What is it with us gamers that makes us suckers for updates? Sequels coming out of our ears every year, updates to franchises and most of all, why are sport games so popular? Is it really the fact that we can't be arsed to get out and play ourselves? Well, for me i'd say yes, but i can't speak for everyone. EA are the franchise kings of the new millennium and it finally seems that they're listening to what us gamers want. Tiger Woods 2004 was a genuine update to a fantastic game, so have they fared as successfully with FIFA 2004?

Gameplay:

I’m crap at football in real life. So if this was a true simulation, i'd be crap at FIFA 2004 as well. Thankfully i’m not, so i'm considering taking my Xbox joypad with me next time i play for real. Which will probably be never. Moving swiftly on with the review then, I hate going on about yearly updates to games and sequels because for the most, they just seem like soulless cash-ins that the marketing department saw as big sellers first time round so why not release a second game. The customers won't realise it's the same game with a few added stats here and there with new box art. Well, it's up to us, as gamers to tell them what is worth buying and what can never be spoken about again by using our buying power. EA really seem to have taken note of what needs to be done to justify spending another £40 on a franchises' yearly update because FIFA 2004 ain't half bad.

First off, we'll address one of the new features in this edition, namely the Off-The-Ball-Play. The idea is simple; empower the player with more control over the team and the enjoyment of the game will increase. Basically, a flick of a button allows you to select three players on your side. From this selection you can choose one of the three to pass to. Once the type of pass has been chosen you are given control over said player and can make a run yourself instead of the AI doing it for you, hopefully getting on the end of it and rushing to the area to untold glory and... Well, it's a nice idea in principle but it will take a while to get used to. Actually, it's damn hard to get used to and doesn't work quite how you'd hope. This system is for supreme control freaks that need every player exactly where they want them and with practice, it'll come. I've played equally as well using this tactic as I have without and for ease of gameplay; i'd prefer to not use it. But you may be different, and that's the good point; it's there for you to use if you want to.

The set piece play has been tweaked, you now have a three button press system which controls power and accuracy, the spin direction is taken care of with a huge picture of a football that spins in the appropriate direction when moved with the right thumbstick. It is fairly easy to use and it does provide some impressive looking shots but there just seems to be a lot of excessive control systems implemented in this update which make some situations harder to be in.

No self respecting sports sim is complete without some sort of career mode and the FIFA 2004 has a very competent and fun one indeed. You can choose a team from pretty much any league you can think of and guide them to glory by training, buying/selling and playing your team of likely lads to superstardom. It's not as in-depth as say, Championship Manager but then it never makes the mistake of trying to be. It's lightweight but fun and will keep you entertained for hours on end. Online multiplayer is unfortunately not present for reasons i'm not going to go into here because i'm sure you know why. Akin to a comedy 'slip up as you take the penalty kick' situation. Fingers crossed for next year, anyway.

Graphics:

One place that the FIFA series never fails to disappoint is the sheer content of the player database. The fact that you can tell who's on the ball by the way that they look or move is just amazing. The animation is smooth and effective and the way you watch them move in replays is an extremely nice touch. Seeing your team fight it out in the area as an in-swinging ball comes in gives you a nice feeling. It goes a long way to making you think that the rest of your players really are working as a team. Stadiums and crowds have been improved along with everything else and look cleaner and sharper. As a whole, the game looks very nice indeed, sharper and more fluid that it’s previous iterations.

Sound:

Again, the commentary stands up well with good old John Motson and his sidekick Ally McCoist providing action related commentary. It does slip up occasionally but on the whole it is an accurate representation of what you see on the pitch. Crowd noises are absolutely fantastic, dependent on what team you choose, you're likely to hear the specific chants of that team from the crowd. It may not sound like much but it adds so much to the atmosphere of the game. As usual there are a number of licensed songs in the game from bands such as Radiohead, The Stone Roses and amazingly, The Jam. A great soundtrack to play a game to.

Longevity:

FIFA 2004 will last you as long as you want to keep playing it. There is a lot to do in the single player game, but multiplayer is where the best fun is to be had. Get some friends round for an evening, set up a tournament and just enjoy the immense amount of fun this brings.

Overall:

Some of you may be wondering why I haven't mentioned FIFA 2004's arch-rival, Pro Evolution Soccer. Well, while technically the better game of the two, Pro Evolution Soccer is not out on our big black box so it seems pointless to me to compare the two. You may think differently to me but you'd be wrong so don't even start. FIFA 2004 must be compared to other games on this system, and is the pick of the bunch so far. It is a worthy addition to your games collection if you're a football fan but you may not like the new gameplay aspects (Ade!) or you may not want to shell out another £40 for an update of last years game. I enjoyed playing this more than the previous FIFA games but if you're unsure, give it a rent first.