Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14375 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Electronic Arts
• Released on: 2003-10-24
• Platform: GameCube

Amazon.co.uk Review
The annual battle of the football games comes round again, and this time the competition is fiercer than it's been in some years. What a year, then, for the longest running of them all to play its trump card and put in its finest performance to date. For with new added features, and a general all-round polish, FIFA 2004 becomes a must-buy.

The big innovation this time round is the off-the-ball feature, and this really is a stroke of genius. It's fiddly to get to grips with, but basically when attacking, you can control a separate player as they run into space, ready to take receipt of a killer pass that splits the opposition defence open. It takes a little working at, but when it comes off, you'll be smug beyond belief. The feature itself genuinely adds an added tactical edge to a game that used to be wrongly dismissed as an arcade-style kickabout.

On top of that, there are the things that FIFA does better than anyone. The presentation, audio and visuals are superb from top to bottom, and the improvements to the club management side boost the game's longevity.

Most importantly of all, at the heart of all these improvements is a highly playable football game that's very easy to get into yet suitably challenging to master. And in multi-player mode, it's even better. --Simon Brew

GamesMaster Magazine
"A FIFA game that has to be applauded... immensely playable."

Cube Magazine
"A complex and beautiful game. 8.9 / 10."

Customer Reviews

Simply the best
The combination of great gameplay and available options makes this simply the best FIFA game to date. Never before has a player been able to choose a lower division team and play in such an adventurous career mode. The new career mode adds a whole new dimension to the game and keeps you gripped playing for hours on end. This may be unbelievable but the gameplay is even more realistic than in FIFA 2003 and when playing the graphics were so good that my sister thought i was watching tv. For a game like this 2 be @ such a reasonable price is one of the best bargains u will ever see

Best football game ever!
After I bought my gc in June 2003, i was in agony waiting for this game to be released, even having it preordered. When I had it delivered from Amazon I soon realised it was well worth the wait.
The gameplay is absolutely fantastic. It may seem a little slow at first but it is very addictive. What I hated most about the previous fifa games was that you never scored a well worked goal - it always seemed to be a long range shot or a clumsy tap in from a corner. Now you are rewarded for passing the ball around, especially once you have mastered the "off the ball " mode which is activated by pressing the z button.
The graphics are picasso-like in their beauty. I especially liked the exact likenesses of the star players. No longer does david beckham have the face of a sour trout! I also love the way famous pitches look exactly like the real venues. It fills you with an uneqaulled adrenaline rush as the camera pans around the bernebeu or old trafford at the start of an all-important Champions' league final. This feeling is enhanced by the sound of the crowd chanting "glory, glory man united" and other famous footy songs.
In fact the sound as a whole is very impressive, including the much improved commentry. Good ol' Motson still manages to surprise me with a new phrase or two and i've had the game for 8 months!
My overall review:

gameplay - 9/10
graphics - 10/10
audio - 9/10
playability - 10/10

Fifa takes two steps foward, none back.....
Fifa football is almost synonymous with the organisation itself - fancy headquarters, slick presentation skills and on the surface a very professional outfit. Though its all style over substance - neither have the capacity to convince the 'true' footballing fan their status is merely nothing more than for show.

Previous incarnations of Fifa football consisted of a glorified ping pong or pinball game - the ball miraculously pinged its way around the pitch a la David Beckham, occasionally firing into the roof of a static net. More often than not, even today’s George Best could run straight down the middle and pop one in from 35 yards.

Fifa 2003 tried its hardest to address these fundamental flaws, and in some instances it nearly managed it. Though they were still there, niggling in the back of the game engine and gamers mind. Nice try, but 'could do better'.

Fifa 2004 takes a step in a different direction. The right one. The one adopted by Pro evolution soccer. Its slower for a start. The camera angle doesn’t feel like your watching a game at Highbury all the time. It feels right.

The controls have tightened up enormously. Passing is consistent, they have removed the bostik from the players boots whilst they sprint with the ball too. Most importantly, the game engine now prohibits those 'combo goals'. Pulling off a combo in a fighting game feels good, in a football game it gets very, very tedious. No longer can your first time gamer thrash the pants off your veteran ass. They will be dazed and confused by the depth and complexity. So will you, for a while. Stick with it and theres a whole new ball game to try. 'Could do better' translates now to 'has done better' - A lot better. Impressive.