89
I have to start by admitting i've always shown a great deal of bias towards EA's FIFA Soccer series. From playing the very first on my Mega Drive, 5am on a Christmas morning, nothing else has ever come close to a complete football experience. In the face of adversity from the Pro Evo/Winning Eleven series, i've always stood by EA.
That's even without having played a single FIFA game since the first incarnation on the Sony PS1. So with the PSP version, I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got firstly, was some agonising skipping everytime something happened. Be it clicking a menu option, or the ball even going out for a throw in. So annoying. But through all this, I still plugged on battling, and i'm glad I did.
Player animations look realistic enough for me, players are easily recognisable from their real life counterparts. Which is very good, because you'll always feel you've accomplished something at least when you two footed tackle Wayne Rooney!
All the licensed leagues and teams are here also, which is a great boost I think. Getting to play as my beloved (yet awfullly lowly) Notts County all the way down in League Two, with official players and stats would have to put this game miles ahead of any competition for me.
And there's a wealth of challenges as well, from comebacks, to routs. Now you can relive England's eyewatering 5-1 demolition of old enemy Germany in the Olympic Stadium. Excellent.
So, if you like your football, the FIFA series for the timebeing at least is where you need to be. The skipping in this game is annoying yes, but the latest installment cleared this up gratefully, so pick that up if you can!
92
It pauses fpor a couple of seconds when the ball is going outside the field. it doesn't have the option of a Spanish speaking narrator (xbox version does broadcast in Spanish or English). Don't pay full price for any sports game, be patient & wait a few months. I got my copy for $29.99
70
This game is not done. Obviously a quick port, the menu system is painfully slow and a 'quick game' requires 5-6 menu screens with choppy animation and stuttering music.
The game pauses when balls are shot out of bounds. Why?
This game plays well - but it is very simple and reminds of the original FIFA games. I am thinking the 3DO version here.
The computer is easy to beat - run down the wing and lob a ball into the center of the box for an instant one-timer and you will almost always score.
Graphics are good. When the game is not accessing the UMD in game everything flows smoothly.
Audio is repetitive. There are a few big tracks - but the songs are less recognizable than in past editions (no Massive Attack here). The commentary is acceptable - but on occasions it was a second or two behind the play.
The game is not very deep - the N-Gage version had it beat by offering seasons that included national cup, and international cup games (if you qualified). There is no career mode.
EA have added the Challenge Mode - a series of quick challanges (routs, come from behind games, etc.). It would have been great to see infrastructure mode used to download new ones - or share the ones you can make yourself.
If you are desperate for footie - see if you can find a deal on this. The $59 CDN I pad was a rip off. The new seasons start in a couple of months - wait for the next season's games from 989, EA and Konami. the latter of which will probably be best.
90
I admit that I'm not a big fan of sports titles. I've only watched a little soccer on the television and I'm definitely no expert on the players, teams, or even the details of how to play. I'm definitely a soccer newb.
I love this game. The action is just the right speed for me, and the difficulty is ramping up nicely for my learning curve. I like all the different modes of play and I find myself spending hours in challenge mode. They really add an energy to the game and they go quickly.
The sound is cool. The commentary hasn't gotten tedious yet. The crowd is nice and boisterous. The music is top notch! They've got Flogging Molly in there!
The graphics are nice. They're not great or anything, but my XBOX won't fit in my pocket. The players are tiny but they're rendered well and I like their little moves. I really need to learn how to take a decent free kick though. :-)
89
Hands down this soccer game is a blast, a few minor irritations draw away from the overall score, but in all this game rules. The graphics, sound, and control are very well done. 350 teams or so makes the game replayable forever or until winning eleven comes out. If you need some footy action you cant go wrong here!
83
This is the one game that I have been waiting for the most. Since I originally heard that fifa soccer would be coming out on the PSP I was overjoyed. I am a huge fan of the console version; which lives in my GameCube.
Every time I read that EA had delayed fifa by a few weeks I think I died a little inside. That is how much I have been waiting for this game. And then I died even more when I read people's first impressions of the game, with the main complaints being that the game is slow and there are lots of pauses. I was reluctant to spend $50 on the game, but portable football is something I really want, and this morning I decided to buy it.
Let me just say that the game is not perfect, but once you start playing you start to forget about all the small problems and you start to enjoy the game for what it is, a really fun portable football game.
People's main complaint has been that there are short pauses. Yes, there are short pauses, about 1 second when the ball goes out of bounds. I assume these are to load up the animation of the player walking away or the instant replay. Unfortunately I can not seem to find an option in the game to turn off the auto-replays. At first the pauses detract from the game, but then you get used to them and they are ok. This can be said about many parts of the game -- a few things are annoying at first but then they are ok when you get used to them. I think this complaint exists because of the fact that it so closely resembles the console counterpart, and thus we automatically expect it to be the console version. Regardless of whether the PSP can handle a perfect port of the console version or not, this is the version we have, and we have to deal with it. When you forget about the console versions and play the PSP version for what it is, you enjoy it as a fun game of football, with loads of teams, season modes, adhoc multiplayer, good graphics, and full commentary.
Yeah, I am a little dissapointed that I did not get a perfect console port. But hey, the ability to be sitting in a car playing FIFA makes it worthwhile for me.
The graphics in the game are good, the player models look nice from the camera distance and due tot he PSP's widescreen you can see a lot of the field which is very helpful.
The controls work to a certain extent. You use the analog stick to control your player, x to pass, square to cross, circle to shoot, triangle for a through ball, and r to sprint. the one part that does not work is the first touch, well I can not seem to get used to it. To use first touch you need to use the d-pad. This is a bit strange since if you are running at a defender and want to sidestep him you have to let go of the analog stick and press the d-pad and then back to the analog. In the few games I have played I have not been able to pull it off fluidly. Hopefully with practice it will be easier, otherwise I'll get used to not using it.
The commentary is excellent, a little behind at times, but amazing. Having full play by play commentary on a handheld is great.
After two exhibition games, I started a season and I am two games into it. With each game the pauses seem less and the game seems better, and I am enjoying it even more.
EA has packed a lot into this game. The front menu has:
• play now (exhibition)
• challenges
- come back (20) - choose a team and make a comeback to win by a certain amount
- route (20) - choose a team and win by x number of goals
- custom
• season
- new start mid-season
- new full season
- new custom season
• tournament
- new tournament
- new custom tournament
• head to head (adhoc)
• EA sports pocket trax
• EA sports extras
The season and tournament modes are pretty self explanatory. Choose a team, work your way through the mode, and do your best to win. EA Sports Pocket Trax has all of the music from the game and you can play the songs, and sort the playlist order, with select music videos, and visuals. EA Sports Extras has a video of Need For Speed Underground Rivals and a FIFA Soccer FAQ. The FAQ is helpful since it shows you the controls, and gives you information about the games.
If you are a fifa fan I really suggest you give this game a go. Forget about the console version, and play the PSP version for what it is, and I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I am.
96
I'm a big FIFA fan. Been playing it since FIFA95 for PC. This game rocks. Poor Acid doesn't get any playtime in the PSP since I bought this game. I won't go into all the details, but for the most part the game is well done. The graphics are very good, of course they will only get better. The soundtrack if very versitile, and you will fall inlove with some of the tracks.
If you get this game, go get a wireless router and play online. I'll be waiting for you.
95
The game is awesome and the graphics are amazing. The only thing I dislike about this game is that it tends to freeze when the ball travels out of bounds. Otherwise a great game.
98
The game is great, especially when you consider that the game has no competition. The world tour soccer game has a very long history of sucking, so I would not advise anybody to buy it. The FIFA 05 game is the only choice we all have, so quit complaining and go get get FIFA 05 if you want to play soccer on your PSP.
95
Picked up the game today, and I have to say that EA has done a very good job with FIFA.
There are TONS of teams to choose from, from all over the world. The game play is smooth. Like others have said the only time you get a small lag is when the ball goes out of bounds. That is when the game load the next little bit of animation of the sideline.
The controls will take a small bit of time to get used to as there is only one analog stick on the PSP, but you really start to pick it up fast after your first couple of games.
All I have to say is, if you are a Soccer/football fan you owe it to yourself to try this game.
89
This game is great. I just picked it up and am very pleased with the quality of the game. The only thing that i don't like very much is the occasional lag and the long loading time. Once you get passed that, this game is just like the PS2 version with a little less graphic quality, but most all of the other features. I particularly like the challenge mode presented in the game. I definetly suggest this game.
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10