World Cup 98 signalled the FIFA franchise’s passage from cash cow to respectable football monopoly. After a near miss with its qualifying edition, Road To The World Cup 98, the game fused accessible, addictive gameplay with – at the time – fantastic visuals. Like World Cup 98, 2002 FIFA World Cup is a deviation, but no less an integral part of the seasonal football franchise. Selling strongly on the back of tournament hype and available on every format under the rising sun, the game already looks to have capitalised on the mass hysteria surrounding the illustrious competition.
Obviously the game’s distinguishing suffix is now a prefix, but the changes run a lot deeper than marketing, with major departures in the areas of graphics and gameplay. As you might expect, although the standard issue Quick Start mode and other distractions complement the spectacle, the main focus is the World Cup mode, packed with spectacular venues from Korea and Japan. Obviously at the time of publication the official squads were still only drafts, but the team data should also be largely accurate. Opting for the main event, you can choose any of the teams taking part in the tournament and even play in the correct groups, enjoying the sumptuous presentation as though the games were being played live on your TV set.
As series fans will know, EA Canada has been telling anybody who will listen about the startling changes to the formula made by FIFA World Cup, and I’m about to do the same. Unfortunately for the developer, I have a slightly different take on proceedings. To begin with, the players have received a lot of pampering, both visually and statistically. Star players – the world’s best, as dictated by EA – receive increased emphasis in the departments that make them strong. For instance, David Beckham is a superb crosser of the ball, and Thierry Henry has the pace of a racehorse, while Emile Heskey merely resembles one.
Each of the players in the game (at least those we recognise) sports an extremely detailed face and body. Michael Owen enjoys his typical inch-long short back and sides, and his nose, eyes and mouth all look fairly well proportioned. His face contorts with a number of expressions depending on his situation, perhaps best emphasized by the zooming camera work that now follows goal celebrations and shameful misses. This enhanced realism should put the game a notch above its direct competition, but like the rest of the players in the game, Owen’s head is too big for his body and squashed down into his neck. Despite superb mimicry on the whole, the illusion is spoilt by this, and furthermore by the player’s unblinking eyes and gaping mouth. His shirt is creased around the waist but barely moves, and although unmistakably fast he doesn’t run low to the ground, stretching his legs out like the Owen, and on the whole players lack fluidity of movement.