I don't think so...I just saw images of FIFA, but they're so much better than 2003...that's y I say FIFA 2003 it's a beta version of 2004...the animations available, the response and specially...the game PACE...is so much more realistic than Weleven...the pitch size, and etc...
WEleven 7 it is cool indeed...but sometimes, u get the feeling ur playing Sega's Virtua Striker...player's animations are so fluid, so liquid...the ball phisics it's extremely unreal...it looks like a plastic, child's ball...u can notice from videos how much more real FIFA's ball it is...u can cut and dribble so easily in Weleven 7, that it seems playing are gliding...
other thing...the pace, like I said, for any game, any match it's extremely fast...every friendly, every League match it's like a Final match...u can't really make a rhytmic play...slowind down, watch your team mate and make a long pass...u have to think fast...it's like a real game, yeah, but like a Sub-20 game...everybody running, fast, sweating...snapping actions...it isn't unreal, but football it isn't always like that...specially depend on the scheme u chose for ur team...
In the other hand, u can do all that in FIFA 2004...and the best thing about it is...u can notice from videos, pics and interviews, that this version it is evoluting day by day...a thing that I reaallly doub it happens with any other football simulation...
FIFA 2004 it's coming greatly increased, while WEleven didn't reaaally present big new things...just someones with a cosmetic effect, and other ones, obligatory (like players animations getting increased and enhanced)...
people here in Brazil use to say that FIFA it's a arcade game and WEleven a true simulation - I think exactly the opposite...people say it about FIFA because of the scores (which was really ridiculous...your defense and CPU's are so extremely easy to beat in FIFA 2003)...but for me, FIFA has always meant to be more real...and less cool than WEleven...and vice versa...the only problem with FIFA, it's that FIFA didn't have some resources...on player control and teams...there were few animations available for players, if compared even with PS1's WEleven...
but everybody can notice how different this is in 2k4's case...many WEleven fans claim that it has a better gameplay, because of the control u can get over the player ur handling, but I guess gameplay it's a sum of controlling ur player and ur team...and how CPU behaves on it too...a thing that never existed in WEleven...ur always attacked by the forwards only...u barely see variations of side defenders invading ur penalty box, or defensive midfielders swaping positons in the attack with forwards or offensive midfielders...what plently happens in FIFA 2003, for example...and it's gonna get improved on FIFA 2004...
and...don't forget it...WEleven was released in August and FIFA, well, pratically November...they had plenty of time and a 70% game ready in that moment, so they could work hard, like...hmmm...maybe 10hrs/6 days (?)...hehehe...to get all the other features they had in mind already and those ones WEleven didn't bring...like some dribbles, special movements and even tactical options not present in Weleven...
fella...they know about how successfull WEleven is, and what path theyshould follow if they wanna kick Weleven from the trone...u can get it from interviews in EA's 'making of' site...besides, WEleven it's on the top for a long time now, since PS1's version...they can't afford that situation anymore, or FIFA series will die...they can't survive only by the die-hard FIFA fans...
if u wanna try a cool football simulator, essential...play Weleven 7...but if u wanna feel like playing an important match in Europe, or Sunday afternoon League game in Brazil, play FIFA 2004...I'm totally sure that what we saw until now it's just a scratch about what FIFA is going to offer...oh and that excites me...a thing that all the announced new stuff in WEleven 7 didn't...and just to remember, I'm really an impartial football simulator lover...I'm here for the first time, and the past FIFA versions, well...didn't please me...no way...
I think I play videogame for a long to get a feeling in my gut that says when this or that is gonna be good or not...specially on football, my fave sport, and people's general everyday talk in my country...
and please...stop with this annoying crappy talk about grown-up WEleven gameplay...that's such a teenie thing...c'mon, ur IQ is higher 'coz u prefer KCET products? get real...it's the same than that silly debate (old and silly) between Sega and Nintendo fans...get real and adult, please...
btw...this reply it's for Blademan X...when I started writing it, he was the last one...hehehehehe