by
Ted Kritsonis
Faze Video Game Editor

Just five months after releasing UEFA Euro 2004, EA Sports is back at it again with FIFA Soccer 2005. But like many of their other sports games, EA has had to contend with an upstart who just keeps getting bolder and better. Thanks to an average effort last year, EA’s FIFA 2004 was outplayed by Konami’s Winning Eleven 7, which means this season should bring a serious battle on the pitch.

As you’d expect, there is no shortage of teams and players in FIFA Soccer 2005. There are 18 leagues represented here, along with the newly added Mexican League. Then, you’ve got 11,000 licensed players spread out over all those teams. Although there are 38 national teams to choose from, some notable omissions do stand out. There’s no Dutch team for one, and it seems like Asia was completely ignored since good Asian teams like South Korea, Japan and Iran weren’t included. It was also disappointing to see that good African teams like Senegal, Morocco and South Africa were also left out.

During gameplay, there are a few things that are noticeably different. The graphics are a lot sharper than last year and though players do look blocky, there are more recognizable faces this time around. Throw-ins and corner kicks have been adjusted so that you have more control over the player receiving the ball, and passing is made a little easier thanks to more intuitive AI.

A nice touch added this year was the First Touch Control, which is a great feature to utilize with star players. Using the right analog stick you can pull off some nifty moves with the likes of David Beckham and Thierry Henry. Whether carrying the ball or receiving a pass, you can show off by lifting the ball over the defender’s head or do a fast dribble to throw an opponent off balance. Keep in mind that the option works better for star players, since average players aren’t able to do as much.

A new Create-a-Player feature has been added this year, which basically gives you the option of creating a player and using him in the Career mode. It’s about time something like it was added, considering that almost every other EA Sports game has had a feature like that for years.

The Dynasty mode is standard, and a small improvement from last year, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing since many of the elements of last year’s Dynasty mode worked well. What’s been enhanced here is the ability to control the front office as well as the team lineup. You can hire and fire coaches, keep an eye on your medical staff and even join in on a game being simulated.

Online play is, for the most part, very efficient and easy to jump in on. Gameplay can be sluggish and choppy at times, although that may have more to do with your opponent’s connection. However, issues with EA’s servers may also be at play here because there were several occasions where both my opponent and I lost our connections during a game. Still, games do go by smoothly most of the time.

The increased competition coming from Konami may have been the best thing to happen because EA Canada developed an excellent soccer game here. Many of the little things that plagued last year’s game have been fixed, which has lead to a far more respectable soccer simulation in FIFA Soccer 2005.

Publisher:
EA Sports
Developer:
EA Canada

Platform:
PS2

Rating: 9/10