Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10576 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2004-03-26
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Platform: PlayStation2

Amazon.co.uk Review
If there's one thing you can't fault This Is Football 2004 on, it's scope. While other PlayStation 2 football titles are happy to concentrate on national and international teams, here the beautiful game is taken right down to grass roots, allowing you (if you wish) to seize control of a local team.

You do that as part of the best feature in the game: the career mode. Here, you really can go from the very bottom to the very top, and it adds a challenging long term goal to the proceedings. It's just one example of where the game differs from the opposition, and there are plenty more. For instance, you can also try and blatantly blag a penalty by diving in the area. You can get penalised for handball. You can even take it online and test your skills. In short, there's plenty going on.

TIF 2004's downfall though is that it's simply not as slick, fluid and downright playable as the competition. Both FIFA Football 2004 and especially Pro Evolution Soccer 3 offer a much more succulent marriage of gameplay and presentation than This Is Football 2004 can muster, and that does cloud its otherwise welcome merits somewhat.

A mixed bag in all then. What This Is Football 2004 lacks in polish and style, it does compensate for when it comes to ideas and innovations. And if nothing else, it's testament to the quality of choice gamers are presented with that a perfectly good and enjoyable game such as this struggles to find a foothold. As it stands, This Is Football 2004 is certainly worth a try, but shouldn't be your first port of call. --Simon Brew

Manufacturer's Description
This is Football 2004 is the ultimate football fan's video game. The user controls all aspects of the team, playing against the CPU or up to seven other players. TIF 2004 has totally revamped gameplay and deeper management options for a more immersive and compelling experience. The player can add football superstars to their favourite team using the transfer market feature. Or they can begin with a novice team and, by playing through the leagues and carefully buying and selling players, eventually progress to the Euro League, taking on the best club sides in the world. The 2004 version will include over 300 photo-realistic players from around the world, 22 leagues with 30 divisions, over 800 teams and over 17000 players.

Customer Reviews

This is football for real
This was the first PS2 game I ever got, as I got it with my ps2. I was sceptical at first, as having played one of the playstation versions I was disapointed. However, when I played this I was not disapointed at all! Admittedly, this is not up to the standard of Pro Evo, the greatest football game of all time, or the Fifa series, but it is a good game all the same, and can be found for up to half the price of Pro Evo and Fifa.
The game has many addictive modes to play including net play. You can play cups, leagues, and even whole seasons in any European league. There is the opportunity to take a school team from the lower leagues all the way to European glory in the fantastic Career mode, and of course the incredibly difficult Challenge mode, in which after hours of practice I managed to score 39000 points!
There are 4 levels of game play: Amateur, Semi-Pro, World Class, and Master Class, for the true professianal. You also earn points for winning matches and leagues and cups, which you can exchange for things in the shop such as new grounds and teams.
There is also the opportunity to create your own team of you and your friends. You can fully customise 8 teams, kits, name, manager, stadium, the lot.
The overall gameplay is good, with the potential to score amazing goals. Passing, goalkeeping, and shooting have all also been improved. The only thing I will moan about is the replays, I would much prefer to have replays you can control like on Pro Evo. However, the replays after chances and indeed goals, as well as the entrance and ending sequence, do contribute to an extremly lifelike match. The comentry is also very good, although can becoming annoying at times.
Lastly, the graphics. The graphics are fantastic. The players look lifelike and realistic, as do the kits. So to do the stadiums, reproduced in incredible detail. All this contributes to a more realistic match.
Overall a decent game that will have you hooked for hours. Not quite on the same level as Fifa or Pro Evo, but getting there. Very Addictive.

Graphics 9/10
Gameplay 8/10
Realism 9/10
Addictiveness 10/10
Game Modes 8/10

Overall - 88/100

first impression
I played TIF 2003 to death. The 2004 version is an improvement.
I love Fifa 2004 but TIF is underated. The whole feel of the game is more fluid than Fifa and PES. The commentary on FIFA playstation is out of sync at times with action. I miss the
" UNBELEIVABLE ERROR!" commentary on this version of TIF but on first impressions this is a real hit. A learning curve game I blasted the ball into the stand a few times. The "dive" button is hilarious.

Tif
The TIF series is in my opinion one of the best football sims ever as although its graphics are nowhere near the quality of games such as FIFA 2003/2004 you will do well to find a game with better controls. As the controls for PES are too real (and in my opinion rubbish as to turn 90 degrees you must turn at least 4 times) TIF's controls are great. The Database of players and teams is the biggest in its genre and it is also the only football sim to feature a career mode in which you stsrt from a lowly school team and rise up throough the leagues to become champions league contenders. An utterly class game a must have for footy fans