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FIFA 2004

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: January 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have been buying the konami manufactured PES (Pro Evolution Soccer) titles, but this year I thought I'd try something new. Of course pes and fifa are big rivals and excel in different aspects of a football fame. Fifa, for example has much better liscencing and realism with match day graphics near to perfect, but the gameplay however is lacking. It is slow and takes time to master and the 'off the ball' control is crap basically. This is where pes excels from fifa as the passing and movement is quick and precise. Overall, pes is a better actual GAME, whereas fifa is for those realism people.

not a bad game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: December 10, 2003
Author: Amazon User

before i bought this game i had read some of the reviews, and to tell you the truth they were all negative, you know saying that the game was too slow, and that there were no holland and the list goes on and on, but when i got it, i was surprised yes it was slow but that's not a bad thing 'cause now you actually have time to pass with more accuracy and that's good, the enviorement that surrounds the game is awesome!! the uniforms are up to date and the players look the same, the defense is smarter, and yes it's pretty hard to score sometimes, but EA has given you the choice of the R2 button, which allows you to walk, and if you're in the striking zone you press that button and you can execute better giving you the chance to enter the goalkepper zone and score, so you don't have to do it from a long range, know i've noticed something while in carrer and that is: no rain at all, and the special moves!!! DOES ANYBODY KNOW HOW TO DO A BICYCLE KICK??? 'cause i haven't seen any type of it so if you know tell us 'cause i'm not the only one dying to know!!!! but besides that, is a pretty good game!!

What good are bells/whistles when the gameplay stinks?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: August 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've purchased a good number of soccer titles in the past, including more than one in the EA Sports FIFA family on multiple gaming systems. This is by far their most disappointing effort.

EA Sports, usually among the leaders in inovations, options, playablility, and overall enjoyment, seem to have put all their efforts into gaming extras (ie: Spanish language, on-line playability, official licensing, nice graphics), largely at the expense of fun. The game is b-o-r-i-n-g. The pace feels significantly slower than FIFA of several generations ago. The cut-scene animations look great, but the gameplay graphics are quite poor by 2004 standards. Each player looks to be about a centimeter tall on my 27" TV screen, but yet, the field of view is limited - long passes are extremely difficult, as are crosses from the corner.

Due to an almost complete lack of an in-game tutorial, the learning curve is very steep. You won't be having fun in the first hour of play. Even on the "Amateur" difficulty setting, it was difficult to move the ball smoothly, and it began to feel like work to learn. I don't believe I was able to intentionally score a header goal (much less anything fancier) after several hours of hard labor.

Even the career modes seem more difficult to navigate. The overwhelming onslaught of information (combined with - again - almost no tutorial) makes for a gaming experience that's more work than entertainment.

Take my advice: rent before you buy. FIFA 2004, while in overall appearance resembles the older FIFAs we've come to know and love, seems to have missed the mark that all games should be shooting for -- fun.

Let down...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I'm a fan of the FIFA series and enjoyed playing the 2003 version as it was fast, full of action, and the atmosphere with the stadiums and fans was pretty involving. Having said that, now that I have played FIFA 2004 for 5 hours, I have to say that EA has taken a step backwards.
They have added lots of new features that in theory should have helped the overall experience, but in reality, the player just feels confused and bored by the complexity and lack of speed of the game.
Once again, EA has exceeded in graphics, but every soccer loving fan knows that taking care of that part of the game is not enough. In order to demonstrate this, you just have to wonder whay such a bad looking game such as Winning Eleven beats FIFA in every review.
At the end, you get the feeling EA tried hard to improve the series, but once again failed to capture the real feeling of a soccer game. Maybe they should move their production team to Brasil, Italy, or Spain, where people really know what the most popular game in the world is all about.
Should you buy it ? My advice is : at your own risk...

BIG disappointment

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

After the progress of 2003, this is a big letdown. Let me count the ways:
1. Career mode, which I find a waste of time anyway, is the only way you can play a league.
2. The game speed is far too slow.
3. Scoring goals is far too difficult (for both human and CPU) because the game leans WAY too much towards defending. For example, it's impossible to make a simple pass without it being deflected, and once that happens the attack is basically over. Also, there is only one ineffective skill move.
4. There are hardly any new features worth using. Career mode is tedious, user profiles are pointless, and off-the-ball control is time-consuming without helping you a whole lot.
5. The new set-piece system is ridiculous. The ball always travels slowly and way up in the air, so you can only score when you're right in front of goal. And why the heck can't you take a short corner?
6. Changing tactics (attack-defend-neutral) results in mass confusion as some players suddenly take up completely different positions.
7. Player graphics look a bit cartoonish and waxy.
These are just some of the negatives in what can only be considered a failure by EA to deliver on its glorious promises

2003 is much better

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

In short, if this game had come out last year, and FIFA 2003 had come out this year, it would have seemed the more logical progression. FIFA 2004 is a clunkier, slower, more disorganized, less sharp game than 2003.

Career mode is awful (they need to get some Madden Franchise developers involved), which was really the only reason i bought this instead of sticking with 2003.

The gameplay has significantly worsened for some reason: it is IMPOSSSIBLE to score. I would say that, 1 on 1 with the goalie, i missed about 85% of the time, with world class players no less, on semi-pro mode! And it gets no easier with time. Also, the flow of the game is slower and not nearly as fun as 2003.

Save your money, go buy a used 2003 version, trust me it's way more worth it.

FANTASTIC!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have loooonged for a decent soccer game on ANY platform. While in Japan, I had the chance to play Winning Eleven 6, and I thought I had found the motherload... until FIFA 2004. Before playing it, I had read several bad reviews, so right off the bat I went in with a low expectation.
You have so much more control over who you can pass to. The Off The Ball control, though a little complicated, is a true asset. It is more in depth, it is more strategic, you can even control the spin on your kicks in penalties, overall, REALLY FUN!! Not to mention the graphics are through the roof! I haven't tried the on-line capabilities, so I can't truly give it a full score.
I think the only reason for so many bad reviews is that too many people prefer a brainless run run run and shoot game. You have to pass and be patient! This is a great game! If you don't have it, GET IT!

HORRIBLE....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

damn...this game is really really bad...the gameplay is SLOW..you cannot change the speed of the game...and the graphics were better on fifa 2003...they delete the "tower" camera..and the players are VERY FOOOLS!!!!when they run with the ball...really dont waste 50.00 on buying this game...after a few days you will get bored with it..IT IS MUCH MUCH BETTER FIFA 2003..im angry with EASPORTS because they suk it up with this game.

A piece of crap

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The following reasons make FIFA Soccer 2004 a piece of crap:

1. No button configuration available. You can't configure your keyboard or gamepad to have a set of buttons that suit your preference, so you have to adjust to its default configuration. Note: button configuration is available with FIFA Soccer 2003, so it's a regression.

2. Poor control. As many other reviewers point out, the off-the-ball function is crap, your strikers could hardly get the ball if you use the off-the-ball button. This is a very serious problem in soccer game because most of the shooting chance in real life come from the collaborative movement and passing of players; with the off-the-ball function this ineffective, you're left with many fewer shooting chances, which makes scoring very difficult, even when you're controlling strong teams like Real Madrid or Juventus. Also, passing is inaccurate which sometimes makes you feel frustrated because the ball is lobed to somewhere you never intend. Direct freekick is another crap here, it's just impossible to do both the shooting power and accuracy right (it was possible, though with some difficulty, with FIFA Soccer 2003, so I'd consider it another regression). Movement of your teammates behind you is basically non-existent, so you're sometimes left with no support from behind; this situation is particularly clear if you are controlling a striker who is essentially at the forefront of offense with no other teammate ahead of him.

3. Fewer modes of game available. With FIFA Soccer 2003, you could choose a team and play a league season, just like what you do with NBA Live. With FIFA Soccer 2004? Sorry, you can't; you either play friendly games, tournament games (all being cup games like FA Cup in England), training sessions (which comprise training match, freekick and cornerkick practice, etc.) or a new mode dubbed 'career.'

Though there are such weaknesses with this game, it does have its strength:

1. Excellent graphics. Let's face it, no other soccer action game has got the level of graphic quality as FIFA Soccer series does; FIFA Soccer 2004 actually widens the margin even more.

2. Updated player information. Well, the crap new features aside, new player information is the only justification for releasing a new version of FIFA Soccer every year.

Conclusion: If you have FIFA Soccer 2003, as many FIFA Soccer fans do, just stick with it and don't buy the 2004 release, it's a waste of money.

Another year, another lame FIFA

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 26, 2004
Author: Amazon User

and another attempt by EA to take our money wowing us with eye candy while trying to slip by us the fact that this is essentially the same garbage as last year. Off the ball control is unusable and a joke, there is no difference neither among players nor among teams, as you can take on Real Madrid with Yeovil and dominate, for example. Avoid and buy Winning Eleven 7 instead. It's coming out shortly and will blow this garbage out of the water.

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