in the pre-release video the art director talking about great atmosphere isn't really noticed. The atmosphere is outstanding. The commentary has grown as well, much more conversational, but I think it stands to grow enormously in future directions, with a focus on cohesion and player specific reference. I really like it when Motson says which player has the ball. Usually, they will record new player names for each series of FIFA, but it seems they really skimped on this for 2004.
Love the stadium renderings, particularly small venues and varying crowd numbers. The graphics, as expected, are outstanding, although the replays leave something to be desired.
Depth of Campaign: What can I say? We got a great deal of what we asked for - a few more South American squads, lower divisions, etc. The career mode is excellent for those who enjoy the managerial aspect - morale, fatigue, tight budgets and interest from other clubs. However, EA did themselves a major disservice by making swapping mandatory over transfers in the team line-up screen and not having Brazilian and Rest of the World clubs available. Hoping the Creation Centre provides a remedy for this.
Which brings us to FIFA's worst feature - the menu system. In short, it's awful. Depth of statistics have been offered, but its clumsy to navigate and you don't get a list of key features.
I also agree with some critics that EA needs to evaluate building toward a better product by focusing on its added features. While some were weak, others - i.e. juggling, jostling, flagrant fouls - added a lot to the gameplay. They need to be focused on building a toward the top of the tower instead of removing floors all the time.
The other future focus must be on the acquisition of the Champions League license and gathering a more comprehensive license of International and Rest of the World Teams.
In short, I give it an 8.5 out of 10 - the best FIFA to daye. And yes, I will be buying Euro 2004. I'll get a couple thousand hours of play out of this game, and, to my mind, that's well worth the $60 Cdn.
Gameplay - Overall, this is the strongest FIFA yet. The gameplay is steady, my thought is that it bears a strong (but not perfect) resemblance to the real thing. Incredibly hard to break defenders down, they really dig in around the 18 and get men behind the ball. Can be challenging and frustration, but that's a better complaint than running roughshod through the defence.
Off the ball control is cool, as is the walk the ball option. Having said that, I think that the new tackling model, with heightened randomness, 50/50 balls and stricter punishment for clumsy tackles, is the best feature of the gameplay.
I enjoy spanking a few in from outside, although I know not everyone appreciates it.
Atmosphere/Audio: I remember in the pre-release video the art director talking about great atmosphere isn't really noticed. The atmosphere is outstanding. The commentary has grown as well, much more conversational, but I think it stands to grow enormously in future directions, with a focus on cohesion and player specific reference. I really like it when Motson says which player has the ball. Usually, they will record new player names for each series of FIFA, but it seems they really skimped on this for 2004.
Love the stadium renderings, particularly small venues and varying crowd numbers. The graphics, as expected, are outstanding, although the replays leave something to be desired.
Depth of Campaign: What can I say? We got a great deal of what we asked for - a few more South American squads, lower divisions, etc. The career mode is excellent for those who enjoy the managerial aspect - morale, fatigue, tight budgets and interest from other clubs. However, EA did themselves a major disservice by making swapping mandatory over transfers in the team line-up screen and not having Brazilian and Rest of the World clubs available. Hoping the Creation Centre provides a remedy for this.
Which brings us to FIFA's worst feature - the menu system. In short, it's awful. Depth of statistics have been offered, but its clumsy to navigate and you don't get a list of key features.
I also agree with some critics that EA needs to evaluate building toward a better product by focusing on its added features. While some were weak, others - i.e. juggling, jostling, flagrant fouls - added a lot to the gameplay. They need to be focused on building a toward the top of the tower instead of removing floors all the time.
The other future focus must be on the acquisition of the Champions League license and gathering a more comprehensive license of International and Rest of the World Teams.
In short, I give it an 8.5 out of 10 - the best FIFA to daye. And yes, I will be buying Euro 2004. I'll get a couple thousand hours of play out of this game, and, to my mind, that's well worth the $60 Cdn.
