Genre: Sports
Developer: EA Canada
Publisher: Electronic Arts
# of Players: 1 - 4
Memory: 54 blocks
ERSB: Everyone
Released On: November 6th, 2002
Also On: Playstation 2, Xbox
Features: Progressive Scan, Dolby Pro Logic II

Introduction:

Soccer is a sport loved by the many peoples across the globe, but hated by Americans (well most of them). Why? I will never be able to understand why, but since it’s practically in my blood, I will say this… Soccer rules and so do Soccer games.

Electronic Arts’ Fifa franchise has been around for almost a decade and it’s held up well over the years, despite some fierce competition from Konami, with its International Superstar Soccer and Winning Eleven franchises. Fifa is easily one of EA’s biggest franchises. So big, that there’s not only just one Fifa game released a year, but two, with another Fifa title released when World Cup time approaches.

With this newest installment of Fifa, EA continues their newest trend of utilizing the second analog stick on the latest wave of “next gen” game pads, but they also take the Fifa franchise in a bold new direction, a direction that will feel a bit uncomfortable for fans of previous Fifa titles. Fifa 2003 is the most realistic approach EA’s footie franchise has ever seen, and you’ll love it. Trust me.

Presentation:

The thrill of going to a soccer game is almost indescribable. Fans in the thousands crowd stadiums, with one side supporting one team, and opposite of them, the other, all dressed in their appropriate colors and most often, war paint. The crowd doesn’t chant ridiculing phrases; no, the crowd erupts in song, singing a song of praise, defending their precious teams, which gives off an atmosphere that brings out feelings of pride, joy, and, of course, hatred like no other sporting event in this world today (Well, maybe pro wrestling).

What I wrote above might sound like an over exaggeration but honestly it’s not. So, I thank EA. I thank EA because they have near perfectly recreated the atmosphere of being at, and watching a soccer game in Fifa 2003. The only thing missing from Fifa 2003 are the crowd riots, the ugliest or most exciting part of a soccer game, depending on how you look at it. I can only dream that one a day, someone will completely capture the savageness of the fans at a soccer game. It can surprise a person to see how insane people go over a soccer game. In my personal experience, I’ve seen fights in a crowded café breakout, with people going as far as tossing chairs while screaming at the top of their lungs, just in the simple defense of their favorite team’s name. I don’t know of any other sport that can accomplish that sort of fan obsession, though it might just be a European thing.

Gameplay:

When on the field, in this newest Fifa title, you have more control over your selected player than ever. This is thanks to the utilization of both the GameCube’s analog sticks, with the right stick being utilized to give the game “ball control”. So now, when you’re attempting to run through a horde of players from the opposing team, you can kick the ball to the side of them avoiding their attempts to steal the ball from you, and when all is said and done, you still have possession of the ball. The slower you move, the more control you have over the ball, so if you are to press the R Trigger for a speed boost, you won’t be able to dribble the ball as skillfully. Considering that the same thing happens when you play soccer in real life, the closer to life it is, the better.

The use of the second analog stick in Fifa 2003 really changes the game from what we were used to, and some unfortunately won’t accept this change as warmly as someone like myself would. In heated multiplayer sessions one of my friends actually wanted me to stop using the second analog stick saying some like “Only bitches use the second stick to play Fifa, ‘cause they’re to crappy to play it the normal way”, that comment left me speechless, it just didn’t make any sense, but what can you do? Some people in this world are morons. The only thing that is really controlled completely by the game’s AI is the goalie, you’re control over him is limited aside from pressing the L trigger, which makes him charge at any opposing player with the ball.

Speaking of control, I really like how EA fine tuned this game for each console’s respective controllers. After playing both GameCube and Playstation 2 versions of Fifa 2003 extensively, I can say that both control flawlessly, with the button configuration adjusted to fit the GameCube’s odd, yet responsive, button layout. Seeing how I mentioned the Playstation 2 version, I’ve noticed that the AI has been upped considerably for the Cube version. In the GameCube version, when changing players, it automatically highlights the player that is in the best position to receive the ball, whereas in the PS2 version I’ve had much difficulty, often getting frustrated that a player not anywhere near the ball would get highlighted. That just really pissed me off.

One of the coolest things about Fifa 2003 is that before starting any game, you have the choice of choosing to play the game with simulation type rules and gameplay, or arcade. In simulation mode, all the rules of soccer apply, and the game is a bit slower paced than arcade; while in this mode, you can’t just change the direction of the ball without capturing it first, whereas in arcade mode you can. Arcade mode, is really just a simple, pick-up-and-play gameplay mode where practically anything goes. But, you should always be careful with those sliding tackles (You don’t ever want to be given a red card…).

EA has always been known to deliver a deep gaming experience with any sports game in their yearly line-up, and things haven’t changed. The season mode in Fifa 2003 is just as deep as ever, and, of course, the multiplayer mode keeps you coming back for more, and more, and more, which is easily the single best reason to go out and buy this game this very moment. With over 10,000 real life soccer superstars and 350 teams, Fifa 2003 is the most immersive and authentic Soccer experience on any gaming platform.

Visuals:

I guess you could say I was expecting a little bit too much from Fifa 2003, but the visual product on which I got my hands on is still respectable in every area.

The stadiums in Fifa 2003 are excellently designed to represent their real life counterparts, and seated within these stadiums are excellently animated crowds, which appear in the thousands. Even though the crowd is basically comprised of poorly rendered sprites, it comes off as a somewhat impressive feat just because of the numbers they appear in. The players themselves can look a bit blocky at times, but they are excellent replicas of their human counterparts, down to the smallest facial detail. Speaking of faces, Electronic Arts did an excellent job of giving the players emotions. Frustration can be seen when a shot is missed, and you can see the excitement in their eyes when a critical game is won.