FIFA Soccer 2003
Score: 62% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: EA Sports Developer: EA Sports Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 2 (1 - 8 w/Multitap) Genre: Sports
Graphics & Sound: In terms of graphical content, EA Sports has released a gem in FIFA Soccer 2003, although at first glance, you won't be able to appreciate the detailed player models because the camera is set up to view a large area of the field. But the eye-candy pops out at you instantly the first time the camera zooms in on the action of a penalty or replay of a goal. The sound, on the other hand, needs a vast improvement to compete with other games like Madden and NBA Live. I'm not talking so much about the music or the menu screens, because that is fine. What kills me is the bore factor of the announcing team. I'm a very passive fan of soccer (or fútbol), so I hardly ever watch it on television (that is, when it even is on here in the States). But the announcers on FIFA 2003 have more dead air than anyone I've ever heard before. It just doesn't add any excitement to the game at all.
Gameplay: My personal opinion is that this year's FIFA has taken a turn for the worse. It's not so much in the options given to you for gameplay, but the actual gameplay itself. Now, I've never claimed to be some great video game soccer player, but the unresponsive controls and overall feel of FIFA Soccer 2003 just isn't good. To put it into perspective, consider this. If I were to rate this game solely on the feel of the controls, it wouldn't fair very well, with a 2 or 3 out of 10. Fortunately, FIFA 2003 and the game of fútbol does appeal to a vast variety of people in this world. For those fans, FIFA has always been a great series. It would be nice to see a bit more depth to the game, but what you get are the standard modes of play. You can start a Season, Tournament, of Championship, as well as play a straight exhibition game. But no matter what mode you are playing, the game does have one major downfall... its loading times. Not only do you have to wait for what seems like an eternity between screens, but the PS2 also needs to take extra loading time for simple things like a player substitution. This is the first and only time I've ever come across this in any sports game, and I think it's completely ridiculous. When you combine that with the delayed controls, FIFA Soccer 2003 just isn't a game that I can honestly recommend. It's extremely frustrating to never get that feeling of control that has been present in past games within this long-running (and usually great) soccer franchise.
Difficulty: For the first time in my experiences, a video game automatically paused the game, told me I sucked, and then rubbed Tabasco in my eyes by offering me the chance to lower the difficulty setting mid-game. This is no joke, but total truth. Mid-game, I was getting my butt kicked so badly that I was told by the computer to play against easier opponents. The funny thing is, that even after I did so, I still couldn't play FIFA very well. There's just something utterly wrong with the controls, in my opinion. This lack of control is topped off by a slight delay that seems ever present when trying to strike the ball. Then, at other times, you'll be scrambling to get control from an opponent, and the game will process your button presses into a kick after you finally receive the ball. This makes for an extremely frustrating encounter.
Game Mechanics: In another 2003 game, EA Sports has introduced their Freestyle Control scheme, where you use the right analog stick to pull off special moves and tricks. When I saw this, the endless potential of the controls soared through my mind immediately. However, unlike the newest NBA Live game, which had awesome control, FIFA Soccer 2003's "special" control is absolutely worthless. I honestly didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. And if I was doing something wrong, I had no way of knowing because the instruction manual gave NO pointers whatsoever. Also, unlike Live, FIFA 2003 doesn't have a tutorial to help you out with the controls either. When you combine this with the overall shoddy control, the delay in button presses, and the ridiculous load times (including in-game load times), the game is nothing more than a second-rate sports title with great eye candy. I'm sure that FIFA Soccer 2003 will appeal to a lot of people, but passive fans (like me) should probably avoid this title. Definitely rent it before mindlessly dropping your hard-earned cash on it.
-Woody, GameVortex Communications AKA Shane Wodele
Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick Hunter the Reckoning: Wayward