FIFA Football 2003 ‘revealed’
Yes, we’re as surprised as you are!
Electronic Arts has taken the unprecedented step of announcing the 2003 edition of its FIFA Football franchise in the eighth month of 2002. Their marketing droids assure us that this latest FIFA will be just as "absorbing" and "detailed" as ever, because "FIFA is total football" [Nb: excess capital lettering confiscated by writer]. After our protestations that the last one was awful, however, good news comes in the shape of several major alterations. For a start, we're promised improvements to the game's AI, and "a fundamental change in the control of the ball including shooting, dribbling and passing," which we're hoping means the elimination of that pesky power bar. Other changes will affect the free kick and set pieces system, although like Konami, EA seems happier to draw attention to the familiar player run-ups and behaviour, instead of explaining how the new system will work. As usual, all sorts of game modes will be on offer, and the coveted FIFA license means "over 175 licensed entities", which means 16 leagues, 450 teams and as many as 10,000 players. EA will also be pushing back the envelope in terms of presentation, although we can't imagine how they could raise the production values of 2002 FIFA World Cup. I suppose they could eliminate the slowdown… Anyway, FIFA Football 2003 will be available this November on every format under the sun - PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PSone, and even GameBoy Advance. But then again, the release date and targeted formats were never really in question. Related Feature - FIFA Football 2003 screenshots (PS2)