Can you believe that EA have been producing FIFA games for over 10 years? I remember back at the beginning, seeing FIFA for the first time at ECTS for the Megadrive and thinking “WOW”, now fast forward to the present day and I am currently playing the game on the Xbox, my thoughts this time are “They’ve done it again”. It seems like EA release an updated version ever year with just a few enhancements and on most occasions you would think to yourself “why bother buying this one when I have last years” but this years version is different in many ways, with the main feature being LIVE, so can FIFA stay at the top of its game or will it be heading for the relegation zone?

Gameplay:

FIFA offers four areas of football entertainment – Instant, Tournament, Career and LIVE. Instant is your friendly matches where you can choose from over 350 official teams from 18 different league licences including the English Premiership and Football League, the German Bundesliga, French and Spanish LFP as well as 38 national teams. The Tournaments consists of the major cup competitions you would associate with each of the different leagues and main focus of FIFA is the “Career” mode. This feature allows you to become the manager of a team where you will need to constantly improve your staff which in turn will boost your players’ abilities. You will also be able to dabble in the transfer market which has approx. 15,000 players to bid, scout or check out their personal bios. Like all management, results are all that the directors of the club are interested in and you can choose between playing the actual match or simulating it, with the results after the match affecting your team and players morale, fitness levels and league position. The management side is not on the scale of Championship Manager but is a nice break from the regular play.

As mentioned earlier, FIFA 05 has been improved since last year’s offer. How? For starters, you no longer feel like it only takes a few passes to take it from one end of the field to the other with such ease that the final touch will automatically become a goal, in fact FIFA allows you to let the players perform first touch passes, shots or lobs which makes the beautiful game of football flow. You can make players run ahead for thru balls which can have a devastating effect on the oppositions defence. The A.I. of your players and the opposing side has been tweaked to make them more effective and aware of the ball. No longer will you see the ball pass one of your players as he watches it roll by without even bothering to put a foot out to stop it. Every player is affected by his fitness and a considerable decline in the player’s movement and accuracy is noticeable as the match progress. Another position on the pitch that seems to have been made more realistic is the goalkeepers. No longer are they supermen who can perform impossible saves but instead are more human and will let in goals and make mistakes. Passing, shooting and defending have all been improved to allow you to have more control than any other previous versions of the game. Controlling your players has to be the most vital aspect to the game and as far as I’m concerned, this has been done in such a way that all abilities are accessible very easily and with no confusion, unlike some other football games where you might need to be an octopus to perform the simple task of passing.

Last but not least there is LIVE. This is not your usual LIVE service as this is being run by EA but unlike a previous game of EA, this game does not suffer from disastrous lag. You are able to compete in online tournaments, challenge other players around the world from one of many online lobbies or just go for a quick match where you will be pitted against another player instantly. You can play ranked or unranked games and all of your stats are figured out for you, from how many corners you have taken to how well you pass and tackle. LIVE has everything for the true football fanatic.

Graphics:

FIFA has always been a good looking football game and has never been questionable, this year is no different. The players resemble their real life counterparts quite accurately even done to their jewellery, though I always thought Ronaldo had a plaster covering his ear-ring but in this game, he doesn’t. The named stadiums have been recreated exactly whilst lower league teams seem to have been given a default poor looking stadium. More stadiums can be unlocked with the use of credits that are given to your profile after every match you play in all modes except LIVE. The uniforms are identical with team logos and sponsors with more kits available to purchase in the FIFA Store. The animation of the players on the pitch is very smooth with no jerkiness or break up. There are several camera views in which you can play the game in case you ever get bored with the default setting of ‘Tele’.

Sound:

All EA Sport titles have a vast arrangement of songs featuring some of today’s hottest music talent including the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Faithless, Paul Oakenfold and Scissor Sisters. More songs can be bought or unlocked by using the credits you have accumulated through the various game modes. The match game is commentated by John Motson and Ally McCoist with superb interaction between the two of them. Of course after many games, you will recognize a few lines being repeated but this doesn’t detract the atmosphere from the game. The crowds are what make games great and you can hear them chanting your team name, applauding good play and when time is running out, the crowd will build itself into a frenzy…..just like the real thing.

Longevity:

With the attraction of the ‘Career’ mode lasting over 15 seasons, several tournaments and the inclusion of LIVE, this game will last as long as you want it to last. It’s a sport title which means there is no dramatic ending.

Round Up:

Football is football. You either love it or hate it, of course if you loved it than you wouldn’t be buying this game. This years FIFA has been improved so much over last years version that you will be instantly impressed. Rent it out if you don’t believe me or in case you are a certain fan of another type of football game. The LIVE is a welcome support for this game that many have been crying out for and have now got it. FIFA ’05 is a worthy addition to anyone’s collection but as they say…”It’s a funny old game”

Pros:

• LIVE
  
• Excellent Soundtrack & Commentary
  
• Plenty of items to unlock.