N-gage users around the world rejoiced when Fifa 2004 was released last year and it’s not surprising when you consider the sheer lack of sporting games that were available for the device at the time. But is it time to celebrate once more, as the follow up to last years Fifa game finally arrives on the N-Gage platform?
Like last year’s game; Fifa 2005 still contains an extensive number of teams, games and tournaments as well as the addition of new countries and many new amazing features.
Once again gamers have the option to play seasons in many different leagues including the Premiership and 25 other national leagues. Also you have the option to take part in a host of tournaments which include the English Cup, The Scottish FA Cup 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. A nice new addition to Fifa 2005 is the Challenge Mode games. There are three games available with many different challenges in each:
The Come Back Challenge: In these games you must try and re-create some of the most legendary come backs ever. For example:
- “Chelsea FC are a goal down at London rivals Arsenal in the 2004 ECC Quarter-finals with 40 minutes left. Chelsea won the quarter-final.”
- The Rout Challenge: In this set of games you must try to re-create some of the most impressive wins to date:
- “AC Milan are level with Deportivo at one each in the EEC quarter-final. AC Milan won the match by 3 goals…Can you?”
The third challenge is a custom mode where you must create your own challenge and see if you can lead your team to victory. Another new and welcomed addition to the game is the Career mode. In this mode you compete with and manage a team over a five year period. You must take your chosen club to national and international glory whilst earning manager prestige points by playing well, winning and meeting seasons objectives along the way.
Once you are in a game and have chosen your team you will be able to select your squad from up to 23 players, you can also select team strategies and formations which adds a nice personal touch to the game especially when combined with the career mode, this makes each match you play that little more exciting and emotional which was an element that was slightly lacking in last years Fifa game for the N-Gage.
There have been some welcomed adjustments to the controls in Fifa 2005. Nokia have added the ability to execute 1-2 passes by holding down the ‘7’ key as well as enabling you to charge your goal keeper which was an element that Fifa 2004 for the N-Gage needed so badly. The ability to use through balls has also been added to the game; this is controlled by the previously un-assigned ‘6’ key and really does improve the game-play for this game drastically. Other than these new additions the controls are the same as the previous game with the options of passing, shooting, lobs, player select, tackling and hard tackling. Despite these fairly comprehensive controls the game is still very accessible and has a relatively small learning curve.
Another enhancement that has been added is a radar so you can see where your other players and the opposition are around the pitch. This is definitely a well needed and highly welcomed new feature.
The graphics for Fifa 2005 are where this game really comes in to its own. There have been an awful lot of improvements and they become very apparent from the moment you begin a game. The pitches contain a lot more detail which is added in the form of shadows, texture and most importantly depth. The stadiums are a lot more realistic and now feature flags in the more detailed (but slightly blocky) audience, different level tiers, more detailed advertisement boards and it even features the tunnel. The player animations themselves and not much different from Fifa 2004 and still maintain a good sense of realism but when combined with the more realistic environments make the graphics seem so much more rich and accomplished. As a whole the graphics are far less choppy than the previous version but as you can probably guess it still trips up on this issue occasionally; however it is rare and so does not affect the game-play what so ever.
The sound for this game is very impressive and hosts a very extensive soundtrack. The soundtrack is made up of full audio tracks that cover an enormous selection of genres that range from world music to British music from the 80’s. The really great thing about the soundtrack is that every time the game is paused or a new match is selected the track will change. The sound effects have obviously had a lot of thought put in to them and are significantly better than its predecessors. The sound of the crowd is probably the biggest improvement. It is very realistic and interacts wonderfully with the game-play. The game effects such as the whistle and the sound of ball coming in to contact with a foot have also been improved. These are by no means exceptional but are at least a very good improvement. The only negative thing that I have to say about the sound is the fact that Fifa 2005 still fails to muster up any commentary. This is probably the most disappointing aspect of the whole game because it would have undoubtedly finished the game off a treat. As well as this I know just how much we all wanted this feature. (Dear Nokia…. Here our prayer!)
Fifa 2005 features an array of fantastic features that really do help this game stand apart from all others. The most obvious feature it hosts is probably its Bluetooth Multi-player function which allows for up to 2 players to play simultaneously. It also features a wonderful replay mode where you can view your replays from 5 different and instantly selectable camera angles. You will also have the option of saving these replays so you can easily prove your moves! And if this is still not enough; you are also able to choose from up to 3 different in-game camera angles.
The game also supports some online features via the N-Gage Arena. Using the Arena you will be able to download new classic game scenarios as well as upload your best goals for the whole of the world to see.
Fifa 2005 truly is a remarkable game and the improvements made since its predecessors release last year have made this game significantly superior. The game is very extensive, fun and addictive and I’m sure that it holds months and months of replay value. Although it does have a couple of minor issues I feel confident in saying that this is probably one of the best N-gage titles available at the present time. And for this reason I would highly recommend this game. The balls gone over next door……you go get it!!!! Na You can!!!
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