Gameplay Today - Because You're Always Gaming

Since its first release for the Sega Mega drive in 1995 the Fifa series has been at the forefront of soccer games in the US and now in 2004 it returns with yet another classic version, this time its for the N-gage. Sporting game fans looking for action crammed games on Nokia’s device will know that they have a very limited selection of titles to chose from; but with EA sports latest edition of Fifa all that is about to change. Fifa 2004 has a surprisingly extensive number of teams, games, tournaments and features and still manages to be very accessible, so whatever your soccer preference Fifa 2004 is bound to cover it.

As with most of the games in the Fifa series players will once again have the option to play seasons in many leagues including the Premiership and 16 other national leagues. Also you have the option to take part in a host of tournaments which include the European Champions Cup, the EFA Trophy and the Americas Club Championship to name but just a few. And if all that is not enough for you it also has the option to play as your chosen international team in an international cup tournament.

Once you are in a game you will be able to select your chosen team out of a squad of 23 players, you can also select team strategies and formations which adds a personal touch to the game, this makes each match you play that little more exciting and emotional. Despite this game being very deep it thankfully has a relatively small learning curve and so there’s no tedious messing about, you are straight in and straight out hopefully with 3 points or a trophy under your belt. The matches themselves are extremely varied as there is a variety of pitch, match length and weather options available which all adds to the games realistic qualities.

The controls are relatively straight forward with the obvious options of passing, shooting, lobs, player select, tackling and hard tackling. The only negative part of the controls is the player select button which is sometimes hard to control and more often than not you will have to go through a series of players before you will get to the player you require, this can make some parts of the match very frustrating.

The game runs very smoothly and the graphics of the ball in play are great; especially whilst the ball is in the air where you can see it spinning and curling which again adds to its realism and thus draws you further in to the atmosphere of the game.

As you will all know, an important part of a soccer game is the audience participation and the commentary and this is where Fifa 2004 slips up a little, although the crowd effects are reasonable the game does miss not having any commentary which is unfortunate because this feature would really finish the game off well. Having said this; the sound options do let you differentiate between the crowd effects and the in game music (which in all fairness is not too bad) and this feature is so important especially in adding to the games realism.

This game is crammed full of features which opens up the possibilities of this game even more. I have already mentioned the extensive selection of teams, leagues and tournaments but as well as this it features an instant replay function so there’s no more waiting until the end of the game to watch your amazing goal…Again and again and again. But wait there’s more. The Bluetooth function on Fifa means that you will be able to play your opponents anytime and anyplace.

I have never really been one for soccer games and I don’t think that I ever will be. But the fact is: Fifa 2004 is a very extensive, fun and addictive game that excels in so many areas. It has great appeal and as it is on a hand held there’s no where that you can’t play it and so chances are that you will play it everywhere, all the time. So while it won't appeal to all, I say dig out those old soccer cleats, dust off your shorts and let’s play ball.

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