FIFA Soccer 2003 Review
No soccer fan should hesitate to buy FIFA 2003.
Last year, EA Sports made substantial changes to its FIFA series with FIFA 2002. The game generally slowed down the series' gameplay and made it much more difficult to execute complex plays, and as a result, it was probably the closest the FIFA series had ever come to simulating the sport of professional soccer. EA is looking to build on that success with FIFA 2003, which surpasses the previous installment in terms of the authenticity of its simulation of the sport. In FIFA 2003, your offense must run a coordinated attack that draws careless defenders in toward the ball, thus leaving teammates open down the field--even against the worst international teams, pushing the ball straight up the field with only a few players isn't an effective strategy and will almost always result in an interception. Even further, other gameplay mechanics that were relatively straightforward in previous FIFA games, such as corner and penalty kicks, now have a greater level of depth, and juke moves are now performed using EA Sports' freestyle control system. As such, FIFA 2003 is an excellent game that will appeal to any soccer fan who prefers realism to the fast-paced, high-scoring style of other soccer games.
The different gameplay modes in FIFA 2003 aren't all that different from those in previous FIFA games. In the club championship mode, you can play a club championship friendly (the equivalent of an exhibition match), or you can play a club championship season, in which the best club teams vie for the championship trophy. Of course, there's also a basic friendly option in which you can select from dozens of different club and international teams and then jump right into a match. Similarly, if you want a trophy but don't feel like bothering with a season, you can jump right into FIFA 2003's tournament mode, where you can choose to participate in one of six tournaments or create your own to participate in. While these modes will undoubtedly draw the interest of both hard-core and casual soccer fans, the real heart of FIFA 2003 lies in its season mode.
In this mode, you can take control of a team from one of 14 leagues, including Major League Soccer, the Italian League, the FA Premier League, Spanish Primera Division, and others. Once a league has been selected, you can choose one of the teams from within that league and take it through an entire season in the hope of winning championships. It's worth noting that there are minor differences between a few of the leagues. For example, most of the European leagues have to worry about cup and divisional matches, while in the MLS, none of these things exist.
But regardless of the league, you'll still have the same sort of options to select from before jumping into an actual game. You can view the team standings, have a look at your schedule, and simulate the outcome of any upcoming games. In the team management option, you can view individual player skill levels, set formations, and determine who takes free kicks, corner kicks on both sides of the field, and spot kicks. Lastly, you can also buy and sell players, but you won't be limited to players within your league, so if your team has enough cash, you can certainly go after one of the top international players. The season mode is pretty interesting, and most fans will find it entertaining going from season to season, but it's not exactly an in-depth look into what goes on behind the scenes in professional soccer leagues and in the offices of the people who control the teams.
For most, the gameplay in FIFA 2003 will make up for any shortcomings in its secondary features, because it's simply incredible. The single most important aspect of the gameplay in FIFA 2003 is teamwork--without it, your opponent will always end up with the ball. You always have to be aware of teammates and plan your offensive strategy according to where they are in relation to defenders. For example, if you drive the ball up the middle of the field, then you'll probably draw defenders from the wings, allowing you to perform a ground or lob pass to an open teammate at the edge of the field. When you push the ball up with that player, the objective is to draw more defenders and find another open man, but if it looks like you have the opportunity, you can also hit the sprint button and drive the ball up the field a little more before passing off to a teammate.
FIFA Soccer 2003 Quick Links
Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum | Check Prices
- GameSpot Scoregreat
Player Reviews
Critic Scores
- IGN 8.3 / 10
- GameZone 8.2 / 10
- Gamer.tv 8.9 / 10
- GamingWorld X 92 / 100
- Hyperactive 77 / 100
- RewiredMind 6 / 10
- VideoGames NZ 90 / 100
- Game Vortex 62 / 100
*The links above will take you to other Web sites and are provided for your reference. GameSpot does not produce or endorse the content on these sites.
Games you may like…
-
FIFA Soccer 2004
(PS2) -
FIFA Soccer 2002
(PS2) -
FIFA 2001
(PS2) -
World Tour Soccer 2003
(PS2) -
FIFA Soccer 2005
(PS2)
Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.
See More Similar Games
