First look: FIFA 2003

EA Sports has today released the first gameplay information on the latest installment in its successful series of FIFA soccer games. Predictably titled FIFA 2003, the new game promises to be a vast improvement on previous offerings thanks to an all-new game engine.

Apart from the improved visuals, the most obvious improvements to the game will purportedly be to the game's AI. The new AI engine apparently offers three key enhancements over previous incarnations in the form of team play, team tactics, and real player attributes. This will make for some realistic gameplay--for example, teams that are losing toward the end of a match will throw caution to the wind and throw all of their players forward. The players themselves will look and play more like their real-life counterparts than ever before and will be more aware of their own team's movement around them.

FIFA 2003 will undoubtedly be one of the most comprehensive soccer games on any platform to date, featuring 16 different leagues, 450 teams, and no fewer than 10,000 players. The game will also feature a number of real stadiums, complete with club-specific chants.

The PC, PS2, Xbox, GameCube, and PlayStation versions of FIFA 2003 are all scheduled for release in November in both North America and Europe. We'll bring you more information on the game as it becomes available.