F*cking Incredible Footballing Action 2001 edition (FIFA 2001 (PC))

Member Name: Del_Boy

Product:	FIFA 2001 (PC)
Date:	24/10/01 (72 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Graphics good, Sound is good, Playability in spades

Disadvantages: Not enough new stuff, not enough stadiums`

I wish I could say it was, but it's not. It is however a mighty fine game in it's own right.

You can guarantee that every year EA Sports will release another update to it's FIFA franchise. This is a year out of date; the new version is called shockingly FIFA 2002, an original name. This review centres on last years version of the game, and with it's inevitable budget release in the nearby future may be of help in helping you make a decision over whether this game is worth buying or not.

If you have played any FIFA game ever you will know that they are not known very much for innovation or changing vastly between releases. However I am pleased to say that there are enough differences in this incarnation to merit a purchase even if you have FIFA 2000.

First thing is the graphics engine has been noticeably updated, the players now look even better than ever with more and more frames of animation used to help give the game some fluidity of movement. The entire experience has been enhanced with this release, features such as more crowd movement - including some chanting, and sidelines that bustle with activity add to the spectacle even more. Many different selectable camera angles are selectable to suit your style of play. Personally I always play using the sideline cam zoomed in a little bit, it looks good and shows enough of the pitch in order to plan your attacks. What is bad from a graphical point of view, include the limited amount of stadiums included, and the player graphics whilst well animated don't always have good likenesses to the players themselves. The latter point can be rectified a little, as there is a player editor in the game that allows you to make custom players - so with a bit of perseverance you can make some players that bear better likenesses to the real ones.

Gameplay wise this game is pretty good, certainly about as good as the FIFA series has ever been. Though it's not a
patch on the gameplay of the classis ISS series, it is a definite step in the right direction. Along with all the old stepovers and flicks that this game has, there has been a refinement that helps to create smooth flowing attacking moves. That refinement has been better chesting and shielding of the ball, the aforementioned moves certainly help make this game better. There are several degrees of tackle available from the step in, to the slide in, to the downright dangerous types of tackles normally only exhibited by Roy Keane and Graham Le Saux.

A nice touch in this game is shown if you play a ball in the air towards a team mate who is reasonably near goal with their back to it. They will chest the ball up into the air, and then overhead kick it when the ball comes down. You can score some excellent goals using this method, you can then if you so wish save your goal for prosperity using the handy save option.

The game is comprehensive on the team front with no less than 50 international teams and 16 domestic leagues. Of course the teams may be a little out of date now, but thanks to the create a player option and a transfer system this doesn't detract from the game a great deal. You can after all always buy that player from one of the other clubs provided they are in this game! Don't expect any depth to the transfer system though, if you have the money you can buy the player, no player will refuse to come to your club, nor will any manager refuse to sell you the player.

Internet abilities in this game are pretty good, you can play games via the internet with another player and in my experience these games have always been pretty good fun. There is a central lobby for arranging match ups, though the game does seem a little hit and miss on whether or not it will load up at times for these match ups. This problem may have been fixed though - I haven't played online for a few months. Also these game is perfectly playab
le online via a 56k modem, so thumbs up for that.

System requirements I recommend:

P2 300 or above processor (minimum Pentium 166 MMX)
64 megs ram or higher (minimum 32)
8mb graphics card or higher (minimum 2!!)
A decent Joypad such as the sidewinder (4 is optimal for multiplayer, hehe)

There is commentary in this game, though it is pretty unremarkable so much so that you will probably turn it off after a few games. You can have the players shouting to each other as well, which is a good idea that if worked on and improved could help to get you into the game even more.

If you are into FIFA and have a PC that meets at least my recommended specs then this game could be a good purchase if you find it cheap. I would wait until at least FIFA 2002 comes out before making a purchasing decision though, it looks pretty good.

Kev

Summary: