FIFA Soccer 2002

GameSpot

If it weren't for the lack of an ability to adjust team strategy on the fly, pick your own teams for tournament play, or perform special dribbles with any sort of effectiveness, FIFA 2002 would be approaching perfection.

netjak

This is the best crowd animation that I have ever seen.

Nintendojo

It doesn't have Madden's depth, but then, it doesn't have Madden's Mt. Everest learning curve, either.

Nintendo Power

Equally stunning is the dual color commentary, which seamlessly strings together on-the-fly play-by-plays without ever skipping a beat or sounding choppy. [Jan 2002, p.127]

IGN

The game boasts intuitive, tight controls, players move with a realistic sense of physics and inertia, the passing system works without a hitch and purists will find the statistic tracking fully in place.

Electric Playground

The pace seems faster than last year's version, which is definitely a good thing. Playing multiplayer is a lot more fun because of it.

GameShark

The players look amazingly real with fluid human like movement. The close up celebration scenes are terrific and mimic actual celebrations in the real game.

GameSpy

With excellent controls, graphics, sound, and a huge variety of gameplay modes, this one is a game you should pick up.

All Game Guide

A sports title that is not to be missed. You needn't be a hardcore soccer fan to appreciate the realism, tight mechanics, and rich, vibrant graphics that EA SPORTS has brought to the GameCube.

Game Informer

The only gripe I have here is that you have to double tap for special moves. [Feb 2002, p.87]

TotalGames.net

It’ll certainly keep you busy, until the next FIFA game comes out (in a few months), just don’t expect to be too excited by it.

GamePro

World Cup–level graphics and realism have to struggle to make up for controls that keep getting yellow cards.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

I swear, you could probably nail players in the groin nine times out of 10 with these controls if you practiced enough. [Feb 2002, p.164]