12th February 2003, 11:07 AM
FIFA Soccer 2002 Review
By Derek Miller
Gameplay
FIFA's gameplay has only seen small improvements every year but the 2002 version includes perhaps the most significant improvement yet. The passing system has been changed so you now have the ability to pass the ball into space, and hopefully into the path of one of your sprinting teammates. This was a much needed addition to the series and significantly improves the gameplay of FIFA. However, FIFA still pales in the realism department to the International Superstar Soccer series and has an arcady feel to it. Also, even though the passing system has been changed, the computer AI still makes pinpoint passes straight to their players. Even on the lowest difficulty you will rarely see the computer make an errant pass. Once you play the game enough, though, it becomes fairly easy to defeat the computer. It's the fun of playing with 3 other people that makes the game really shine, though. You can fool computer AI, but playing against human opponents always presents a new challeng! e. EA has made many moves much easier to pull off in FIFA 2002. One-touches, stepovers, and one-two passes are now very easy to execute. One move they actually made harder, however, is the bicycle kick. Earlier FIFA games made this move much too easy to pull off and it's good to see that EA made it much harder to due, thus making it more realistic. One glaring change from previous versions would be the lack of in-game formation changes. Earlier versions allowed you to change your formations on the fly during gameplay. FIFA 2002, however, forces you to pause the game and change your formation in the menu. Not only does this interrupt the flow of the game but it also allows any human opponents you are playing against to see what formation you choose! Who knows why EA took this feature out of the game but hopefully it goes back in for next year's version. The ball physics in the game also seem to act a bit strange at times. A ball lobed into the air will miraculously change spe! ed and come to rest in front of the player it was going towards. There is also no training or penalty kick mode, two features that were included in previous versions. Although there is a Season mode, it does not allow you to call up young players or perform very many general manager duties. Transfers are pretty much the extent of the general manager duties you have. The game appears to be rushed since it has been stripped down but the features that were included are still pretty good.
Graphics
FIFA 2002 is probably the best looking soccer game out there right now. Although the actual gameplay is set from a distance away from the field and the players are small, the in-game animations are great. The players are modeled beautifully, even though the legs on all of them look pretty much the same. When it rains in the game you can really see this reflected on the players. They really do look soaked. You can also see them sweating when playing during the day. The shadows of the players are also top-notch and easily surpass the Playstation 2 version. Crowd animations are great and really make it look like you are really at a soccer game. One perplexing thing is that the crowd will chant for both teams, something pretty surprising for supposed home games. Some of the team uniforms are incorrect, as well, but it will probably only be noticed by the most hardcored soccer fans. The faces of the players are easy to distinguish and show great emotion. You can really feel the p! ain of a player when a slide-tackle takes his legs out or feel the frustration of the goalie when a teammate of his scores an own goal. Own goals are probably the funniest moment in the game. I suggest you score one just to watch the reactions of the players and announcers.
Sound
FIFA 2002 is once again announced by John Motson and joining him is Nottingham Forest's Andy Gray. They do an excellent job of commentary but it does get old pretty fast. Chances are after two or three games you will already start hearing some repeated statements from them. FIFA 2002 does include support for Dolby Pro Logic which sounds great on a decent surround sound system. You really feel like you are in the game with this feature. One quible with the sound is the crowd. They will inexplicabley cheer for both teams for some reason. I guess this is just a small problem and most people won't notice it but it is a problem nonetheless.
Replay Value
Although FIFA 2002 is seriously stripped down, multiplayer and the new unlockable tournamanet system make for a pretty good replay value. Multiplayer will always be fun as long as you have a few people to play with. And the World Cup Qualification mode, although it doesn't let you play in the actual World Cup Tournament, does unlock some pretty cool tournaments. Just name a big soccer tournament and chances are you can unlock it in FIFA 2002.
Conclusion
FIFA 2002 is a great multiplayer game and it will satisfy your soccer game needs for the time being. However, soccer purists will find the game lacking in many areas, and may want to wait until ISS or the next version of FIFA.
Total score: 7.9
By Derek Miller
Gameplay
FIFA's gameplay has only seen small improvements every year but the 2002 version includes perhaps the most significant improvement yet. The passing system has been changed so you now have the ability to pass the ball into space, and hopefully into the path of one of your sprinting teammates. This was a much needed addition to the series and significantly improves the gameplay of FIFA. However, FIFA still pales in the realism department to the International Superstar Soccer series and has an arcady feel to it. Also, even though the passing system has been changed, the computer AI still makes pinpoint passes straight to their players. Even on the lowest difficulty you will rarely see the computer make an errant pass. Once you play the game enough, though, it becomes fairly easy to defeat the computer. It's the fun of playing with 3 other people that makes the game really shine, though. You can fool computer AI, but playing against human opponents always presents a new challeng! e. EA has made many moves much easier to pull off in FIFA 2002. One-touches, stepovers, and one-two passes are now very easy to execute. One move they actually made harder, however, is the bicycle kick. Earlier FIFA games made this move much too easy to pull off and it's good to see that EA made it much harder to due, thus making it more realistic. One glaring change from previous versions would be the lack of in-game formation changes. Earlier versions allowed you to change your formations on the fly during gameplay. FIFA 2002, however, forces you to pause the game and change your formation in the menu. Not only does this interrupt the flow of the game but it also allows any human opponents you are playing against to see what formation you choose! Who knows why EA took this feature out of the game but hopefully it goes back in for next year's version. The ball physics in the game also seem to act a bit strange at times. A ball lobed into the air will miraculously change spe! ed and come to rest in front of the player it was going towards. There is also no training or penalty kick mode, two features that were included in previous versions. Although there is a Season mode, it does not allow you to call up young players or perform very many general manager duties. Transfers are pretty much the extent of the general manager duties you have. The game appears to be rushed since it has been stripped down but the features that were included are still pretty good.
Graphics
FIFA 2002 is probably the best looking soccer game out there right now. Although the actual gameplay is set from a distance away from the field and the players are small, the in-game animations are great. The players are modeled beautifully, even though the legs on all of them look pretty much the same. When it rains in the game you can really see this reflected on the players. They really do look soaked. You can also see them sweating when playing during the day. The shadows of the players are also top-notch and easily surpass the Playstation 2 version. Crowd animations are great and really make it look like you are really at a soccer game. One perplexing thing is that the crowd will chant for both teams, something pretty surprising for supposed home games. Some of the team uniforms are incorrect, as well, but it will probably only be noticed by the most hardcored soccer fans. The faces of the players are easy to distinguish and show great emotion. You can really feel the p! ain of a player when a slide-tackle takes his legs out or feel the frustration of the goalie when a teammate of his scores an own goal. Own goals are probably the funniest moment in the game. I suggest you score one just to watch the reactions of the players and announcers.
Sound
FIFA 2002 is once again announced by John Motson and joining him is Nottingham Forest's Andy Gray. They do an excellent job of commentary but it does get old pretty fast. Chances are after two or three games you will already start hearing some repeated statements from them. FIFA 2002 does include support for Dolby Pro Logic which sounds great on a decent surround sound system. You really feel like you are in the game with this feature. One quible with the sound is the crowd. They will inexplicabley cheer for both teams for some reason. I guess this is just a small problem and most people won't notice it but it is a problem nonetheless.
Replay Value
Although FIFA 2002 is seriously stripped down, multiplayer and the new unlockable tournamanet system make for a pretty good replay value. Multiplayer will always be fun as long as you have a few people to play with. And the World Cup Qualification mode, although it doesn't let you play in the actual World Cup Tournament, does unlock some pretty cool tournaments. Just name a big soccer tournament and chances are you can unlock it in FIFA 2002.
Conclusion
FIFA 2002 is a great multiplayer game and it will satisfy your soccer game needs for the time being. However, soccer purists will find the game lacking in many areas, and may want to wait until ISS or the next version of FIFA.
Total score: 7.9