2002 FIFA World Cup

The World Cup is hands-down the biggest sporting event on the planet.  You know it, I know it, and more importantly, EA Sports knows it and has decided to cash in on its popularity with 2002 FIFA World Cup for Nintendo’s tissue box-sized GameCube.  Based on its excellent FIFA Football (or Soccer for those of us who call America home) series, 2002 FIFA World Cup has all the flavor of this year’s event taking place in Japan and Korea.  The gameplay, graphics, and sound are all put together fantastically and even fair weather fans of soccer should enjoy the drama of the world’s most popular sport.  My only reservation?  FIFA World Cup was released hot on the tail of the excellent FIFA Soccer 2002, making the game hard to recommend to owners of FIFA Soccer 2002.

Using the same engine as the near perfect FIFA 2002, World Cup’s gameplay is amazing.  The strength of EA’s FIFA series has always been its commitment to authentically recreating the sport, and World Cup is no exception.  The gameplay is nearly identical to FIFA 2002 with a few additions.  Players can now juggle the ball to either show off for the fans or lull the defender to sleep before blistering a shot past him.  The stars of the games are designated with, you guessed it, stars and are devastating with the ball.  Superstars such as England’s Owen, France’s Henry, and Mexico’s Blanco can score more than Don Juan and always need to be watched.  While these new features are enjoyable, they don’t add much more to World Cup’s predecessor.   

Becoming a master of the game may take the average gamer a little while.  With so much control, and so many techniques, players won’t be able to jump right on and become the next Ronaldo in a matter of minutes.  But with practice comes the ability to do amazing things such as bicycle kicks, diving headers, and a plethora of dribbling moves.

The spectacular plays wouldn’t be spectacular if the players didn’t look authentic.  Fortunately, FIFA World Cup’s graphics are near flawless.  The player motion is among the best ever made for a game, and it looks great from any angle.  The cinematic sequences are also stellar and give a great idea of the World Cup atmosphere.  The stadiums are mammoth, incredibly detailed, and of course full of fans throwing streamers and nearly tearing the place apart. 

The commentary in the English version of the game is provided by Andy Gray and John Motson and continues to be the best of any sports game.  Hardly repetitive and often humorous, the two from across the pond keep the game interesting with their witty banter and esoteric soccer knowledge.  EA has abandoned the crowd-pumping electronic music from previous FIFA titles in favor of a classic dramatic score which goes well with the feeling of the game, but may not be as ear-friendly. 

The major shortcoming of the game is the limitation of game modes and teams.  Only a friendly exhibition match or World Cup tournaments can be played, and only the teams from countries in this year’s World Cup are available, unlike FIFA Soccer 2002 which has several game modes and teams for everyone and their mother.  2002 FIFA World Cup makes up for this by delivering the drama the World Cup is so famous for.  The stadiums are spectacular, the commentary stresses the dire situation of elimination play, and the crowd is mad for it the whole game.  On their own, these features are minor, but together they deliver a feeling of urgency and intensity missing in other sports titles.

While 2002 FIFA World Cup is an excellent game on its own, it doesn’t surpass its cousin, FIFA Soccer 2002.  Casual players of FIFA Soccer 2002 won’t need to pick up this title, but die-hard World Cup fanatics will be engrossed in the atmosphere and authenticity of the recreated World Cup experience. 

Gameplay: 8

FIFA fans while drool over the realism of the game, but limits on game modes take away a serious chunk of variety.

Graphics: 9

Passersby will think you’re watching live soccer.

Sound: 8

Some of the best commentary around.  The dramatic score and pounding fans don’t hurt, either.

Difficulty: Medium

The game has appropriate difficulty levels for all skill levels.

Concept: 7

2002 FIFA World Cup is great for World Cup fans, but doesn’t add much to FIFA Soccer 2002.

Multiplayer: 8

Whether you’re scoring on them or scoring against them, playing with your buddies is a blast.

Overall: 8

An excellent game, but lack of game modes and teams limits its possibilities.