FIFA 2000
Score: 80% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: THQ Developer: Tiertex Design Studios Media: Cart/1 Players: 1 Genre: Sports
Graphics & Sound: FIFA 2000 is a pretty good game. Even the graphics aren't bad. Even though you have to play on a small display, the game still gets the action across in great color and surprising detail. The soccer players are easy to identify and the ball is easy to follow. I even liked the way field and goals looked. I wouldn't say the graphics were spectacular, but they weren't bad at all. Even the sound didn't get on my nerves as much as it usually does. Out of all the THQ/EA Sports games on the Game Boy Color, I would have to say that FIFA 2000 has the best graphics and sound.
Gameplay: Soccer will be soccer - and, of course, this is soccer. The game runs slow and choppy, but that allows time to make up for the bad control. The game does offer many modes of play. These options include Quick Start (to jump right into the action), Exhibition, Season (with password progression), Tournament, and Sudden Death (first one to score wins). The game also offers many, many different teams to play with. My only real complaint with the game play is the discontinuity. I found the game to be less than fluid, which posed as a distraction. However, on the up side, the choppiness aided in reaction time. The controls are not very responsive, so having a slowed down game helps with your reaction time. This is also the most realistic THQ/EA Sports sim on the GBC. All of the different rules and penalties are available. This is really a good soccer game.
Difficulty: Much to my pleasure, this game was perfect as far as difficulty goes. Let's face it, no one wants to lose, but it's no fun to win every game by a blowout. It takes all the fun (and realism) out of it. The difficulty of the game was great; as for the difficulty of the gameplay - that's a different story. The scrolling involved in the game made it hard to know what players you or your opponent has downfield. It is difficult to play a sports game when you don't know where your team is. Other than that, no problem. Of course, you have the options of changing rules and game times.
Game Mechanics: For this type of game, you really need analog control. Unfortunately, with a digital controller and buttons, you don't get analog action. As a result, the game was hard to control. Aside from that, the game ran slow and choppy. The perfect difficulty, good graphics, and great gameplay make this a good game; the mechanics keep it from being a great one. One more good thing about it - as with all EA Sports games, you can use the Super Game Boy to play on the big screen. If you like soccer, give this on a try, just for kicks.
-Storm, GameVortex Communications AKA Jeremy Kelso
Duke Nukem Madden 2000