OK here goes an attempt to write some form of review to give those who havent tried this game an idea of what its like.
Firstly I think people need to try this game before buying, what appeals to me may not suit others.
Graphics.
At first I didnt like how the game looks but it has grown on me to the point now that when I look at F2K I am disappointed. The stadiums look better, the angles during cut pieces mean you get to see the stadium and sky etc which gives an atmosphere of a big occaision. The framerate is really smooth and again it is far slicker than F2K in this respect. The players look good as well and there is variation in size and weight among players which is clearly visible. This also means that defending against Norways Flo at corners is harder work if you have shorter defenders.
Sound.
Im not hugely fussed by music etc in these games and have turned this option off and I cant remember what the soundtrack is like. The crowd noises and sound effects are excellent and believable, the crowd appears to react when you make a break or when the final whistle is near the crowd whistles and jeers. Good atmosphere created. The commentary isnt that great but its not poor either.
Options.
TIF has a pretty cool customise option for players and teams etc. You can create custom teams or edit existing teams and players. You cant transfer players but you can "copy" players from one team to another. One amusing feature is the ability to adjust players so that they are either incredibly tall,short,fat,skinny etc. The results are hilarious when you have one striker who looks like a midget and the other striker as a giant. You have control over a wide range of player attributes, possibly 20 or more individual attributes but you only get so many points to play with. If you are a weener like me and like to put yourself into the game with the best possible attributes, one method is to copy across a great player with high attribute levels, and then alter him to suit etc.
One disappointing aspect for me are the camera angles you can play with, there are three versions of sideline camera and three versions of end on, thats all, no others. The replay options however are excellent. You can save any replay of any part of a game if you wish. Also when you score the replay starts early enough so you get a decent amount of the build up.
There are a good selection of leagues to play. English, Scottish, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, French, Belgian and Portuguese. The international selections enable you to play mini competitions with teams from all of Fifa's confederations. There are world cup and custom league options as well. To gain entry to some of the special competitions available you have to win a league or trophy in world class mode. After a couple of weeks Im still struggling to consisitently win in world class mode. This game is a challenge on world class mode for me.
Controls
TIF uses F2K's tapping of the triangle button to sprint and has a nice big range of passes,chips,shots,headers, through balls, tackles and one two type options available that are pretty straightforward to master.
Gameplay.
This is the hard one to describe. Firstly there is no speed setting, its a set speed and it feels just perfect. Its not fast and frantic, its simply like normal pace. The pitches are of a decent size so that the play doesnt feel cramped. Passing and accurate passing is down to the user, the ball doesnt automatically go straight to the player and i often end up over passing or being too short on the pass. The through ball is excellent but to add realism it doesnt work every time you use it. Tackling is more realistic than other games and fouls etc occur at a more realistic pace, not every tackle or never at all. The only real complaint I have with the gameplay is with the crossing of the ball, it usually ends up in the goalkeepers arms right on the goal line if crossed from what sony refer to as the auto cross zones. Shooting requires lots of practice to get the amount of time holding the shoot button just right. Sadly there is no practice option. The game also tracks the history of your playing so after you have been playing a while you can see how many games you win, how many goals you score etc. The stats on goals scored by players isnt that great however. On world class level the AI doesnt simply speed up, in fact it doesnt increase its ability that way at all. It marks tighter and closes you down quicker. World Class level for me is really tough at this point, its a real challenge. Pro level is at this point just right for me but that will hopefully improve. You can beat defenders with various shimmies, twists, one two passes etc. Defending is also equally as good once you work out whether you prefer the AI to control which defender you get control of next or whether you do it yourself.
Overall I simply dont play F2K anymore on the playstation, Im playing this game. There are lots of little things where F2K is better (ie: things like team management of tactics etc and better choice of playing camera angles) but for me this game in terms of gameplay and realism is miles better than F2K.
Again try the game before you buy and also try and take into account that this game gets better the longer you have been playing.
Hope this helps.
