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FIFA Soccer 2004
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 20 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 22 votes
Read user comments
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Game Info
Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA Canada
Genre(s): Sports
Players: 4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Release Date: November 4, 2003
Summary
A new Career Mode gives you the chance to take a team from the lower divisions, battle through ranks, sign new players, and turn them into champions. Take control of players away from the ball, and run them into space for attacking passes or gain valuable position during dead ball kicks. A fine-tuned game engine, and new animations dramatically enhance the smoothness in player movement. Deeper team AI, attributes, tactics, playing styles, control, and individual player personalities. Build your franchise and guide your club to the Championship by making calculated front-office decisions with Career Mode. When one season ends and another begins new challenges will present themselves. More than 300 new crowd chants at an ever growing list of officially licensed stadiums help put you in the best seat in the house. Plus, an all-new dynamic weather feature even affects gameplay, so choose your home wisely. More than 500 official licenses, including 16 leagues, 350 teams and 10,000 players. From Europes super leagues to the Americas Club Championship, FIFA Soccer 2004 has the most authentic selection of the worlds best. [EA Sports]
Also On Metacritic
GAMES: FIFA Soccer 06 FIFA Soccer 2003 FIFA Soccer 2005
Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central
Also On The Web: GameSpot Preview GameSpy Preview Official Website Producer Interview
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Play Magazine
Not to be outdone by "Winning Eleven 6," EA Sports has pulled out all the stops and created a soccer game that is second to none... I dare you to find a soccer game where the ball moves so dynamically and realistically. [Nov 2003, p.108]
Official Xbox Magazine
Graphically, FIFA charms, but the gameplay is sublime. [Dec 2003, p.146]
GamePro
A solid simulation of the sport that offers more teams and unique options not available in its main and only competitor on the PS2, "Winning Eleven." Some minor control issues remain and the depth is still not where it needs to be, but it delivers a highly worthwhile experience nonetheless.
Read Full Review >Xbox Nation Magazine
Ultimately, whether 2004 is, in fact, a better game than Konami's "Winning Eleven 7" on PlayStation 2 is debatable; what is clear, however, is that this is easily the finest game of footy to be found on Xbox.
Read Full Review >Team Xbox
Even though Xbox was screwed out of online support yet again, anyone who is a fan of soccer will enjoy this title thoroughly, and find a lot of depth worth hours of play.
Read Full Review >Next Level Gaming
The computer AI is not quite as realistic as Konami's game this year, but is still very solid.
Read Full Review >GameSpot
Though some of the new features will inevitably take you a while to get used to--and there's still plenty of room for improvement--it manages to be both enjoyable and challenging.
Read Full Review >GameNow
Other than the lackluster practice mode, everything in FIFA 2004 is spot-on.
Read Full Review >IGN
Offers the most significant changes the game has seen in years. The core gameplay is changing ever so slowly from super arcade play to a more comprehensive, more realistic style of soccer, and the series is better for it. But it's not quite there yet.
Read Full Review >Electronic Gaming Monthly
FIFA's Off-the-Ball control not only increases your offensive potency tenfold but also provides hardcore soccer studs with an added level of gameplay they've been beggin' for from the series. Plus, no other game of footie has such stellar graphics or electrifying stadium atmosphere. [Dec 2003, p.204]
Eurogamer
But however much positive energy we lavish on FIFA all the areas that EA beats Konami on - bar online - are simply gloss. In a straight tussle between the games, we just don't enjoy playing FIFA as much as we do "PES3," and, for most of you, that's what matters.
Read Full Review >GMR Magazine
The Practice mode could've been more intuitive, like "Madden 2004's" minicamp mode. It was not only difficult to figure out, but also, ultimately, not even that helpful. [Dec 2003, p.86]
TotalGames.net
Definitely an improvement on previous editions and it seems that EA is some way towards emulating "Pro Evolution Soccer" on the PS2. Unfortunately for Xbox fans, it hasn't quite got it yet.
Read Full Review >G4 TV
There's enough in here to keep the hooligans entertained until the next World Cup, or at least next year's game.
Read Full Review >GameBiz
Great Graphics and quality sound provides an overall good game that seems to be lacking in the gameplay area, not due to lack of depth but the difficultness just isn’t there and the game comes across too easy for many.
Read Full Review >Game Revolution
There’s plenty in FIFA 2004 to keep you happy until next season, when hopefully we’ll finally able to execute some plays of greater skill and complexity.
Read Full Review >GameSpy
The best FIFA game so far, but it's still a few problems away from being a soccer utopia. EA really needs to perfect FIFA's control as much as it needed to make a better Career mode. The old developmental mantra is gameplay first, options second.
Read Full Review >Operation Sports
If they had spent a tenth of the effort they made on their graphics and presentation on the gameplay instead, would we have a game that was comparable to the "Winning Eleven" series?
Read Full Review >games(TM)
Even with its overly ambitious new 'Off The Ball' interface the FIFA series is still a long way from capturing the true essence of the beautiful game. [Dec 2003, p.127]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 22 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Hugh Jass gave it a10:
The graphics are dazzling and well known faces are extremely detailed. The only downside is that some of the lesser known players faces are all the same. But that is nothing compared to the whole game - brilliant.
Sungus gave it a 9:
Impressive game. Amazing graphics. Almost perfect except for no world cup, the controls are a bit nonresponsive at times, and there is no advantage to using the special moves. But those are nitpicking. This game is on par with or better than Winning Eleven (my vote is its better).
Mutlu H. gave it a 10:
(Dan L) gave this game 4,i dont think that you are a sport fan because this game has all the best moves and closest there cannot be too soccer!Yes the commentery is the same but that doesnt matter for the guys that realy just wanna play fine soccer!i realy dont listen to commentery anyway because im consentracting on the playing not the commentery.And what you said abput shooting is wrong,The trick is to move your body that it fits the shooting,and if you had played real soccer in life youl noticed that.Fifa 2004 is the Best and the closest you can get to realistic and the way a footballer realy moves in a soccer game!
Simon B. gave it a 9:
Gr8 game, gr8 graphics, really really lifelike. Commentary is a bit crappy but the gameplay more than makes up for it. Gr8 game.
Ou S. gave it a 10:
This game is the bomb, its juss like the real thang..10 for me.
Dan L. gave it a 4:
I'm not sure why people think that this is a good game. The commentary it awful, the same thing over and over again. Now john and ally have expanded their vocab to include... stumbles. yes, that's right they now stumble to make it sound more realistic. but when you play 3 games in a row you get sick of hearing the same thing over and over again. What's the point of putting in a dribbling button if it doesnt work? every time the guy just takes a step forward and nips the ball of of you, nothing you can do about it except pass, and thats not something i like to do. I like to try and take on the entire team, its more fun that way, more of a challenge. There is no way to control your shooting, just press b and hope that it goes in. And i have to say that the goalkeeper animations are horrendous. most of the time they just fall onto their side and the ball goes over their hands or just next to them. The new corner kick system sucks too. what happened to taking a short corner and then laying it off for a shot or a cross? the new system is far to linear, you have practically no control over where you put the ball. And on defense i just want to head the ball away none of this pushing the guy crap, but when i try and turn a round to run to the target, i just shuffle around, i then proceed to block the guy off and try and head the ball away... my arrow is white and i am standing directly on the target but the offender heads its anyway some how, with some miraculous feat. the off the ball control aint to brilliant either, seen as if you get to close to the defender he just pokes the ball away from you you have to control you player and the run of you future player at the same time, this can be very confusing and i find the use of L to be sporradic when cycling throught the players. Another big problem is that the use of attributes has absolutely no effect over how the players play. I played my defenders up front and my strikers at the back and i could see no difference. i played leyton orient in one game and then went on to play real madrid and it was like playing the same team, but in a different uniform. I saw no difference in the skill level of the team. you would expect the orient defenders to screw up once in awhile but no, every tackle was flawless and their gk made 18 saves. The only good thing that has come out of this game are the absolutely sublime graphics and the new practice mode, which i found quite useful to practice my freekicks, which are not hard to master (top corner away from goalie, only bottom spin). Yes, this is truly a magnificent game. P.S WTF are prestige points? i see absolutely no point in these, all they do is slow down the career mode.
Uter gave it a 7:
The game looks and sounds good, but I wish there was a world cup. Also I think they should have included team canada in the international teams (yes, i know it's a terrible team but i still want to play as them). The gameplay feels more realistic than previous years which is great. But, I didn't like the shooting controls and difficulty level doesn't go low enough for kids. My son was getting massacred on amateur - not fun.
