FIFA 2001
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Article Published: Tuesday, November
28, 2000 (Vol. 6 No. 231)
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Game Review By Alex Dennis
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| Publisher: Electronic Arts |
| Developer: EA Sports
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| Available Platforms: Playstation, Playstation 2, PC |
| Reviewed Platform: PC |
| Minimum System Requirements: P266, 32 MB RAM, 2MB video
card, 4X CDROM |
| Estimated Price: $40 |
| Category: Sports - Soccer |
| ESRB Rating: Everyone (E) |
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EA
has done it again! It's latest soccer title, FIFA 2001, promises
to be the best game of that genre for this upcoming year. The
graphics have definitely been improved and game play is the
smoothest ever. Sixteen soccer leagues come bundled with the
new software including the English Premier League, France's
LNF, the Spanish Primera League and US Major League Soccer.
In addition, more than 50 national teams have been included.
Before November of this year, all rosters for the teams represented
were up-to-date. With this wide range, your favorite team or
player is bound to be in there somewhere (mine are!). Game play
options include staging short Exhibition matches, playing through
a season of one of the available leagues, constructing your
own tournaments, and sharpening your skills in the Training
Mode. Anybody can play anybody, so if you ever wondered how
a national team, say Jamaica, would match up against an English
Premier League team, say Manchester United, you'll get the answer
right here.
Last year's title FIFA 2000 (or should I say this year's) was
a bit of an upset. EA Sports tried unsuccessfully to re-style
its FIFA series by looking at soccer from an American angle,
replacing the European style presented in its previous titles
(it's full name was actually FIFA 2000 MLS, being modeled after
US major league soccer, and hence instead dividing a match into
halves, they did it in quarters, etc). Their reason for doing
so, was probably based on the apparent fact that the FIFA series
wasn't doing particularly well in the USA when compared with
other countries and so the change was supposed to appeal to
US gamers. It also, surprisingly left online multiplayer options
out of the game. I can still remember 
how
devastated some of my fellow Jamaican gamers were when last
year's game was released and many vowed never to buy a FIFA
game ever again. I hope they didn't mean it though because EA
Sports has learnt its lesson well, and finally the English accents
are back (Hooray! J), along with online play. All in all, the
game options and the object of the game haven't changed much,
but the combination of great graphics and easier play make FIFA
2001 worth looking into.
Ratings (on a scale of one to five)
Graphics
(*****): I was playing FIFA 2001 with my brother one night
when my friend stepped into the room, quickly glanced at the
computer screen and said, "I didn't know that you could watch
TV on your computer, when did you guys buy a TV Tuner." Need
I say more?
Interface (*****): The game runs smoothly,
without any hitches and the menus are the best I've seen for
quite sometime. I guarantee that you'll have no problems figuring
them out.
Game play (****): I played my first EA
FIFA game in1998, and although this year's title isn't much
different from the 98, 99 and 2000 versions in terms of game
play, I think 2001 is significantly the best of them all.
Multiplayer (****): It allows up to four
players and as I said earlier online play is back.
Sound FX (****): The varying noise level
of the crowd was notably the best sound effect of the game and
it added a lot of excitement. English commentators John Motson
and Mark Lawrence are also back from their vacation last year
(when EA switched to American commentating in FIFA 2000) to
add extra flavor to the each match.
Musical Score (****): This year's theme
song is the remix of Moby's "Bodyrock." If you've never heard
of it, that makes two of us, but still I think it's the best
theme ever incorporated into a FIFA game. Even after listening
to it countless times I'm still dancing to the tune.
Overall (****): I give this game two thumbs
up. Although not wholly original, it's fun and that's what 
really
matters and I wasn't the only one who thought so:
"TUFF! TUFF! TUFF! As a soccer player myself,
I think this game depicts the sport extremely well" - Ralston
Carnegie
"I was one of those devastated fans last year,
when the FIFA game changed it's nationality, it's good to see
EA come back to its proper senses" - Shane
Dennis
For further reading on FIFA 2001 go to EA
Sport's website, where you'll also be able to obtain the
FREE DEMO. Remember, if you have a special game that you want
to see reviewed, or just have questions or suggestions, feel
free to e-mail me
or ICQ me at UIN# 70293582.
