16-Nov-2001 FIFA may be pretty popular, but it's still not perfect FIFA may be pretty popular, but it's still not perfect
Sparks are bound to start flying when gaming's two biggest footie franchises go head to head. It's an age-old battle that's constantly seen FIFA come up trumps in the sales charts, but repeatedly fall second place to the mighty gameplay of ISS.
But this latest FIFA update has made serious efforts to make the game feel more in-depth, flexible and exciting. The new features that have been thrown into FIFA 2002 are indeed great ideas and show a positive and innovative move on the part of Electronic Arts, but with drastic changes in gameplay there are bound to be some teething problems. And with a Ł50 price tag, we'd like this footie game to have a glistening white set of gnashers and impeccable dental hygiene.
ON THE RUN What stands out like a big red boil on Beckham's nose as soon as you start kicking the ball around are the new dotted lines appearing all over the place when either player is on the attack. There's no need to adjust your telly though, because these lines mark the direction of players who are making runs off the ball. And what's cool is that you can select which player you want to dart forward by scrolling through them using the L1 button. Great idea, and it looks easy enough, but successfully connecting a pass to their feet as they plough into the box is like trying to thread a cucumber through the eye of a needle.
Plus there's a new 'weighted pass' feature, which enables you to measure exactly how hard you twat the ball. All of which makes pulling off great through-balls an art reserved solely for footie experts and those people who are patient enough to practise for many long hours - which, admittedly, FIFA nuts normally do.
WHO THE HELL IS THAT? As expected, FIFA uses all the official clubs and names, but this is somewhat of a wasted opportunity as none of the players actually look much like their real-life counterparts, which could disappoint many hardcore fans.
Even with the new changes, this still feels and looks very much like a FIFA game - you can still pull together simple and effective passing moves, and smack ridiculous shots at goal, so fans of the series won't be disappointed. But with the awesome Pro Evolution Soccer arriving on the scene only a couple of weeks after FIFA's release, EA's golden boy is going to have some pretty stiff competition.
Michael Cooper
// Overview
Verdict
New tricks and turns mark a new direction for FIFA's gameplay. But at ten quid more than PES, we want a near-flawless footie game... which this isn't.
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