| Introduction
For many years now the FIFA series has been considered
the definitive version in the crowded market of soccer
Sims. Slick presentation and great graphics have always
been the hallmarks of a FIFA game, but most importantly,
thanks to EA's licensing deal, it's one of the few
that actually feature real teams and real players. This
time around, the development behind FIFA Football 2003
is UK developer Exient, the team behind Total Soccer and the GBA version of
NHL Hitz. As such, it'll be interesting to see if they can live-up to the FIFA
tradition and give us all a soccer game to remember.
GamePlay
Your first challenge is to select not only a team
but also the competition you wish to enter and the options
available here are truly impressive. For starters, you'll
be able to choose a team from almost all of the European
leagues and some forty International teams too. It's
then all down to exactly how you wish to tackle the
game, which could be anything from a one off friendly
to a full tournament.
FIFA Football 2003 is also loaded with a variety
of options, which allow you to alter the style of play
according to your preferences. It's all here, whether
you wish to increase the difficulty levels or adjust
the on screen displays. Gamers who desire a quick fix
can also adjust the amount of time a match will last
and banish stuff like extra time. You can even control
how strict the referee is, meaning players can perform
some outrageous tackles on the opposition with absolutely
no repercussions.
Strategy fans who wish to take on a more managerial
role can alter the team's playing positions when they're
on the pitch and may decide on a defensive or offensive
line-up according to the opposition's strengths. This
is always worth spending a little time on and I played
several enjoyable games between Liverpool and Everton
which had significantly different outcomes simply by
changing the striker and defender options.
Another useful feature I hadn't encountered before
is the 'replay', which can either be viewed automatically
or manually. This allows you to view the action step
by step and helps you pinpoint your team's strengths
and more importantly, weaknesses.
If you have a friend, an extra copy of the game and
the GBA link-up cable, you'll be pleased to know that
a two-player option is also available. I don't need
to convince anyone that this is the best way to play
a soccer game (or any sports game for that matter) because
even with the variety of in-game options available,
you simply can't beat the interactivity and strategical
possibilities of another human opponent.
Thankfully, there are also two save slots, which
is essential for some of the longer competitions that
can consist of around forty separate matches and take
hours to complete.
Controls
You might initially find the control system a little
complicated but trust me, as soon as you've mastered
it, you'll discover that it offers great maneuverability
and greater ball control.
On a positive note, your players are reasonably intelligent
and will pass to the closest player available with great
ease. Getting the ball from your opponent, however,
will require either a conservative or hard tackle, with
the latter resulting in a booking if the referee sees
you.
Goal kicks, penalties and corners are also given
a greater degree of control thanks to a directional
pointer indicating exactly where the ball's going and
at what gradient. All this adds up to a degree of control
only previously encountered on home consoles and the
fact that it's all available on the GBA is a major achievement.
Graphics
The side-scrolling 3/4 overhead perspective and close
camera works well to show clearly what's happening on
the pitch for the majority of the game, while the small
radar at the base of the screen is a helpful indication
of where all the players are.
There are also many well-designed menu and statistic
screens, which make inputting and extracting information
incredibly easy even on the GBA's tiny screen. The real
highlights, however, are the wonderfully animated (not
to mention big) players that not only look like they're
playing football but actually enjoying it too. This
is apparent especially when a goal is scored and you
get to see the scoring team performing their own unique
victory dance, which is a good incentive to score as
many goals as you can.
Sound & Music
As with Exient's other football titles, the audio
in FIFA Football 2003 is top notch and although there's
little in the way of music, the actual in-game sound
effects do a great deal to enhance the game. As such,
you'll not only hear the crowd moan in disappointment
after a near miss at goal, but also cheer if the ball
finds its way past the goalkeeper. I must say that FIFA
Football 2003 is one of the very few GBA titles to successfully
harness dynamic sound effects in order to enhance the
realism and atmosphere of the game. So make sure you
have your headphones plugged in to really enjoy it.
Final Comments
FIFA Football 2003 has it all - great graphics, addictive
gameplay, a multitude of options, two-player link-up and
even a battery save. There are some minor niggles, such
as the required additional copy of the game for the
two-player link-up mode but these fade into insignificance
when compared against the huge range of outstanding
features. In short, FIFA Football 2003 would be a great
addition to any soccer fans GBA collection and is undoubtedly
one of the best titles yet to celebrate "the beautiful
game".
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