TeKNoS
26-03-2002, 02:05:PM
I just bought FIFA 2002 about two weeks ago when I saw that Best Buy was selling it for $29.99 - I thought this was a good price at the time and since it had been out for a months maybe it was just time to drop the price. Well, I was very very very wrong. This game's price had dripped because well, it just phucking SUCKS.
At first I was completely overwhelmed by the music, the player motions, the sounds and commentary, everything was just crisp and clean. The game's menu and interface was quick and sound on the PS2. The extras were really cool, and made me laugh. The training video was really helpful too. Best of all, they decided to go with some good Trance music by Ministry of Sound in place of that ultraghey "Punk Rock" music they always play out in video games to make them sound "extra hardcore."
I started looking around on the features and it was cool, they had friendlies, tournaments, qualify for the world cup, create your own tournies and players, etc. It was great. Naturally, I messed around with the options to my liking, looked for a Training Mode...and lo and behold...there was none. Great !!! A game like this, that I have never played at all...and I have to learn right away in a friendly match ? That's not cool...this is too ARCADELIKE !!! (does that ring a bell for any of you guys that have played the previous titles ?)
Anyway, I decided to give it a shot anyway and on amateur mode, everything seemed so good. The passes were controllable now, the ball could be bent and chipped with direction on and off the ground, the players made runs for through balls, the shots weren't always accurate, and everything seemed so realistic, or so I thought. The defense wasn't tackling me harsh and killing my players every time I tried to score, my players could move freely without being manmarked 100% of the time, and the referee was accurate in his calls. I was in heaven !!! "Wow, finally EA Sports has gotten their act together," I thought to myself.
After about a week of playing amateur when I would come home from work, I decided to give Proffesional mode a try. Here is where my whole confidence and patience in FIFA 2002 just crumbled to pieces. The AI did a complete 360 turn on me and started to do the same stuff that used to happen in all previous FIFA titles:
- Super-accurate passes that NEVER fail and never go past a player
- Incredible long balls and chips that bend and manipulate physics like there's no tomorrow
- Super-shots from midfield that you didn't even know happened until it hits the bar, post, or they absolutely score
- Amazing and unstoppable one-two pass plays all the way down from their end of the field to yours that always end up in a goal
- Chesting the ball down from an aerial pass even when it would be impossible in reality (like when you have 3 guys the size of Jaap Stam around you and the guy that chests it is Maradona)
- Counter-attacks whereas if you lose the ball, it automatically goes to their forwards in a long pass, and of course, your defense is way off their line
- Unstoppable through balls b/c again, your defense is way off their line
- When they send a long ball and your defender attemps to head away, they effortlessly hit your player down to the ground and they just take posession and score
- When you try to make a pass towards one of your players, it usually fails and they pick it up automatically
- When you try to send an aerial pass, they are already positioned in front of your player and chest it down
- When you try to do a one-touch pass they are already manmarking 100% of the time and you have no chance of ever getting it back
- When you try to send a ball upfield they have carte blanche to the ball in all situations because your players are always out of position
- When you are defending you are surprised to find a player like Ronaldo, Romario, Vieri, etc IN YOUR BOX when they are supposed to be upfield waiting for a pass
- When you try to defend and head away or at least catch the player on the ground before he shoots, it's impossible, your player just stands around and the CPU automatically scores or takes the shot
- When you defend, your player is usually too far away to even reach the running opposition by default
- When you try to score, usually the CPU gets you from behind in the last minute
- When you send a through ball, the same stupid move in all FIFA games happens: the cpu does a half turn and boots it upfield, usually ending in a goal in its favor
- When you try to make a shot, even though you know you're pointing in the correct direction, by default, it's already pointed outside and it hits the side netting. This also applies to rebounds
- When you try to do a highpower shot, it usually stays at midheight and the goalkeeper just parries it away
- When you try to make shots that you KNOW a keeper cannot save, the SUPERGOALIE returns and effortlessly keeps the shot in his hands
- When you try to do any cross of any kind, the CPU is already in position and heads away, or the CPU SUPERGOALIE just catches it
I could list more and more and more...but I really cannot remember all of the things that just piss me off about this game. Two years ago, I traded FIFA99 just to be able to get ISS Pro Evolution on the PSOne. I felll in love with the ISS series and I never, ever wanted to go back. I didn't ever want to buy another EA Sports title whatsoever.
Unfortunately though, here in the United States, it is too difficult to get a copy of the ISS Series for the PS2, and it really does suck. The FIFA series will always continue to be pinball arcade games, that are unrealistic and unsatisfactory. I truly wish I could get my hands on an ISS game for the PS2...heck I'd even take a Winning Eleven game even though I have no idea who the Jap teams are.
Anyway, if you have time, please post your opinions about this game. I'm already close to breaking it in half...I expected more out of it since I left EA Sports for good after FIFA 2000. I think Im going to bust out my copy of my trusty old ISS Pro Evolution for the PSone and play that instead. FIFA 2002 is just a bunch of frustration waiting to happen. If anyone wants this game lemme know, I'll sell it for 25 bucks since it's only about a week old.
TeKNoS
At first I was completely overwhelmed by the music, the player motions, the sounds and commentary, everything was just crisp and clean. The game's menu and interface was quick and sound on the PS2. The extras were really cool, and made me laugh. The training video was really helpful too. Best of all, they decided to go with some good Trance music by Ministry of Sound in place of that ultraghey "Punk Rock" music they always play out in video games to make them sound "extra hardcore."
I started looking around on the features and it was cool, they had friendlies, tournaments, qualify for the world cup, create your own tournies and players, etc. It was great. Naturally, I messed around with the options to my liking, looked for a Training Mode...and lo and behold...there was none. Great !!! A game like this, that I have never played at all...and I have to learn right away in a friendly match ? That's not cool...this is too ARCADELIKE !!! (does that ring a bell for any of you guys that have played the previous titles ?)
Anyway, I decided to give it a shot anyway and on amateur mode, everything seemed so good. The passes were controllable now, the ball could be bent and chipped with direction on and off the ground, the players made runs for through balls, the shots weren't always accurate, and everything seemed so realistic, or so I thought. The defense wasn't tackling me harsh and killing my players every time I tried to score, my players could move freely without being manmarked 100% of the time, and the referee was accurate in his calls. I was in heaven !!! "Wow, finally EA Sports has gotten their act together," I thought to myself.
After about a week of playing amateur when I would come home from work, I decided to give Proffesional mode a try. Here is where my whole confidence and patience in FIFA 2002 just crumbled to pieces. The AI did a complete 360 turn on me and started to do the same stuff that used to happen in all previous FIFA titles:
- Super-accurate passes that NEVER fail and never go past a player
- Incredible long balls and chips that bend and manipulate physics like there's no tomorrow
- Super-shots from midfield that you didn't even know happened until it hits the bar, post, or they absolutely score
- Amazing and unstoppable one-two pass plays all the way down from their end of the field to yours that always end up in a goal
- Chesting the ball down from an aerial pass even when it would be impossible in reality (like when you have 3 guys the size of Jaap Stam around you and the guy that chests it is Maradona)
- Counter-attacks whereas if you lose the ball, it automatically goes to their forwards in a long pass, and of course, your defense is way off their line
- Unstoppable through balls b/c again, your defense is way off their line
- When they send a long ball and your defender attemps to head away, they effortlessly hit your player down to the ground and they just take posession and score
- When you try to make a pass towards one of your players, it usually fails and they pick it up automatically
- When you try to send an aerial pass, they are already positioned in front of your player and chest it down
- When you try to do a one-touch pass they are already manmarking 100% of the time and you have no chance of ever getting it back
- When you try to send a ball upfield they have carte blanche to the ball in all situations because your players are always out of position
- When you are defending you are surprised to find a player like Ronaldo, Romario, Vieri, etc IN YOUR BOX when they are supposed to be upfield waiting for a pass
- When you try to defend and head away or at least catch the player on the ground before he shoots, it's impossible, your player just stands around and the CPU automatically scores or takes the shot
- When you defend, your player is usually too far away to even reach the running opposition by default
- When you try to score, usually the CPU gets you from behind in the last minute
- When you send a through ball, the same stupid move in all FIFA games happens: the cpu does a half turn and boots it upfield, usually ending in a goal in its favor
- When you try to make a shot, even though you know you're pointing in the correct direction, by default, it's already pointed outside and it hits the side netting. This also applies to rebounds
- When you try to do a highpower shot, it usually stays at midheight and the goalkeeper just parries it away
- When you try to make shots that you KNOW a keeper cannot save, the SUPERGOALIE returns and effortlessly keeps the shot in his hands
- When you try to do any cross of any kind, the CPU is already in position and heads away, or the CPU SUPERGOALIE just catches it
I could list more and more and more...but I really cannot remember all of the things that just piss me off about this game. Two years ago, I traded FIFA99 just to be able to get ISS Pro Evolution on the PSOne. I felll in love with the ISS series and I never, ever wanted to go back. I didn't ever want to buy another EA Sports title whatsoever.
Unfortunately though, here in the United States, it is too difficult to get a copy of the ISS Series for the PS2, and it really does suck. The FIFA series will always continue to be pinball arcade games, that are unrealistic and unsatisfactory. I truly wish I could get my hands on an ISS game for the PS2...heck I'd even take a Winning Eleven game even though I have no idea who the Jap teams are.
Anyway, if you have time, please post your opinions about this game. I'm already close to breaking it in half...I expected more out of it since I left EA Sports for good after FIFA 2000. I think Im going to bust out my copy of my trusty old ISS Pro Evolution for the PSone and play that instead. FIFA 2002 is just a bunch of frustration waiting to happen. If anyone wants this game lemme know, I'll sell it for 25 bucks since it's only about a week old.
TeKNoS