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"Hectic and somewhat unrealistic update of FIFA 99"

I have to admit that it´s somehow getting a little tiresome to come up with introductions for the annual FIFA installments over and over again. The problem is that most of the times, while being outstanding soccer games in their own right, the games resemble each other in terms of gameplay, with the exception of a few entries into the series that tried to introduce new elements and twists to the series, like the superb "FIFA 2002". "FIFA 2000", on the other hand, remains one of the FIFA sequels that did not exactly reinvent the series...

Let´s start with what can be considered to be the biggest asses of the FIFA series ever since the ignition of the franchise in the days of the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo: the official FIFA license. Once again, it assures that you can choose from tons of original teams and players, and the amount of international leagues that are included in this game is once again considerable, like the German "Bundesliga", the Spanish "Primera Division", the English "Premier League", the Italian "Serie A", the Dutch "Eredivisie", the French "Ligue 1", the US "Major League Soccer" and many more. Of course, you can also choose from several national teams, even though their number is quite limited this time around compared to the astounding supply of teams in FIFA 98 (over 200). On the other hand, EA Sports also provided fans with a great new addition that should please soccer experts: the so called classic teams, including legendary teams such as the AC Milan of 1988 - 1990 with its star players Franco Baresi, Ruud Gullit, Paolo Maldini and more, Denmark of 1989 - 1992 along with the famous Peter Schmeichel, Brian Laudrup and Michael Laudrup, the triple European Cup Winners Cup Squad of Bayern Munich featuring soccer legends Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Mueller and Sepp Maier or the Hamburger SV squad that won the European Cup Winners Cup in 1983. There are 41 classic teams, so nearly everyone should be able to find a team he likes, and I have to say that this was a great idea by EA Sports, since playing matches like Denmark of 1992 versus World Cup Winner Germany of 1990 certainly serves for nostalgic feelings. Another new feature concerns the league system, as you are no longer restricted to playing just in the national championship, but you can also participate in a European Cup during a season - that is, if you´re playing with a team that managed to qualify, or if you manage to lead your own team into a European Cup. For the first time, there´s also a proper transfer system for players with each player having his own value depending on his skills and performances, and in order to get new players for your team, you indeed have to be careful with your budget. EA also included several options for you to adjust, reaching from changing the camera perspective to choosing the weather conditions for a match. As far as the options for managing your team go, it´s very similar to the previous installment in the series, which means that there´s more than enough for experts to take care of. Gameplay-wise, "FIFA 2000" is yet again very reminiscent of "FIFA 99", even though the actions on the field seem even more hectic and unrealistic than before, especially the ball physics, but that´s not really a problem if you can dig arcade style soccer that offers at least some realism. What really is disappointing here, however, is the bad A.I. of the goalkeepers. It´s easier than ever to score a goal, since in a lot of the cases, the goalie just won´t be able to save the ball, or even worse, he might act in a completely ridiculous way, for example by doing nothing. That´s really unfortunate, since the A.I. in general is good. As a whole, "FIFA 2000" is an extremely enjoyable soccer game nonetheless, despite the minor flaws and the lack of any true innovation.

Graphically, "FIFA 2000" is slightly better than "FIFA 99", even though you will have to look carefully in order to notice the improvements in terms of the motion captured animations or the player models (whose faces, by the way, still lack detail and realism and are at times plain ugly). It´s unfortunate, though, that EA failed to get rid of the bothersome slowdown issue. Especially when a ball is shot over a long distance, you can´t help but notice the breakdowns in the framerate, and while they thankfully do not destroy the flow of the game, it should have been possible for EA to dispose of this flaw once and for all.

Aurally, "FIFA 2000" is yet another stellar achievement by EA Sports that deserves praise. The atmosphere in the stadiums is once again chilling due to the chants and booing of the supporters, and the commentators (Wolf-Dieter Poschmann and Joerg Dahlmann in the German version) do a more than solid job, being able to mention certain player names once they are in possession of the ball and describing most of the scenes properly, even though they tend to repeat themselves quite often. As for the music during the menu sequences, EA Sports was able to provide us with lots of licensed tracks from the likes of Robbie Williams and Apollo Four Forty, and it´s a treat to listen to during when you´re, for example, adjusting your team tactics.

"FIFA 2000" is far from being a mediocre game. It´s in fact a solid entry into the series, but it simply lacks original ideas and new gameplay twists to excite FIFA veterans, and it´s a shame that small gameplay flaws like the A.I. of the goalkeeper have worked their way into this game, as well as the usual framerate issues. It´s still an excellent soccer game, but it pales in comparison to the best installments in the series, like "FIFA 98" or "FIFA 2002".

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/18/06