It’s almost upon us and the floodgates have opened for videogame publishers to release their UEFA 2004 tie-ins. Here we have the official EA creation – UEFA 2004 Portugal. Looking very much like FIFA 2004, the UEFA version takes the engine and seemingly most of the original game and transplants it from the league-based action we know to the all important competition style of the upcoming event. Essentially it seems like a cut-down version of FIFA, but there are different modes of play and the polish that EA have down to a fine art is ever present here.

Gameplay:

With the official UEFA license under their belts, EA have been able to create (with the exception of Holland for some bizarre reason) all teams that were able to take part in the qualifying stages of the cup and allow you to take one of these teams to European glory. Players, for the large part, look as they should and the models seem improved over FIFA 2004, but unless you look hard enough it’s not immediately apparent.

Disappointingly, the ‘Off the Ball’ control is back to haunt me. For a genuinely simple game such as FIFA (and I don’t mean that in a bad way) to have an infuriatingly complex and unnecessary way of playing that only a squid could use perfectly, puts off a lot of the fan base and does nothing to come close to the gameplay of Pro Evolution Soccer. It requires you to press a combination of buttons and twiddle the right analogue stick to make a forward run with a player whilst also controlling the player on the ball then passing to said forward. I know you don’t have to use it but to use such a complex control system and fanfare seems to alienate a lot of people.

When in competition mode you have access to your players you chose when qualifying for the cup final knockout stages (if you got there) and players have morale based on how well they performed in the last match, whether they are being picked for games etc and does seem to have a slight effect on they way players perform off the ball. Aware of the sparse single player options once the main competition has been played out, EA have included various game modes ranging from the usual 1 v 1 games which can now feature home and away legs if desired, to the more fun fantasy style, allowing you to choose your ultimate team from all players in Europe.

Graphics:

Again, true to EA form, the game looks great. As said before, the player models are looking increasingly like their real-life counterparts and there are the official stadiums in Portugal and a few others from Europe thrown in for good measure for you to play in. The players look good when moving and the new overhead kicks and general animation is some of the best around. Nice lighting effects depending on what time of day you play are impressive and complement the whole feel of the game very well. Frustratingly however, UEFA 2004 suffers from an immensely schizophrenic frame rate which is even more prevalent than in FIFA 2004. It is very noticeable and the gameplay suffers as a result. Sort it out EA!

Also the commentary duo that graced our speakers in FIFA 2004 are back, Ally McCoist and the great John Motson belt out line after line of mostly accurate commentary. It does become repetitive after a while, but is good enough for the length of the game. The stadium sounds are very well implemented, if you’re playing as England, you’ll have fans chanting appropriately. Small detail, big difference in atmosphere.

Lifespan:

Unfortunately, if you already own FIFA 2004, it’d be a committed person to splash out on UEFA 2004 as well. The two games are very similar and without the lack of LIVE! play, it will last you around the same time as the tournament itself. I guess that’s when FIFA 2005 will come out?

Overall:

Well, it’s up to you. If you don’t own FIFA 2004 and want to play the best of what is currently available on the XBOX then UEFA 2004 might bee a good investment. If you play with friends then it’ll last as long as you have interest in it. There is not enough new content to really justify the price tag, it’s more of an add-on pack than a new game in its own right, but then again most of EA games are.