S
sttngfan1701d
Guest
First, let me say this. I have been a fan of the FIFA games since FIFA 96. I enjoyed the fact that, once the games started having Leagues and clubs in addition to International teams, I could play as my favorite club and take them to the league chamionship. I loved the graphics, the sound, and the commentary (except the dreadful default commentary in FIFA 2000). I loved that I could play a game that focused on the leagues of Europe when here in the US they are hardly covered at all.
After having missed the opportunity to play FIFA 2002, I recently picked up 2003. I am sorry to day that, while I love many things about it, the absolute frustration of this game is wearing on me.
For one thing, after I installed the game, I set the resolution to 1024x768, turned on high detail, tinkered with the sound settings, and went off to play a friendly. I was in a hurry, so it was Man U vs. Man City. I started up the match and I was immediadely dumbfounded. The game was skipping, shuddering, dragging...whatever you call it, it was moving SLOW. What was this? My computer (1.2 ghz, 512 DDR RAM, 64 mb Video) doubles the RECOMMENDED specs, and I downloaded the latest video drivers before I installed the game. I couldn't believe it. I had to change the resolution to the lowest possible and switch to low detail. Still, this shouldn't have had to happen. If they print specs on the box, they should make them true, not false.
I found the first half enjoyable. I loved the passing, the new movement, and the new goalscoring model. When the second half started, I was shocked. The other team played like absolute ROBOTS. Perfect in everything they did, except shooting on goal (the difficulty was Amateur, BTW). I was flabbergasted. As soon as I'd select a player that was coming up on the ball carrier, my selected player would RUN AWAY. Excuse me, I'm pressing D, tackle him, don't run! When I finally got forward, I found that in the second hals, against weaker tems, whenever you get the ball to a striker and he has one defender in front of him before he's through on goal, no matter WHAT you do with freestyle control, you don't get past. I've scored second half goals, but EVERY SINGLE TIME I get an attacking ball and go up against the last man, he tackles me. This happens in both halves against strong teams. This is singularly the most frustrating part in this game thus far. I understand what the dev team was trying to achieve with 'team behind improves after halftime' but this is ridiculous. You don't have to make them play like robots.
The defensive stuff is irking me quite a bit. WHY do the unselected players run up to a ballcarrier who's through on goal then SLOW DOWN? I'm sorry, but if your goal is threatened you should have players helping out. But instead you have to cycle through players to select them, and when you select them they run away, so what can you do? I've realized that the game is hard enough on Amateur difficulty during the second half against weak teams. When you play equal or stronger teams, it turns into immediate tackling in both halves. There is just NO WAY to get foward, even with freestyle control. Well, there are occasions. I've threaded a ball and split the defenders before, but that's rare. I've yet to win a one-on-one with the last man in front of the goal. To me, this takes the fun out of the game. It's not supposed to be so hard that every second is a fight. So often I've discovered that by the time I press the freestyle key and get ready to 'take my game to the next level', I'm tackled.
UGH!
Going back to the graphics and video issue, I've discovered that even though I was in the lowest resolution and detail, if I played at certain stadiums it skipped. That just shouldn't happen with a machine that doubles the recommended specs. I was also disappointed that there was no training mode, but that's no biggie. But where was the ability to tweak players' abilities and team kits? When this game was first announced, they proclaimed it would have TOTAL customization. Guess they forgot. I mean, yes it's more true to life when you can't improve teams, but I like to have my Leeds unbeatable, y'know?
I'm glad they finally put Strongbow on the Leeds kit and Carlsberg on Liverpool's. That no-alcohol rule was so stupid. If six year old kids can see it when they watch matches on TV, they can see it on the computer. But where was the ability to set Referee strictness?
All in all, I think FIFA 2003 is still a good game...maybe great. But I think that the game didn't have to be so hard. when it's this hard it becomes frustrating. I understand the added difficulty of controlling the defenders and freestyle control to combat teams giving it their all, but jeez. And playing against strong teams is a nightmare. In amateur difficulty their shooting is dreadful, and that makes up for it a bit, but I think the robot-like play of defenders is not needed. I don't even want to IMAGINE what it's like on Pro or World class difficulty.
I wish I could love this game like I have the others. But as of now I just sort of like it.
BTW, has anyone else had video problems when by all accounts you should run the game as smooth as silk, like I did?
After having missed the opportunity to play FIFA 2002, I recently picked up 2003. I am sorry to day that, while I love many things about it, the absolute frustration of this game is wearing on me.
For one thing, after I installed the game, I set the resolution to 1024x768, turned on high detail, tinkered with the sound settings, and went off to play a friendly. I was in a hurry, so it was Man U vs. Man City. I started up the match and I was immediadely dumbfounded. The game was skipping, shuddering, dragging...whatever you call it, it was moving SLOW. What was this? My computer (1.2 ghz, 512 DDR RAM, 64 mb Video) doubles the RECOMMENDED specs, and I downloaded the latest video drivers before I installed the game. I couldn't believe it. I had to change the resolution to the lowest possible and switch to low detail. Still, this shouldn't have had to happen. If they print specs on the box, they should make them true, not false.
I found the first half enjoyable. I loved the passing, the new movement, and the new goalscoring model. When the second half started, I was shocked. The other team played like absolute ROBOTS. Perfect in everything they did, except shooting on goal (the difficulty was Amateur, BTW). I was flabbergasted. As soon as I'd select a player that was coming up on the ball carrier, my selected player would RUN AWAY. Excuse me, I'm pressing D, tackle him, don't run! When I finally got forward, I found that in the second hals, against weaker tems, whenever you get the ball to a striker and he has one defender in front of him before he's through on goal, no matter WHAT you do with freestyle control, you don't get past. I've scored second half goals, but EVERY SINGLE TIME I get an attacking ball and go up against the last man, he tackles me. This happens in both halves against strong teams. This is singularly the most frustrating part in this game thus far. I understand what the dev team was trying to achieve with 'team behind improves after halftime' but this is ridiculous. You don't have to make them play like robots.
The defensive stuff is irking me quite a bit. WHY do the unselected players run up to a ballcarrier who's through on goal then SLOW DOWN? I'm sorry, but if your goal is threatened you should have players helping out. But instead you have to cycle through players to select them, and when you select them they run away, so what can you do? I've realized that the game is hard enough on Amateur difficulty during the second half against weak teams. When you play equal or stronger teams, it turns into immediate tackling in both halves. There is just NO WAY to get foward, even with freestyle control. Well, there are occasions. I've threaded a ball and split the defenders before, but that's rare. I've yet to win a one-on-one with the last man in front of the goal. To me, this takes the fun out of the game. It's not supposed to be so hard that every second is a fight. So often I've discovered that by the time I press the freestyle key and get ready to 'take my game to the next level', I'm tackled.
UGH!
Going back to the graphics and video issue, I've discovered that even though I was in the lowest resolution and detail, if I played at certain stadiums it skipped. That just shouldn't happen with a machine that doubles the recommended specs. I was also disappointed that there was no training mode, but that's no biggie. But where was the ability to tweak players' abilities and team kits? When this game was first announced, they proclaimed it would have TOTAL customization. Guess they forgot. I mean, yes it's more true to life when you can't improve teams, but I like to have my Leeds unbeatable, y'know?
I'm glad they finally put Strongbow on the Leeds kit and Carlsberg on Liverpool's. That no-alcohol rule was so stupid. If six year old kids can see it when they watch matches on TV, they can see it on the computer. But where was the ability to set Referee strictness?
All in all, I think FIFA 2003 is still a good game...maybe great. But I think that the game didn't have to be so hard. when it's this hard it becomes frustrating. I understand the added difficulty of controlling the defenders and freestyle control to combat teams giving it their all, but jeez. And playing against strong teams is a nightmare. In amateur difficulty their shooting is dreadful, and that makes up for it a bit, but I think the robot-like play of defenders is not needed. I don't even want to IMAGINE what it's like on Pro or World class difficulty.
I wish I could love this game like I have the others. But as of now I just sort of like it.
BTW, has anyone else had video problems when by all accounts you should run the game as smooth as silk, like I did?
