FIFA 05

[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

---

Info

Developer: EA Canada
Publisher: EA Sports
Genre: Sports
Platform(s): PS/PS2/PSP/Xbox/GameCube/GBA/Gizmondo
Release: Oct 8 2004

---

Synopsis

Fifa 05 makes up part of the highest grossing football simulation series we've all come to know and love (and hate a lot of the time to)! Featuring all of our favourite legends and teams from the 04/05 season. Some features differentiating this game from its predecessors in the series was the return of its a new and improved career mode, allowing 15 seasons of content.

---

Gameplay

A key differential amongst the earlier games in the coveted FIFA series was the button commands for all set pieces. Users had the ability to pinpoint certain players from free-kicks and corners using a combination of set buttons, rather than the newer feature of setting your own direction and power (a feature of the newer games), thus making these set-pieces deadly a huge percentage of the time. As fun as it was to repeatedly knock goals past the opposing keeper, it is something I am sure most are glad to see relegated from the game.



The in match gameplay - bar method of defending and various skills being added over the years, has remained very much unchanged, but why fix something that isn't broken, right? Although, it is worth mentioning that this was the first game to incorporate the 360 roulette skill, which we've all come to recognise for its OP-ness throughout the series.
The last thing to note about this particular game was its legendary soundtrack, featuring Fit But You Know It by The Streets. This may seem fairly immaterial as we don't buy a football simulation game to sit in the menu listening to the soundtrack, but I felt this is something i should include in this review as that is exactly what i ended up doing a large proportion of the time!

---

Controls

The controls of this FIFA do not differentiate from any others. For the consoles and PSP the player will use the left stick to control their virtual characters, X will command players to perform a simple ground pass, Square to play the ball in the air and cross when played on either wings (sliding tackle when off the ball) , Triangle will play a through ball across the ground and Circle will clear the ball in your own half, and shoot when in the oppositions half (intercept and standing tackle when off the ball). R2 will allow you to sprint, L2 combined with the Right stick will allow you to perform limited skills. Right stick by itself will push the ball on in the direction pointed. [PlayStation] Note: Corresponding commands work for Xbox and Gamecube when translated to their own particular buttons.

As you play, all of the controls make sense, and nothing feels like it can be optimised on that front in my view.

---

Rating

Gameplay: 7
Graphics: 7
Controls: 9

Overall (Personal): 7.5