FIFA World Cup 2002 Preview

The player models are nicely detailed, as were the game's predecessor's.

It's barely been five months since FIFA 2002 was released for the PlayStation 2, yet EA Sports is almost ready to ship the next installment of the franchise. It's somewhat understandable considering the World Cup will be taking place in Japan and Korea at the end of May. But with a game like FIFA World Cup 2002, it's also a good idea to pay close attention to its modes and options to make sure it's more than just a cash-in. We recently received a fully playable build of the game, and while it's a bit early to pass judgment, initial indications are that the game is limited where gameplay modes are concerned but still has the franchise's signature gameplay.

Last year's game was quite generous in terms of gameplay modes, but this year's edition is a bit lacking in this regard. If you enjoy playing seasons with club teams or custom tournaments in FIFA 2002, World Cup 2002 may end up being a disappointment. There's a friendly mode for head-to-head play and a World Cup mode. And that's it. Granted, a game based on the World Cup should center on the event, but there are just 41 international teams to choose from in FIFA World Cup 2002, compared with over 400 international and club teams in last year's game. If you like to bang it out in the English league with a club team like Manchester United, you're simply out of luck. The lack of a customizable tournament mode also cuts into the game's multiplayer value rather significantly. But if you're looking for full-bore World Cup action with all the real players and teams, World Cup 2002 has you covered. You simply pick a team, go through a few qualification matches, and then enter a single-elimination tournament in search of the coveted World Cup. There are four different difficulty settings in the game, and in its present state, only the hardest difficulty setting will present a true challenge to veterans of the series. For those who enjoy more twitch elements in their gameplay, there are four different speed settings to experiment with. While you unfortunately do not have the ability to call your team's formation and strategy on the fly, pressing start and accessing a menu system can do it.

While a number of teams and options have been eliminated from last year's game, the gameplay has gone relatively untouched. Passing is an important part of any soccer game, and the refinements present in the passing system for FIFA 2002 have returned for World Cup 2002. Passing is determined by how long you hold the X button and how well the pass is aimed with the left analog stick. Thanks to this system, it's possible to pass beyond one of your players to reach another farther down the pitch. Lobs are handled with the square button, and it's easy to center the ball and set up one of your players for a header on goal as long as he can jump higher than the defenders. Give-and-goes are easy to perform. All you have to do is tap the right analog stick in the direction of an open teammate, and he will immediately return the ball to you. If a player has an open lane toward the net, dots will begin to appear on the pitch in front of him. If you lead him with a nice pass he'll automatically sprint to the ball and take possession.

You'll notice a few new details to the stadiums as well.

There are two different slide tackles included in the game, and each is appropriate for a particular situation. Performed with the circle button, the light slide tackle is good for quickly dispossessing the opposition of the ball without knocking them down. Depending on the situation, your player will either tap the ball free or slide along the ground and take it. Performing a hard slide tackle with the square button presents a significant risk of drawing a yellow or red card, but if it's performed successfully you'll have several steps on the opposition that will be hard for them to make up. Whether on offense or defense, turbo is always mapped to the triangle button. Holding it down will cause your player to sprint, while tapping it rapidly will increase your player's top speed but will cause him to tire more quickly. Shooting is accomplished with the circle button, and like with passing, the longer you hold the button the harder the shot will be. Special dribbles are mapped to the R1 button, and it appears as if their effectiveness has been slightly increased when compared with last year's iteration.