7.11.2003

So I sat back with anticipation as Fifa 2004 loaded up for the first time on my Xbox. Now I've been playing footy games for quite a few years now, across pretty much all the platforms. Still for me nothing comes up to the level of pleasure and enjoyment I got when I played Sensible soccer all those years ago, and still now and again. So every time I play a new footy game for the first time, I have that little glimmer of hope that this will be the game that takes me back to the days where I actually felt like I was running around on that pitch.Lets face it, Fifa has never made anything near the ultimate footy game, realism has always meant to Fifa having all the right names, teams, stadiums,and the like. All this stuff is extremely important, don't get me wrong, but the gameplay whilst being ok has never completely blown me away.Now lets get on to Fifa 2004. Now this honestly feels different to any Fifa game I've played to date. All the usual stuff is there, improved from the previous installment of course. But the first thing that strikes me is the camera angle is different. You seem to be a bit further away from the pitch, now I like this! I hate footy games that put you too close to the play and don't let you see what is going on around you. I want to be able to see all player I could pass to, not have to hit blind passes in the hope that a player will be there. Of course you can change the camera angle to suit your preference. I liked the 'broadcast' camera angle too, it is quite realistic, almost looks like a real game of footy! Nice!Ok, so it looks good.... But what about the game play. The basics are the same as the previous Fifa 2003, but with quite a few extra touches that make a massive leap forward in playability. These extra touches aren't going to be mastered overnight, but when they do come off they work extremely well, look realistic and give you a great feeling of achievement. I've seen people right the 'off the ball ' feature off in other reviews as unusable and a waste of time. Of course it is when you haven't mastered out how to use it yet!! Ok, I'll admit, it takes a lot of time to get to grips with all the controls, off the ball movements, free kicks, etc. But if you stick with it, then you'll have found yourself a very enjoyable, playable and realistic game of football.This must be the point where I rip PES3 apart. Well no actually, this is a great game too in its own right. It plays completely different to Fifa, and requires an equal amount of time to master the controls and get to a point where control becomes second nature, but this doesn't make one game better than another. One style of game might suit one person better than another, this will probably make you a Fifa or PES man.... Luckily for me I think they're both pretty good. I would really like to see PES on the Xbox though. Well after all that, if I'm honest they've both got a long way to go as far as making the 'ultimate' footy game.. but they're both going in the right direction, which can only be good news for us all.

29.2.2004

So, 'Fifa' is back with yet another football game and this certainly is the best football game you could possibly think of buying for the 'xbox'. The big question is, is the gameplay realistic, fun and easier to play in every way? The answer would have to be maybe.You're going to notice that now it's going to be nearly impossible to run past 6 players and shoot in the middle of the goal box. The defence of the AI has now become so good that it should be nearly impossible to enter the enemy box making most of your shots from just outside the box and hoping the enemy goal keeper not to catch your ever speeding ball. The thing is that in real life,most cases if you shoot from outside the box the goalkeeper should be able to catch it more than easily but in the game the keeper has quite a hard time because he's too slow. You're also going to need a lot of patience and pass the ball around a lot if you want to score which is not too hard for me. In fact I think that this adds a lot to the realism however... I really do think that it should be maybe just a bit easier to run past players or even pass through players.Ive also noticed that the passing apears too well... perfect, when you pass a ball the receiver does not normally start dribbling with it so quickly or create a perfectly accurate one touch pass...The new off-the-ball feature I personally find useless. It could be great but to tell you the truth it's nearly impossible to control especially since you're going to be looking at the player who does not have the ball and normally end up being tackled by the enemy who'll create a counter attack. The worst aspect of off-the-ball is that the computer AI tend to know exactly what to do and easily get past your defenders, especially in professional and world-class difficulty which I play because semi-pro is too easy after a week.The set pieces however work great, Fifa gives you an option of 3 different methods to try scoring unless it's a close freekick or penalty.As usual Fifa have given us great accuracy in terms of player and team accuracy. EA have also given you up to 10,000 players to choose from and play with. Now we also have some of the lower league clubs as well as the world-class clubs. Career mode is a great new feature in Fifa 2004 which let's you choose any team and compete in that league as well as certain cups. The transfer market is easy to use. You'll earn prestige points for completing objectives which can vary from avoiding relegation to qualifying for Europe depending on which club you choose. Your prestige points will be used for training and have a part in buying players from other teams.You'll also have quite a nice team management system which you can use during matches.The graphics and sound have yet again improved from last years Fifa and provide you with mud on clothes, swift smooth movement of players and quite accurate character models. The sound will help you enjoy your play with quite good commentating and nice sound affects of the hitting of a football into the net.

27.10.2003

OK FIFA is one of those games that comes around every year and gets bought by thousands regardless of its quality. Over the last few years it's been brushed aside by "real" footie fans for more worthy simulation style games such as Pro Evolution Soccer 2 on the PS2. FIFA 2003 took a step in the right direction by trying to react "real" football but fell a few yards short.FIFA 2004 puts this right in what is the most ambitious update in the franchises history. The emphasis on passing, teamwork and off the ball runs really makes the game feel like football should. The freestyle moves of last year have also been improved and relate directly to the real player's ability - something which works

26.11.2003

Now this is a review from a follower of the PES series, and whilst i always buy FIFA to take a look first hand at what i could be missing, it often gets returned within a week. So i approached this version with caution.FIFA 2004 has borrowed a few ideas from Championship Manager this time round, as when you start up you select which team you support and it shows shirts and other pictures of your club in the background. A nice touch. Thankfully the gameplay has taken an overhaul from previously dire attempts, and it's now possible to have a decent kick about without the score line becoming unrealistic. Alot of work has to be done to match up with PES3 i can assure you,

24.10.2003

Just got FIFA 2004, and I'm astounded by the number of changes in this version. Usually you got the odd tweak and the teams updated but EA have actually listened to fans moans and tried to do something about most of them. Firstly, the teams. Div 1,2 and 3 teams with the ability to get promoted is a real plus, especially if you support a lower league side. The negatives are the international line up is poor, EA should revert to fifa 98 when all the national sides were present and you could steer them to euro/world cup glory. Why this hasnt appeared since really annoys me, and surely globally the game would appeal even more. The ability to choose who made it into the international squad was also great and I'd love to this back in,

3.12.2003

I have to admit, I didn't like 2003 so I was wary of getting this, but from the moment i turned it on I was very impressed. They have thought of everything this time - and these little things add to your enjoyment.E.g. You can choose the kit you play inThe cheering for the away team is quieter when you scoreThe crowd jump up and remonstrate if they don't like a decisionMotson & McCoist's commentary is very realistic as they just seem to talk generally about things during the game - as in a real game - there are no 'couldn't hit a cows backside with a banjo' moments here.Most decisions are replayed, and highlights come on at halftime and the end of a game - excellent when you're playing your mates.The gameplay looks impressive - moves flow,

20.4.2004

Inital reportWell, the people at EA Sports certainly have not sat back all winter and been watching Lord of the Rings, itseems they have been using their fingers like Paula Radcliffe uses legs when completing the perfect Marathon.Has it fundamentally changed? No! It is a football game there is only so much you can do to the beautiful game,unless of course you are American, and then you can situate it in the streets of Harlem and pretend you havecreated a whole new sport, have they not heard of Five-A-Side!The Graphics is Arcade standard and there is clarity of movement. FIFA 2002 was ground breaking andFIFA 2003 followed in a less profound evolutionary step.

22.12.2003

WOW!! some say this game is rubbish but it is da best game for footie fans on da box. The new career mode is brilliant where u can take a division 1,2 and 3 side 2 da prem!! U can do dat with Spanish, German, Scottish and Italian teams as well. The shooting is fantastic,i scored a brilliant 40yds shot with Crespo. (U must buy Crespo, he has da best shots on da game!!)The graphics r da best ever!! The crowd r so realistic!! Da stadiums look so realistic even da division 1, 2 and 3 teams!! Da kits r all up 2 date as well!!! And da players look like a photo cause they r so realistic!! In fifa 2003 u say i want dat player and u get him straight away, but in fifa 2004 they might reject ur offer,

3.11.2003

It was with extreme caution and curiosity that I bought FIFA 2004 from the store. I last played it on Sega Megadrive and remembered how unresponsive it was. However, the prospect of playing with an officially endorsed Leicester City in a player manager career mode made me take the risk.And.....it was worth it!! The official club strips, player names & teams is great. The career mode is just great. I will get Ronaldo playing for City. The graphics, particularly on Xbox, are second to none. Yet, the most important aspect is gameplay. This is where previous FIFA's have fallen down. This one is good in this respect. But not great. The players do respond well, and you can put together remarkable moves.

25.2.2004

Well the start of another year and a new Fifa footbal game hits the shelfs!, Is it any good? read on and find out!.I have always been a fan of the Fifa series of footbal games with the fully licensed kits and players really adding to the games overall quality feel.The graphics are some of the best for a football game i have seen on any console!, The players really do look like they do in real life!,Check out Paul Scholes the similarity is amazing.The ball physics are great and it really flies round the pitch like a real football would and you can even add spin to your shots from freekicks now.There is also a Career mode now so you can take nearly any team from any division (foreign and domestic)

30.10.2003

Get this game as its the best football game on the XBOX. The game is so real and it has fantastic graphics. I aint played it on PS2 but I'm sure its better on the XBOX.You can train players to be faster during the season and during the preseason. For Example I bought Obafermi Martins of FC Internazionale and I increased his pace to 96.You can't do too much and you can't just sell your'e players to who ever as other teams have to buy players off you.You can also be Nationwide teams and you can be Spanish and Italian lower league teams as well.The game has all the new kits and players play for their right team like =David Beckham plays for Real MadridCristiano Ronaldo plays for Manchester

28.10.2003

I just got FIFA 2004 over the weekend and started playing immediately. Initially, the game looked so different from FIFA 2003 and I was quite taken back. But as I pick up after playing for about 8 hours, the game seems so much better than FIFA 2003. Rather than take part in a huge debate and wasting time discussing whether PES3 or FIFA 04 is better, I went on web and the tips and strategies in the forums will benefit all struggling players like myself.Pros: By the way, the gameplay is great and so flexible that you can do almost anything you like in the field.Cons: AI is challenging but tend to favor the through ball in the center rather than attacking through the wings.

31.12.2003

I first asked my mates what they thought of it, they thought it was ****! One said he prefers Pro Evolution 2 for the PS2, he bought Fifa 2004 and said it moved really slowly and the graphics were rubbish etc, so I ignored most things he said and got it for my Xbox anyway, well what can I say, except I like it!The only fault I can find with this game is when you can make the other players run with the thumbstick, it's hard to watch where you're running and also watch where you're making the other players go. But other than that, the gameplay if fairly similar to Fifa 2003, goal scoring is a lot harder than on 2003 and with the lower league teams now available,

3.11.2003

Thats all I can say.I have bought every version of FIFA ever released, be it for what ever console i had at the time.This is the best footie game ive ever played, it was a littel difficult to pick up compared to other fifas, but its just soooooooo good.i wish i cud give it more than 5 stars, EA deserve a medal.Well done to themand well done to amazon for making ht price £10 cheaper than anywhere else.

29.11.2003

fifa 2004 is the bset fifa yet, the career is sensational and keeps you wanting to play more and more. the gameplay itself is very good and the off ball control is very impressive. lots of tornauments and cups to compete in, bring yeovil to the premiership or take arsenal down to division three(yes). defifnitely the bset football game out.

FIFA Football 2004 (Xbox) - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail