This Is Football 2004 Review

By Patrick Garratt Published 31 March, 2004

Unless you're from Sweden, you probably won't have much cause to celebrate this evening. Still, at least now you can go online and seek revenge!

Version tested: PlayStation 2

1

Gimmicks in games, as with most things in general, are as welcome as Osama bin Laden at chez Dubya Bush's annual Thanksgiving ho-down. Take food gimmicks. Take cheesy strings. Everyone sees the advert and sits in embarrassed silence, squirming in the knowledge that even though it's going to taste revolting, you want to buy it because you can pull it to pieces. It's the hideous, compelling world of capitalism thrown into grimly sharp relief by processed milk products. The same applies to football games. Without the cheese.

FIFA. Sunny FIFA, the promoter of arguments, the sealer of friends, the knife in the heart of the Pro Evolution addict. FIFA, home of the football gimmick. Sorry, but there it is. Off-the-ball control, a bewildering online mode, management bolt-ons, and just about everything else you could possibly want from a console football game. The truth, unfortunately, is that you'll never use most of it. And the online mode, for want of a better phrase, sucks arse (to give it a Eurogamer flavour). Gimmicks. You don't need them.

Which is ironically the reason why This is Football 2004, the latest in the much maligned Sony series, actually waltzes into Europe's most hotly contested sports category with much to recommend it due to its economy and focus. There are no gimmicks. Nothing is half-baked, misconstrued, malformed or ostensibly specifically designed to add an extra bullet point to a PR PowerPoint presentation. Even the 900 teams and more than 18,000 players feel necessary. This is slim line, heavyweight football for the masses. And yes, before you ask: This is Football 2004 is better than FIFA Football 2004.

A little bit of politics

2

The latest TIF is by far the best game in the series. The single-player game bears nothing of the genius depth of the latest round of Pro Evolution Soccer classics, but, and it's a huge 'but', TIF 2004 is fun to play. Seriously. It honestly is. You can pick it up and play it. You can give it to anyone you like, tell them the controls, and they can score goals. The competitive urge is in no way blighted by the relative simplicity of the control method. And the onerous task of committing huge amounts of tactics and combinations to memory is practically removed, meaning you can spend time enjoying yourself instead of attempting to convince the friend you just crushed 5-0 that it really is a good game and even though they can't get the ball out of their own half it's worth sticking with it for another 50 hours because they're sure to improve. If you like playing complex simulations, this isn't your baby. If you want polished, swift arcade football with enough depth to reward the player without causing his brain to suppurate, you're in the right place.

There are some obvious problems with player positioning and the odd defender vanishing into the ether at that crucial moment, but unless you revel in the pursuit of footballing realism, it's unlikely you'll care to any real degree. The presentation is excellent, and while play responsiveness suffers from the spectre of players having to finish full animations before enacting your commands, it's a blip. A smear. A chocolate stain on the cherubim's bib.

International friendly

3

And, obviously, there's the online mode. It works. It works really well. Broadband adapter owners looking for multiplayer football in Europe finally have a place to worship. Players can join private or public rooms and set challenges to other users, who then have 30 seconds to accept. Brilliantly, you can join matches to eventually include up to eight players on any combination of PS2s. If you can tolerate a minor smidgen of lag, these are fun in a bucket [I'm trying hard to imagine fun in a bucket, I really am -Ed].

A Hall of Fame tracks all games and every player is constantly ranked. The biggest gripe of the entire online side of the game is that slow connections or games against those in other countries can prevent players from playing properly responsive matches and limit the amount of moves available. Spectacular goals become extremely hard in this situation, so your Henry fantasies of diving headers and molten 20-yard volleys become impossible. That's fairly rubbish. But considering how well engineered the online component is in general and how easy it is to set up games and start playing, it's genuinely not a crippling blow.

Voice communication and instant messaging also feature. These don't quite get up to the functionality supplied by Xbox Live (but then what does?), but they're still there and they still work. The whole online experience with TIF 2004 is as painless as modern dentistry: it's designed for comfort but the peculiarities of the situation stipulate that there's bound to be the odd twinge. TIF online is the root canal that goes without a hitch and the nurse is fantastically attractive. It's all injections and breasts. And footballs.

It's not over yet...

Should you buy it? If you want an online football game for PlayStation 2, this is it. The score reflects it. If you want utter genius in the gameplay department and are about as interested in PS2 network play as vegans are in a trip to TGI Fridays, buy Pro Evolution Soccer 3. Again. If you want the cheesy string of football console games, buy FIFA. If that's what you wanted, you already have. If FIFA 2004's online mode didn't work for you, buy TIF.

In short, buy it if you want to play a game of football with your younger brother and actually enjoy it first time round. Buy it if you've got a broadband adaptor. Buy it because you can score goals without resorting to Steven Hawkins levels of concentration. Does this paragraph sound good? Then buy it.

8 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy

Comments (33) Latest comment 8 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #1 8 years ago

    This one needs a bit of an "editorial disclaimer". As some of you are probably about to point out, Eurogamer.net's parent company was involved in the development of the online technology aspect of this game. However this hasn't interfered with our review or what we think of the game.

  • ssuellid #2 8 years ago

    The online part definitely interests me - just the PS2 online only part that puts me off from past experience.

    Is it on any demo discs?

  • patlike #3 8 years ago

    No it most certainly hasn't.

  • patlike #4 8 years ago

    I'm sure it'll appear on the OPS2 disc.

  • patlike #5 8 years ago

    Crikey not only is EG telling me which footy game I'm allowed to like, it's telling me I don't actually want any of the features I like in the game. Genius.

    It's just my forceful nature ;)

  • patlike #6 8 years ago

    Edit: Just noticed lack of widescreen, the last two both had it. That sucks.

    Sorry, mistake. It does have widescreen ;)

  • patlike #7 8 years ago

    Something smells fishy! ...

    Gimme a break. Most the other reviews I've read were pre-release and don't mention the online elements. We've hammered it. It's a genuine review.

  • patlike #8 8 years ago

    Tut tut, you can take the boy out of Glossop, but not Glossop out of the boy.....etc. :o)

    So you're...

  • patlike #9 8 years ago

    Who are you, Harry? I can have a guess, but I don't want to out you... ;)

  • kincaide #10 8 years ago

    I might look at this again, as I have only played demos, etc. The demos I did play where very bad, and the people I played against online appeared to agree.

    I hope they have ironed out a *lot* of the wrinkles to make it worth while to me.....

  • patlike #11 8 years ago

    Drop me a mail: atrick@eurogamer.net">patrick@eurogamer.net

  • kincaide #12 8 years ago

    Reading the review again isn't an '8' pretty high?

  • sam_spade #13 8 years ago

    Ssshh. They don't give out any other score.

  • kincaide #14 8 years ago

    So... an '8' means this game, from an 'enjoyment-point-of-view', is on par with Halo. Which also was awarded an '8'

  • Killerbee #15 8 years ago

    BTW Patrick, I enjoyed reading your first (?) EG review.

    Good work. :)

    /goes off to have fun in a bucket

  • sam_spade #16 8 years ago

    And Farcry.

  • rauper Verified Managing Director, Eurogamer Network #17 8 years ago

    Re: The Halo thing... it's getting really boring now! It was a review by a different writer, a different editor, a different genre, a different platform, a different year... Kristan has already stated in one of the many discussions of the Halo score that he personally would have given Halo a 9. Also, on a scale out of 10, when we review several hundred games every year, a lot of games are going to get the same score yet some will be regarded as better than others. Plus you need to throw personal preference into the mix. Please please get over it

  • rauper Verified Managing Director, Eurogamer Network #18 8 years ago

    Oh and I really like playing TIF online, great for a pick-up and play... whereas I don't care for Halo (well, any console FPS's really) at all :)

  • rauper Verified Managing Director, Eurogamer Network #19 8 years ago

    Oh... and it is also worth reading this: http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=53472

  • kincaide #20 8 years ago

    I am not questioning the mark given to Halo. I believe 8 is a high mark, and in the review given to Halo, justifiable. What I am questioning is whether, going by the review for TIF2004, whether it merits an 8. It reads more like a 7.

    I know I am being nit-picky here, I obviously have a bit too much time on my hands at the moment (and it doesn't help that I don't like the game)

    EDIT: Spellin'...
    Edited by kincaide at 31/03/04 @ 18:18

  • rauper Verified Managing Director, Eurogamer Network #21 8 years ago

    Fair enough :) OPS2 gave it a 7 I believe... I guess it's what we call in the office, the difference between a "High 8" and a "Low 8"!

  • patlike #22 8 years ago

    BTW Patrick, I enjoyed reading your first (?) EG review.

    Thank you :)

  • eviltobz  #23 8 years ago

    so, its as good as halo then huh?

    /sticks tongue out at rauper

  • tiddles #24 8 years ago

    heh, nice reviewer picture - half geezer down the pub, half "your dad telling a bad joke"...

  • CunningLinguist #25 8 years ago

    This game is pants, the online beta was version was laggy and the game has no feeling. The online part is more like 8/20 than 8/10. And who's want it for offline when you have PES 3?

  • phAge #26 8 years ago

    StePHen HawkinG. Dammit.

    phAge

  • KyuZo #27 8 years ago

    "This game is pants, the online beta was version was laggy and the game has no feeling. The online part is more like 8/20 than 8/10."

    Ahem.. NDA?

  • renzo #28 8 years ago

    This game has come out at a really odd time though hasn't it? Most footie fans would have either picked up FIFA 2004 or Pro Evo 3 by now, and the masochists would have picked up Club Football. So, even if it truly is an 8/10 game, most people are going to overlook it, and the only thing that might interest them is the online play, but how many people are actually using PS2 Online?

    I've been burned in the past by a TIF game, so I don't think I'll be picking this one up.

    /shows burn scars

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #29 8 years ago

    "Oh, 1-0 by the way, losers..."

    Yes, I reckon the mighty footballing nations of Europe will be quaking in their boots after the Swedish performance last night.

  • Ivefoundgod #30 8 years ago

    Well in fairness Mugwum Sweden are better than England. England have a load of overated,overpaid gits. Joe Cole for example is crap, he did nothing at West Ham and hes doing nothing at Chelsea,is not an international level player, Rooney has come on quite a bit and I'm sure will be a class player but the english media make him out to some sort of god. He's not. He might be in a few years but not now. Don't get me wrong, they do have some class players(Scholes, Owen, Terry, Campbell and Bridge)but they just don't work as a team, I don't know why. Though it's a fairly bad sign when Butt and the Nevilles make the team.

    Anyway, rant over. Hope I don't offend any of you and If I did I apologise.

    I'm Irish in case you're wondering so go ahead and tear my national team apart, it's fun, it really is.

  • CyRUS- #31 8 years ago

    The result was kind of besides the point. England were probably overall the better side.. I believe Sweden only had 1 shot on goal during the whole match, which was the goal...
    We hit the post and crossbar too of course.

  • ssuellid #32 8 years ago

    John Barnes does the commentary?

    If so thats more than enough to put me off.

  • rauper Verified Managing Director, Eurogamer Network #33 8 years ago

    Craig: You can curl free kicks by hitting left/right whilst hitting o as the bar goes up to shoot.

    John Barnes is crap in it...

    bungleboogle: when attacking, X is pass, triangle is thru type pass, O is shoot (tap it only, otherwise it spazzes over the bar), [] is hoof it.... L1+L2 are trickery on the ball, R1 is knock the ball ahead... and R2 is deliberate dive.

    when defending... X is change player, O is tackle, [] is sliding tackle... hold L1 to let the computer help defend, R1 runs faster and R2 is deliberate foul.