I mean the announcement that goes "We at EA are VERY sorry for accidently putting a BETA version onto retail discs and we will fix it IMMEDIATELY"

After playing this game for a while , it became ever more painfully obvious that its has so many GLARING faults it almost make me embarrased for the pixels!!!

I admit, the graphics are lovely, and there are MOMENTS of slick gameplay going on in this game, and it certainly COULD have been the best FIFA game yet........ BUT......BUT.....BUT.... :(

Let me touch on a couple of issues here......

Firstly the Defensive "AI", please take note of the ""!!!! I think even using the word intelligence in line with the defensive goings on in this game is cruelty unbound!!!

I have NEVER seen such appaling, pathetic, and just useless AI in all my life. Did they even beta test this game? Because for the life of me I coannot think how in hells name anyone could miss the painfully inept and poor setup of the defensive AI.

I mean I have seen TWO attackers going up against my four man defense, and the defense not only stands and lets them through but in some cases actually MOVES ASIDE so they can shhot better.

When in a wide flat back four, the two wide defenders stand out on the wings like morons while the attackers waltz in and score unhindered!!! Its ridiculous, I have NEVER seen anything like it. I cannot believe EA actually released the game with the AI in such a bad way!!
My god the very first Fifa on the damn SEGA MEGA DRIVE had defenders 100% better than this muck!!

Now, lets just say we could STRETCH forgiveness out a little here for the laughable defensive AI...lets move on.....

What a wonderful invention "SMART" Passes are... again note the ""...... SMART???? Don't they mean blatantly retarded passes????? Or the new Fifa MORONIC Pass button?

Great here comes Figo up the middle, Ronaldo pulling a run off the defendeers back and all Figo has to do is SMART pass to the closest and most obvious man..simple right? RIGHT??? I mean how difficult can that actually be?????

Well with EA's new "SMART" Passing, it seems its very difficult. I mean Rivaldo can turn 360 and pass back into midfield instead NO PROBLEMS. Or pull some half assed lame pass to the wide where there is obviously NO PASS OPEN and give it straight to the other team..... AMAZING. I dont think it would be possible to make "SMART" passes any more useless if they tried!! And they are evn kind ebnough to have no option to turn it off :)

Ok lets now say I am VERY forgiving and I can forgive this also.....lets move on again....

We have Headering. Now you would think a Goal kick by a world class keeper would realistically go to his own team more often than not right? OK, granted, now we also assume a world calss player like say .hmhmhmhmh Zidane? Ronaldo? These guys can easily pick up and hold a goal kick right? Or at least win a header right?

RIGHT???? I MEAN WTF?????

Its seems not, a goal kick in this games = a quick way to concede possesion immediately to the opposition. I have not yet managed to win a SINGLE header from a goal kick by my own keeper. Sure I can win moist of the kicvks by their keeper wich is equally STUPID!!!

Goalkick is supposed to be a usefull part of play, not a waste of space!!!

Okay now lets also suggest you could chip the ball to Ronaldo and he is wide? He can easily flick a header inside for Raul right? I mean the guy is 6 ft+ and world class by anyones standard. He can header when he is standing in a mile of space right?

Well no apparently he cant. In fact nobody can head the ball unless there is an opponant glued to their arse while doing so!!!! What kind of idiocy is that?

Lets not even go down the forgiveness road, because to be honest EA should be damn well embarassed byt this game!!!

What about the chip/lob pass. Now anyone who knows ANYTHING about football would know its one of the most widely used offensive passes, utilised to deadly effect by the greatest players in the game, Zidance, Rivaldo, Veron, to name but a few masters of the chip over. You would think players could control a simple chip and take it on right?

Well no actually it seems even the world number one player cant conmtrol a simple chip. He can blunder about with a clumsy , slow and useless chest down by which time hes either slide tackled or the defence has had a week toi recover.... amazing that isnt it?

The chip is as well not being in the game for all the use it is!!! In fact passing might as well not be in the game, in fact the game might as well not be a game, they should have made a pretty looking video to watch because clearly thats what they are after!!!!

The passing diversity in this game is pathetic, the headering, and fast ball control are null and void, the AI is a joke, and even the interface is half asses in places.

You have to move the mouse way over past the side of some of the arrows before you can click them :(

I wish I could finish on a positive note, but I cant.

Lets talk about FIFA and its player realism....

We all know Roberto Carlos right? Probably fastest player in the world down the left wing. Extremely talented and very powerful on the ball. Now you would think with 3 yards headstart againt 90% of the defenders in the world normally NOBODY would be getting back in touch with him when he is 3 yards cl;ear right?

Well why is it in FIFA that 3 yards clear and sprinting Roberto Carlos can't even outpace the most mediocre players? In fact Roberto Carlos is ALWAYS slower than his opposing defender..in fact it doesnt matter who you try it with NONE of the world fastest and best players can match the pace of FIFA-Steroided defenders....

And as for Zinedine Zidane the world best player...but in FIFA he is no better than your average sunday league player. Yes the man who has glue on his boots and terrorises midfields and defenders alike with his on the ball skills and control gets robbed everytime by any player who comes within a yard of him....

Whats the point in having the funny little numbers next to the player attributes?????? Clearly they make absolutely no difference what-so-ever, so why even bother?

FIFA 2003 is so badly in need of a patch is beyond a joke.

As it stands, with all the will in the world I recommend this game to NOBODY.

If you like football, DO NOT buy this game, you have been warned. Unless EA get their fingers out and fix it which as usual they seem unwilling to do, I would rather play blow football than this muck.

Dare I say it, I would even prefer FIFA 2002 special moves included than this joke of a game.

Its a shame because if they hadn't rushed out a half assed beta version it could have been the greatest FIFA game yet :(
As it stands its the most hilarious excuse for a Football game I have ever seen.!!:f***:

WOW this was the LAMEST post I have ever seen!!
you must only have one hand or somthing or you just suck so much at this game!!

OK i will give you the AI problem, but I dont care about that cuz I have freands (you obviusly dont) I bought the game for the multiplayer!

Headers: all I have to say is go train!!...I serusly see no problem with the headding, I win 70% of the midfield balls and I have only played the game for a week!

Running: If you want to run fast you will have to use the C-stick(gamecube) or EA freastyle control, this make you player push the ball infront of him and run after it, when he connects with the ball do it again, and again, if you dont see a diffrence in speed now you are retarded....its not easy but its not supposed to be just like in real life!!...this is by far the most realistic system I have seen in a soccer game

Passes: try pressing the player run button....dick

Originally posted by Sabre

Its a shame because if they hadn't rushed out a half assed beta version it could have been the greatest FIFA game yet :(
As it stands its the most hilarious excuse for a Football game I have ever seen.!!:f***:

OK CHAMP YOU DO BETTER STARTING NOW AND UNTIL NOVEMBER 2003 I WANNA SEE FROM YOU A GAME THAT IS ONE-TENTH OF THIS.

As you said this is a half-ass attempt of a game well you do better - well go on then

A harsh post maybe put i cant disagree with the points he made.

Everything he says is true. It needs patching

No need to flame the guy for posting his opinion fs:/
EA should respond to this criticism.

I cant make a better game granted.
But I obviously could have playtested it better and not let the game be released with the annoying glitches that spoil it.

i just wanted to say that EA released a demo, so if you bought it, you knew what you were getting..

I agree to an extent m8-but a lot of people including myself were hoping that those bugs would be fixed in the full release.

I mean, who would spend all that time making such a well presented Football game and then make your players not be able to head it when they are on their own? Yet the computer can and does all the time...........
Surely not EA...........?

Originally posted by zul-aid
OK CHAMP YOU DO BETTER STARTING NOW AND UNTIL NOVEMBER 2003 I WANNA SEE FROM YOU A GAME THAT IS ONE-TENTH OF THIS.

As you said this is a half-ass attempt of a game well you do better - well go on then

That's not as difficult as you make out.
Take all the profit they've made from the previous FIFA games along with all the money that will be newly invested.
Then, you take your previous FIFA team, set them the job of making 2003, give them the previous FIFA code and rush out another 'new' release.

Simple as that right?

For those pathetic fanboys posting rabid defenses of EA.........................................BITE ME ;)

As for the normal people, yeah its harsh, but considering the amount of experience EA have in the making of these games, this low quality a release is just pathetic.

It shows a complete disregard for gameplay, it seems the Fifa franchise is now big enough for them to no longer care about details like gameplay.

I have bought every Fifa game since the beginning, and this one is just pathetic!!!!

If they release beta quality goods then they can expect flak from people who actually know something about the games.

Obviously there are those like the two above who are just newbie fanboys impressed with pretty graphics, some of us demand more from games.......little details like gameplay you know?:rockman:

I can understand the frustration of the original poster.
It does look like FIFA 2003 was a "rush" job. It may be possible that they messed up the defensive :drevil: AI :drevil: when they realized that it was too difficult for the CPU to score. I think the reason they made the heading "inconvenient" was because in previous versions it was too easy to score with bullet headers.
They just keep going from one extreme to the other.

Initially when I started playing, it was so frustrating watching the CPU just stroll through my defence to score....but after a few days I have got the hang of it... I don't concede too many goals now. I even managed to score off a header...and I have'nt conceded a goal off a corner yet. I just tap the header button once to clear the ball. (on semi-pro level)
If things get worse, i'll sell it on ebay :D

Have to say I agree with alot of the points made here
My majore beef is with the two types of passing.
First up, the short, along the ground passing. Its just, so, sloppy. Its nice to play one touch speedy little sharp passes along the ground, but the FIFA ones are so slow, bobbling, and inaccurate, this really annoys me.
Secondly, the long passes. It has never occured to FIFA that players hit long passes for players to run on to? seems not as 90% of the time there is a player there to head it, so unrealistic. I like the ISS2 long pass style, you aim your direction, and choose your power and it goes where you aimed, not one of the designated spots that EA decided.

As for the AI, I don't think we need to go into how bad that is!

Originally posted by mathewsss
I can understand the frustration of the original poster.
It does look like FIFA 2003 was a "rush" job. It may be possible that they messed up the defensive :drevil: AI :drevil: when they realized that it was too difficult for the CPU to score. I think the reason they made the heading "inconvenient" was because in previous versions it was too easy to score with bullet headers.
They just keep going from one extreme to the other.

Initially when I started playing, it was so frustrating watching the CPU just stroll through my defence to score....but after a few days I have got the hang of it... I don't concede too many goals now. I even managed to score off a header...and I have'nt conceded a goal off a corner yet. I just tap the header button once to clear the ball. (on semi-pro level)
If things get worse, i'll sell it on ebay :D

The point isn't whther I win or not. Of course I win, I have been playing Fifa since the year dot, there isn't a Fifa game made I cant win on.

BUT, that doesn't mean I enjoy it.......

These stupid flaws really ruin the game. They have robbed 50% of the gameplay from the game. Its easy to win , the opposition can't score when you dont give them the ball, and I normally get 70% possession + even on higher difficulties :)

Its still annoying as hell when your "Smart passes" go where they please, and you have to slide tackle all over midfiled to gain the ball from what should have been an easy ball :(

Its doubly annoying to give them the ball once, and watch them go right through a 4 man defence and score with a single shot. This kind of crap REALLY ruins Fifa 2003, it makes me want to just turn the damn thing off.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I play Fifa for the enjoyment of the game. I look to be diverse and creative in my passing and score great goals, and shut out the opposition using skill!!

Having gaping great flaws, or maybe i should just say a non existant defence, a completely ruined header and lob system just kills the game dead.

The little chip over the defence, the crossfield lob-pass, these are things that I have always used a LOT to get moire diversity and spread the ball about.

Lets face it, what is there in FIFA 2003? Nothing except weak passes with the "smart pass" option, and a through ball button.

This is NOT a football game by ANY definition of football, because in football, headers on, bringing the ball down WITHOUT chest, chips, lobs, ect ect ect are ALL part of the game, not something that are just left by the wayside!!!

I dont know what the hell this game is, but it is NOT football.......

I think some of your points are very valid, ie. the heading and anybody being able to catch up with you when you're sprinting clear but some of them seem downroight picky.

I mean the whole menu selection gripe is a bit weak. I love the menu, it's the best and easiest to access menu system they've ever had IMO. The defensive AI doesn't bother me becasue I don't want defenders who automatically get across and cover the player for me. I want to do it and thereby feel like I'm in control of more than the forwards. If the CPU scores I don't blame the computerised AI. I've played over 40 games so far and I haven't conceeded 1 single goal which I didn't have the opportunity to stop if I'd have timed my tackle better or taken control of a different defender. To me that makes the game more realistic - that I have to be the one in control of the defense.

I don't find my players get the ball stolen from them too much in the midfield unless I'm dumb enough to get to close to one of their players and even then, using the fake/deke button I can get out of trouble a lot.

I think overall you are just very poor at playing the game to some degree because although I agree with some of the points you made (although nowhere near the extent you do - I win about 50/50 of headers) many of your complaints seem very petty.

Well, EA will be thinking about FIFA 2004 now, and FIFA 2003 will soon be gone as far asthey're concerned.

I don't want EA to start leaving out good features from FIFA 2004, and it's best if we in this forum start to make suggestions to EA.

suggestions@ea.com

I believe that FIFA 2003 is a very good game for the short time it was made in. NOW IMAGINE!!!

Holland problem fixed for FIFA 2004, we get Holland, EA are wanting to sort this problem.

A more solid game engine with less EA faults and added animations.

Improved animations and less 'going through something' players.

Harder shooting model.

Better goalkeepers for both A.I and human, as EA have made FIFA 2003 so that on World Class your GK is ****e and the A.I's is brilliant, this is shown in the AICPU file I looked at, but on the Xbox, I think the A.I has enough problem against my GK, lol. (I have only played PC demo so other version might be the same as xbox).

I think EA need to add an indoor stadium and improve on gameplay next year, more then graphics, but it'd be nice to have more player faces.

FIFA 2003 is great, but they need to add and add, not take off!! :)

Nick Clubman

I heard that the patch is coming out in Dec..............


Dec....... 2003. It's called FIFA 2k4.

I can't wait.

I admire your optimism Nick.
But at the end of the day I have spent the best part of £30
on a flawed product. After playing this for a while I enjoyed it but found it so frustrating. And decided I was not going to buy any more Fifa games(and I have them all from Megadrive to present day!).
If only they would patch the header bug-its so annoying to watch the comp do something u cant. It would improve it 10x

Seems I have been waiting for the next Fifa to iron out the bugs for a long time-they have had a lot of mine and everyone elses money. Never mind 2004 I want my game fixed in 2002.
I dont think its 2 much to ask-look at the patch support for other major titles-EA has 2 much of a monopoly imo.

if you thought that in the 3 weeks between the demo and the full version they were going to actually reprogram the AI to smooth bugs.,.. then you are very naive,, if the demo was released 2 months before, maybe some hope.. but in 3 weeks they are not going to go back to programming the core of the game..

More vain hope than Naiveity.
If EA really cared about the consumer they coulda held it back-I would rather have waited.
But hey while there are people willing to blindly defend a game that is let down by easily fixable bugs, there are people willing to buy.

I think the first post had points but mainly due to player having alack of understanding of the game. I mean his comments around the defensive AI were just because he hasn't mastered it yet, i kind of admire EA because you have to look it from there point of view if its too easy to slide tackle games are very scrappy and end up being unrealistic. Heading is easy and can be more of a challenge but again once mastered is rewarding. Ok lets make these world class players faster with more skill and lets revert back to 6-5 scorelines!! You see i dont agree with you and to a certain extent i dont disagree, but its a game, a video representation of the game and as it goes a very good if not the best PC Fifa to date.

I have to say though that beinga PC owner i feel very lucky because the console versions suck, especially the PS2 and it feels as though you viewing that through thick fog-very low res!

I tell you what all you whingers and moaners just think youselfs lucky we dont have another FIFA 2002 on our hands because that was diabolical. Final point if you feel the way you do buy FIFA from the Game store and you have a 10 day money back no quibble refund or exchange and quit whinging

lol disguising the games bugs and shortcomings as "realistic features". Oh dear, it's come to this has it?

to everybody bitching and moaning about how **** fifa 2003 is, shut the **** up. IT IS A GAME. it isnt a life or death situation!
get over it, take it back, get a new game, just stop bitching
________
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Originally posted by OWENISAGUN
to everybody bitching and moaning about how **** fifa 2003 is, shut the **** up. IT IS A GAME. it isnt a life or death situation!
get over it, take it back, get a new game, just stop bitching

"Liverpool=Champions"....Hmmm that about sums up your opinion ;) You are living in a adream world where such things are actually possible....now back in the real world where Liverpool are really eternal mediocre wannabees....FIFA2003 still sucks.

You are the the kind of buyer who ruins products, by shutting up and taking any crap companies choose to throw out.

Well some of us aren't such lackies, and are more than happy to say when a product is just a pathetic excuse to fill the company coffers, which is EXACTLY what Fifa 2003 is all about.

I began tosuspect after 2002 that EA had finally become so arrogant in their Fifa series that they no longer cared about the gameplay, anything with FIFA on it will make them money so they are happy.....Fifa 2003 confirms this.

I still remeber buying the first ever fifa soccer on my sega mega drive , and now I remember buying my last ever Fifa soccer, and thats 2003 ;)

I am no longer interested in Fifa, and I guess that means I have one thing in common with EA sport ;)

I will wait for a new company to make a game which takles over the market, since Fifa is no longer worth calling a contender in the games market, just another sales gimmick.....