Oh FIFA 2000...

Has there ever been a bigger disappointment, nay utter slap in the face, for soccer gamers? I don’t think so. In recent memory I’d say Konami’s piss poor job with PES 2008 on 360/PS3 was pretty damn disappointing but it pales in comparison to utter shock and horror that was FIFA 2000.

To paint a picture for those who don’t remember; FIFA 2000 followed on the heels of three excellent previous FIFA games; FIFA Road to the World Cup 98, FIFA World Cup 98 and FIFA `99. Some may argue that FIFA `99 was a bit of a let-down after the two preceding games, I`d be in that category, but it was still a good game. As with every game in a popular series, expectations were high and I was suitably impressed with the snazzy intro-sequence featuring a virtual Robbie Williams. Unfortunately, once onto the pitch the game was an absolute train-wreck and abhorred by soccer gamers and anyone who played the game for more than 10 minutes. Unfortunately, mainstream videogame reviewers fell into neither category and the game received excellent scores (GameRankings.com shows the game has an 86% average score) thus encouraging/justifying the development teams` change in gameplay style – something that they would persist with for many years. Looking back, it’s clear that FIFA 2000 was the game that led the FIFA series into the wasteland of shit, shallow, arcade-style gameplay where it languished for many years up until recent iterations.

So here we are almost 10 years later and after clearing out my parent’s basement I found my old copy of the game and decided to give it a spin and to see if it really was as bad as I remember....

Once you get past the intro sequence FIFA 2000s menus are all laid out nicely and the game doesn’t disappoint with licenses as there are fourteen licensed leagues available to play in single season mode – no career/manager mode present. The game features an MLS license, yet for some strange reason you can’t actually play a season with MLS teams!?! Also surprising is that the game features a licensed World Cup mode for international teams which is neat. One of the few positive things about FIFA 2000 are the Classic Teams available for play, such as Barcelona ‘89-’92, England 1966, and Liverpool ’77-’84.

On the pitch, the visuals don’t hold up very well with pretty much identical player models, serviceable animations, and stadiums that aren't nearly as majestic as those in preceding FIFA games. Instant replays, however, are actually pretty decent and show goals from a variety of different views including a nifty net-cam.

Music aside, the audio is a disaster with Phil Schoen and Julie Foudy doing the play-by-play and color commentary in the US version of the game. Both are absolutely useless while the in-game sounds are likewise poor with home crowds cheering just as loud for away goals and a few generic chants.

Using a trusty Gravis Gamepad Pro the controls are as follows;

To be completely honest, the first two minutes of playing FIFA 2000 again had me quite perplexed – sure the ball physics are ridiculously scripted with everything moving on rails, but the controls were responsive, passing was crisp – it didn’t seem so bad. Had I totally missed the mark? Had I been too harsh? Was FIFA 2000 actually ‘decent’?

But then it happened; 2 minutes into play I had a clear breakaway in a 0-0 tie, hammering away at the Sprint button before a CPU defender scythed me down cynically from behind – red card, right? No. Instead he takes the ball and heads up field. So I decide to do the same thing to him. No whistle, no card! Don Cherry would love these refs – they call practically nothing resulting in a football match that resembles an NHL game from the 1970s. As a result the only way to really break away from aggressive defenders is to perform ‘skill’ moves like 360° spins down the field. Just as annoying are the superman goalies that can stop clear shots on breakaways but are powerless against bicycle kicks from 20 yards out! In fact, if you can get off a diving header or a bicycle kick (not hard – just double tap shoot when the cross comes in) you can score a goal almost every time.

As a result gameplay boils down to the following formula;

There’s little variety in goals, no discernable build-up play, and absolutely zero satisfaction from scoring goals. In the interest of fairness (and punishment for actually thinking this was a good idea) I played almost 20 games in a season and things didn’t get any better – in fact, they got a lot worse. The ball moves like an ICBM across the field, tackles are just vicious (even the commentators mention this – despite the ref calling nothing), and each match blends into the next.

This game is indeed as bad as I remember and, as I mentioned, the positive reception this game garnered from the mainstream gaming press at the time is truly shocking and one of the reasons I decided to start reviewing games myself.

At time of writing you can pick up FIFA 2000 (PC) off Ebay for less than ten bucks – I’d only suggest picking it up if you’d like to see the worst of soccer gaming...and to see what GameSpot felt was a 9.1/10 rated game. Everyone else stick to the earlier FIFA games for your retro soccer gaming fix.

Oh FIFA 2000...

Has there ever been a bigger disappointment, nay utter slap in the face, for soccer gamers? I don’t think so. In recent memory I’d say Konami’s piss poor job with PES 2008 on 360/PS3 was pretty damn disappointing but it pales in comparison to utter shock and horror that was FIFA 2000.

To paint a picture for those who don’t remember; FIFA 2000 followed on the heels of three excellent previous FIFA games; FIFA Road to the World Cup 98, FIFA World Cup 98 and FIFA `99. Some may argue that FIFA `99 was a bit of a let-down after the two preceding games, I`d be in that category, but it was still a good game. As with every game in a popular series, expectations were high and I was suitably impressed with the snazzy intro-sequence featuring a virtual Robbie Williams. Unfortunately, once onto the pitch the game was an absolute train-wreck and abhorred by soccer gamers and anyone who played the game for more than 10 minutes. Unfortunately, mainstream videogame reviewers fell into neither category and the game received excellent scores (GameRankings.com shows the game has an 86% average score) thus encouraging/justifying the development teams` change in gameplay style – something that they would persist with for many years. Looking back, it’s clear that FIFA 2000 was the game that led the FIFA series into the wasteland of shit, shallow, arcade-style gameplay where it languished for many years up until recent iterations.

So here we are almost 10 years later and after clearing out my parent’s basement I found my old copy of the game and decided to give it a spin and to see if it really was as bad as I remember....

Once you get past the intro sequence FIFA 2000s menus are all laid out nicely and the game doesn’t disappoint with licenses as there are fourteen licensed leagues available to play in single season mode – no career/manager mode present. The game features an MLS license, yet for some strange reason you can’t actually play a season with MLS teams!?! Also surprising is that the game features a licensed World Cup mode for international teams which is neat. One of the few positive things about FIFA 2000 are the Classic Teams available for play, such as Barcelona ‘89-’92, England 1966, and Liverpool ’77-’84.

On the pitch, the visuals don’t hold up very well with pretty much identical player models, serviceable animations, and stadiums that aren't nearly as majestic as those in preceding FIFA games. Instant replays, however, are actually pretty decent and show goals from a variety of different views including a nifty net-cam.

Music aside, the audio is a disaster with Phil Schoen and Julie Foudy doing the play-by-play and color commentary in the US version of the game. Both are absolutely useless while the in-game sounds are likewise poor with home crowds cheering just as loud for away goals and a few generic chants.

Using a trusty Gravis Gamepad Pro the controls are as follows;

To be completely honest, the first two minutes of playing FIFA 2000 again had me quite perplexed – sure the ball physics are ridiculously scripted with everything moving on rails, but the controls were responsive, passing was crisp – it didn’t seem so bad. Had I totally missed the mark? Had I been too harsh? Was FIFA 2000 actually ‘decent’?

But then it happened; 2 minutes into play I had a clear breakaway in a 0-0 tie, hammering away at the Sprint button before a CPU defender scythed me down cynically from behind – red card, right? No. Instead he takes the ball and heads up field. So I decide to do the same thing to him. No whistle, no card! Don Cherry would love these refs – they call practically nothing resulting in a football match that resembles an NHL game from the 1970s. As a result the only way to really break away from aggressive defenders is to perform ‘skill’ moves like 360° spins down the field. Just as annoying are the superman goalies that can stop clear shots on breakaways but are powerless against bicycle kicks from 20 yards out! In fact, if you can get off a diving header or a bicycle kick (not hard – just double tap shoot when the cross comes in) you can score a goal almost every time.

As a result gameplay boils down to the following formula;

There’s little variety in goals, no discernable build-up play, and absolutely zero satisfaction from scoring goals. In the interest of fairness (and punishment for actually thinking this was a good idea) I played almost 20 games in a season and things didn’t get any better – in fact, they got a lot worse. The ball moves like an ICBM across the field, tackles are just vicious (even the commentators mention this – despite the ref calling nothing), and each match blends into the next.

This game is indeed as bad as I remember and, as I mentioned, the positive reception this game garnered from the mainstream gaming press at the time is truly shocking and one of the reasons I decided to start reviewing games myself.

At time of writing you can pick up FIFA 2000 (PC) off Ebay for less than ten bucks – I’d only suggest picking it up if you’d like to see the worst of soccer gaming...and to see what GameSpot felt was a 9.1/10 rated game. Everyone else stick to the earlier FIFA games for your retro soccer gaming fix.