The game copies in accuracy Football Championship in France starting with since the qualifiers. That involves virtually every team of the world Besides, all of the 11 leagues are retained. Suffice to say, I was extremely pleased when I got some solid playtime on this game, because it is remarkably improved over its predecessor. There are a lot of improvements in FIFA 98 , but the most important one is that the game is very fun. There is a variety of realistic moves, and some are quite dramatic when they involve shots on goal.
Multiplayer is where this game excels, but the One-player Modes are fast and challenging. For a change of pace, you can even try some frantic indoor soccer. There are only two major flaws with FIFA. First, the goalie A. For example, sometimes the goalie will walk by a ball that should be picked up, or will dive at routine catches. It'll cause you to grumble "cheap goal" more than a few times, I'm sure. Next, the frame rate is suspect at some points during the contest.
It doesn't hurt the pace of the game much, but you'll notice it occasionally. FIFA 98's 3-D graphics are excellent. The players are very detailed, and they have a variety of realistic moves. The atmosphere of the game just feels right, and if you like you can dampen it with the rain, sleet or snow options. FIFA 98 is a huge improvement over last year's version.
FIFA 64's engine has been totally overhauled for the better. The stadiums are more detailed, the player animations are much smoother and the gameplay is much more intuitive and friendly.
Multiplayer games are a blast and the whole experience reminds me of ISS64, and that's a good thing. The goalie Al is braindead at times, but other than that, all is peachy. Al Sports: It's not in the game. Soccer games are getting better and better.
A few flaws prevent FIFA 98 from reaching stardom. Inconsistent goalie Al they don't seem to know where the ball is sometimes ; 2. Poor frame rates even in 4x4 indoor soccer and 3. Poor passing mechanics. Overall, the game is fairly entertaining.
I hope EA keeps improving the series. If so, FIFA 99 will be king. What a difference a few months can make! The game controls really nicely, the graphics are awesome the frame rate could've been better, but it's hardly bad , and the play-by-play is excellent. Indoor Soccer is a blast too. My only gripe is that goalie Al can get flaky at ti mes. If you're a soccer enthusiast that was a little let down from FIFA '97 , you'll definitely dig the improvements made to this year's game, which make it the best on the Nintendo And since this is the only soccer game with the official World Cup license, you can also try to earn a spot in the World Cup championship in the Road to World Cup mode.
As far as teams go. On the features side, FIFA throws in 16 re-created outdoor stadiums and one indoor stadium, along with the ability to manage every aspect of your team from its formations to its roster --you can even tweak your players' aggression levels. You also have the option to create a custom player and put yourself in the lineup. FIFA '98's overall presentation is really topnotch, featuring some of the best all-around graphics, sound, and control found in a soccer title.
The players are superbly detailed and move with fluid grace, and the character animations are so realistic, you'd swear you were watching a televised game the goal-scoring celebrations are especially cool. On the sound side, FIFA '98 never misses a beat with its two-man commentary, and the in-game effects and crowd chants really raise the intensity during the match. Borrowing a page from International SuperStar Soccer 64, the control for this year's feet-fest is probably the most improved feature of the game.
Now, instead of having to rely on a radar screen, an arrow will appear attached to the cursor under the player you're controlling, alerting you to where your closest teammate is--it really makes passing simple and helps create an upbeat tempo. You can also easily perform one-touch passes, and give-and-gos work more effectively this year. These features--along with some cool deke moves--really add excitement and flair to each contest. If you think you had seen it all in a soccer game--think again.
So if you're looking for fast-paced soccer thrills, you need to kick up a copy of Road to World Cup. In its perennial soccer outing, EA's focusing on World Cup qualifying, adding in a mode that lets you try to guide one of national teams to the pinnacle of the spoil. As always, FIFA delivers more teams that you know what to do with, throwing in an additional club teams from 11 leagues.
Beyond tuning up the graphics for '98, the FIFA team's also zeroing in on faster gameplay, tighter controls, and sturdier A. Browse games Game Portals. Install Game. Click the "Install Game" button to initiate the file download and get compact download launcher. Locate the executable file in your local folder and begin the launcher to install your desired game. Game review Downloads Screenshots Nintendo Overview If you have been holding out on buying a soccer simulation for the Playstation because you couldn't find one that has it all, your waiting is over.
Overall rating: 8. Noisy Crowd During the game, push various directions ori the d-pad and the crowd will hurl abuse at the other team! Overall rating: 6. Overall rating: 7. Overall rating: 5. To skip to round 1 of the World Cup. Overall rating: 9.
You can obviously decide on things such as weather and ref strictness, but also, and not so obviously, on things like AI assisted headers a godsend , shot targeting controlled either by you or by the CPU , automatic crosses and passback on or off also nice until you become familiar with the control system. Inside the game, in EA Sports time honored tradition, you have an almost infinite number of camera angles, and, as it was in the very playable FIFA 96 , there is really no reason to change the default one.
As for multiplayer, the game offers all the regular options, including serial, modem and IPX network connections. All in all, FIFA 98 will not disappoint in the options department. Does it do well in the gameplay department too? No, I won't answer this question just yet.
Let me say a few things about "immersion in a gameworld" first. Let me repeat that. NHL 98 , another of EA Sports ' titles, the one which was, only three months ago, considered the new standard to which others must conform to graphically, seems terribly outdated when you run it near FIFA That's because the latter has SO many intricate little details inside, that even after an accumulated over hours of play, new things keep popping up all the time unexpectedly.
Look at the players moving their heads to follow the ball in flight. See the striker shake himself as he comes up after a rough tackle, then makes a little, annoyed hand gesture. Watch how the referee raises his head to look straight in the eyes of the red-carded fullback, as the latter is shouting and waiving his hands at the former in agony.
Evidence the attacking midfielder doing his little dance as he blitzes past yet another defender, switching legs and giving the ball a little push with the outside of his shoe. See the player about to throw a ball from out of bounds receive it as it is thrown from the sidelines, and watch he net moving satisfactorily when a goal is scored.
FIFA 98 simply looks tremendous, and I shudder in anticipation to think about next year' installment. The movements of the players are so fluid, so realistic, that in my first few games I had to stop once in a while simply to admire them. It is the first game ever in which I sometimes run a CPU only match, because it is so much better than any screensaver.
No, don't ask me if the non-3dfx FIFA 98 also supports PowerVR straight from the box version is good enough to play- it simply doesn't matter. I know I said this about a few games this year notably Moto Racer and Screamer Rally , but I had no idea what I was talking about, really. So I will say it again, and this time with conviction: if you love soccer, even a little, and you do not have a 3dfx card, buy FIFA 98 and a 3dfx card. It is a really cheap ticket to gaming heaven.
Trying hard to find some fault in the graphics, I can think of two things: in crowd animation, EA Sports are still using that 2D overlay, although this time there is some low resolution movement at the front row or two. And you may also get a very rare bug, in which the ball seems to go into the goal after it had hit the outside part of the net, and vice versa.
As for sound, well, it doesn't disappoint. The graphics are so superbly done, that the audio is belittled in comparison, but let me assure you that EA Sports did a great job here too.
Yes, you still get the occasional funny mistake by John Motson in the play-by-play, like forgetting to mention that a penalty was given until after it was actually shot, or claiming that the referee was "a little lenient" when an opposing player just received their second yellow and was thrown off the field.
But these errors are rare, limited to maybe once or twice per 12 minute game, which is way better than anything else on offer in your local computer shop. They have also included some nice, colorful remarks, like when Motson claims that this is great treatment they are getting back in the media booth.
Lastly, ambient sounds, like crowd cheers, are good and add to the overall experience. Is FIFA 98 a blast to play? Surprisingly enough, the answer is a most emphatic yes. This year, EA Sports went back to the tried and true arcade methods of shot control, then made them much more complex while still keeping their basic simplicity. Sounds confused? I will try to explain. First of all, an 8-button gamepad is fully used- there are buttons for lob, shot, and pass, and also avoid tackle and speed burst.
The latter replaces turbo in a much more realistic way, allowing the player a short burst of speed to pass an opponent, but also tiring the attacker. You cannot use too many of those during a break, as the player will simply run too tired too quickly, and the defender will easily catch up and strip him of the ball.
You also have the R ight and L eft buttons, which, combined with other buttons, perform specific actions, such as a spin or leg change or any other of a large number of different combinations. Every move you ever saw in real life is possible in this game, if you try hard enough, and are quick enough with your fingers to perform it. OK, so this is pretty basic, except for the R and L buttons. Where the control system gets complicated is in the fact that a different type of execution of each button press will have a different result.
For example, you may shoot normally by pressing and holding the shoot button the shot gets stronger the longer you hold down the button, up to about one second , but you may also make a direct, strong, low shot if you simply tap it once, or a chipshot if you tap it quickly twice in succession. You can pass to a player normally, or may pass to an open space by tapping the pass button. You can lob low or high, depending on how you use the lob button, and you can even "lob" the ball to yourself, preparing for a bicycle kick.
Did I mention already the necessity of training? If you really want to master this amazingly rich control system, then you will have to spend some serious time with it.
But if you don't, you can do very well with the few basic options, never caring about the flashier moves. Still, where's the fun in that? And how does the AI perform? Very well, thank you. Today's computers are simply not advanced enough for that.
But compared to other soccer games, this one is a leap forward- players move realistically, changing places and running for open spaces.
Defenders switch positions and cover for each other, executing offside traps with cunning accuracy. Your teammates will position themselves well in almost any situation, but only as dictated by their level and skills. Goalies and defenders let balls slide over the line, protecting them from advancing strikers. No more of the "two defenders leaving the ball, undecided" phenomenon seen on other games- in FIFA 98 , if you want to score against a better team in World Class level, you need to work for it.
The other two levels, Amateur and Professional, are good for the first few games, but it's in World Class that the most fun can be had. Another nice touch that has to be mentioned is the how the different teams play- you can expect different things from Colombia and Germany when you pit your lads against them, with the former going for many short, on the ground passes and flashier plays while the latter being much more effective- and boring.
All in all, when it comes to gameplay, FIFA 98 scores heavily. The pace of the game is right- it feels like real soccer is being played. Movements are realistic, and your plays are rewarded or punished as your would expect them to be had the match been real. Controlling your players is as impeccable as you want it to be- if you spend the time learning the game, your can do precisely what you want to do. It takes some time to understand that things are not perfect.
To finish the section, I am reminded of one incident that happened while I was writing this review. Remember the "Rosenthal miss", in the premiership, from several years ago? The one where he hit the crossbar from 5 yards, after a breathtaking break, and while standing alone in front of the goal?
You must have seen it, as it is still starring in almost every "premiership bloopers" collection shown. Well, it happened to me too And in another match, I managed to duplicate Poborsky's goal in the Euro championships. These little moments of deja-vu are evidence of how good FIFA 98 really is. From time to time, the game really makes you feel as if it is real football you are watching, that you remember the play you just saw from sometime in the past.
Yes, FIFA 98 is not perfect. First and foremost, there is the "catchup logic" problem. EA Sports have included a bizarre feature in the game, which takes effect during the second half if the computer is down at halftime. What happens is that the computer will start shooting wildly, from improbable distances, making your goalie smack his lips in anticipation of a big bonus after so many saves.
I am not talking simple long shots here, I am talking ridiculous- yard attempts become rather commonplace. You can "disable" this feature from the options menu- I strongly recommend that you do this before you begin to play- thus reducing the problem to a much more bearable state.
You still get the occasional "shooting streak", but in general, CPU teams at least try to get closer to goal most of the time. In any case, EA Sports have promised a patch for this problem, and to be honest, with this feature disabled, my enjoyment from the game was not ruined. Other, much more minor problems, are also there. Goalies still make some silly mistakes sometimes- the most noticeable one is leaving the ball to the closest defender to clear, effectively allowing a charging striker to reach the ball first and force the keeper to make an instinctive jump to save a possible goal.
Would have been easier to collect the ball in the first place, but most of these situations do not end up in goals anyway, as the striker is under pressure from just behind. Soccer players learned how to roll balls to their mates, open up for passes, and perform other interactions with other athletes.
Now you can play different combinations and frequently change tactics. The goalkeepers also became more believable. In addition, each goalkeeper has an indiividual behavior. Legendary players have special skills.
For example, a virtual Zinedine Zidane is able to do a degree turn with the ball. Also, the judges show more appropriate behavior. The degree of their severity can be adjusted in the settings, as well as the duration of the matches.
You can make substitutions between halves. Hundreds of licensed teams including national teams are available. You can control the movements of your charges using the mouse, keyboard, or gamepad.
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