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GAME REVIEWED: FIFA '99

RELEASED BY: Electronic Arts

PRICE: £44.99

REVIEWED BY: Kelly

REVIEW: -

Before you think ' this is just another FIFA game', well it is but it's been dolled up and it's the talk of the catwalk. It is also one of a lot of footie sims available for the Playstation but it's definitely one of the best along with ISS '98. EA has again obtained the license from FIFA to include as much correct team and player data as they want and after the huge success of World Cup '98, they've decided to concentrate on club football for this game, although the top international teams are included for the gameplayer to play.

There are now two hundred and twenty reams to choose from within their twelve domestic leagues now included and the Belgian and Portuguese leagues by popular demands. The game now offers you the chance to play against Europe's best in the new European Dream League option, playing in the best stadia in Europe. As in some previous FIFAs there is the custom mode which allows you to create and play in your own leagues and cups.

The gameplay is now a lot quicker and smoother due to the faster frame rate and the new faster ball control with sharper and more accurate passing, trapping, dribbling and shooting. There is also new instant player responses which provides more fluid and exciting football, the response between the controller and the on screen event is lightning quick and makes the match look more realistic. The fluidity of animation as players sprint down the line and go past defenders with ease of a player diving for a header is absolutely outstanding.

The best improvements to the game are they improved CPU tactics for and against you, your team-mates making runs or getting in the box to be ready for crosses, the player marking is tremendous and defenders now push you out wide instead of rushing out to you and making pointless challenges which you slip past with ease. The goalkeeper's AI has also been improved so that keepers rush out of their goal to close down any player whenever he enters the box. Now when a shot is parried away the keeper gets up quicker to prepare himself for any rebounds which make the keepers in this game the best and most realistic available on any game for the Playstation.

The detail for the match is superb and it just looks like you could be watching the game on TV. But, when you get to see the players close-up you realise that they're faces don't resemble anything like the real players' faces. All the stadia featured in the game were made by some of the EA team visiting all the footballing nations featured in the game to ensure the in-game pitches were accurately represented.

Apart from the lack of resemblance to the players, this game still remains one of the top two available on the Playstation. Although EA still ahs the FIFA licence, Konami's upstart with no licence, always seems to be doing better than the FIFA games. But all the latest and improvements and additions to this game seem to be taking it closer to ISS '98. There are now lots of special moves to pull off by using one of many button combinations. Although ISS '98 is lightly, very slightly, better, this is still a great game and must be a must buy for every Playstation owning footballer. Go on! Add it to your collection.

 

SCORE:

90%

LINKS: www.ea.com


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Last updated: March 12, 1999.