| With FIFA 2002 EA revitalised this long-running series, and yes, they have managed to go one better still with 2003. With a brand-new game engine to bring the game truly into the realm of next-generation console power, and some fundamental changes to the way the game is played, this is true Premier League Material. |
Slowly but surely the off-colour nuances of the series are going. Winning a match 10-0 by following through the same successful build - up play is no longer a certainty. You'll hook your hea ders and shots just as much as you'll blast them on target - just like Ray Parlour in fact. And the dynamics of set-piece delivery are now more precise, making a sweet Beckham free kick more tantalising than before. | EA have basically attempted to up the r ealism levels in FIFA 2003, and the fact that the game does play all the better for it is a sign of their relative success. Hanging onto a 1-0 lead in the dying minutes of a game will cause the opposition to really pile the pressure on - pushing men fowar d and making you fear the real possibility of a scrappy equaliser. The gritty wars of attrition of low-key league matches now seem more authentic (Everton vs. Sunderland, anyone?). Yep, FIFA has continued its move in the right direction. | FIFA games hav e been criticised in the past for flogging a dead donkey to the bone - and in some cases the ill-thoughts have been justified, with multiple releases in a year that varied little. However, such a judgement would be wrongly attributed to both FIFA 2002 - w hich provided significant changes in gameplay over the 2001 version, and FIFA 2003, which while not as marked in its changes compared to 2002, still has ample evidence of further enchancements that make it a worthwhile upgrade for any fan of the series - or indeed football in general. |
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