Fans of European Football can now rejoice as FIFA 2005 has better visuals, stronger and deeper game play, and a deep Career Mode that allows fans to build that ultimate soccer dynasty. EA has not abandoned their fun side of the ball either. While not as high scoring as their games in the past, the game still has some heated battles on the pitch that will keep even casual soccer fans interested until the final whistle.

It is easy to say that FIFA 2005 is a great looking soccer title, if not the best looking one to date. Player models are accurately detailed from their heads down to the toes on their soccer shoes. There are also a ton of new animations to get excited about, from the dribbles, tackles, and shots on goal, you can expect to see very little hiccups in either the frame rate or the transition between moves. The lighting and weather effects are greatly improved this year as well. EA has even brought a slick TV style presentation to this year’s title. You will see fantastic replays of goals, missed shots, and penalties. You will notice pure emotion when a player gets the boot after receiving a red card on a poorly timed challenge. The in game cut scenes really brings the drama with the variety of spectacular camera angles. If one little gripe can be found in the overall look of this year’s FIFA, the camera seems to be panned back a bit too much to enjoy some of the great mo-cap in the game. Sure, you can adjust the height and zoom of each camera angle, but it just seems the camera from last year had it just right. Granted, it is nice to see a clear view of the pitch in front of you, but I personally like the perspective a bit closer. Otherwise, the game looks just great.

The FIFA series has always enjoyed wonderful sounds year after year. Even the first version I played on the SNES had excellent sounds as you heard the chants of the crowd for the first time in a sports title. That same great experience has been increased over the years with added commentary by a terrific two-man booth. This year holds true on both terms, yet giving an element of real life atmosphere. Each stadium obviously has a certain capacity, and it is easy to tell the difference between a large and small venue in this year’s FIFA. With the exception of Flogging Molly, the EA Trax added to FIFA this year is the worst group of bands in any EA title. I do, on the other hand understand why EA chose a variety of foreign bands to represent each country, but this definitely is not the game that offsprings a soundtrack for purchase.

I can honestly say that this year’s FIFA title is the best playing version as compared to the last few years. There is a ton of new moves and controls to learn this year that will keep you ahead of the competition. Added this year is a first touch control system that permits players to use the right analog to control many aspects of the game including flicks, traps, and knock-ons. This controls system is not just innovative, but is also responsive and transitions well with the action on the screen. Controls go as deep this year as to even allow for you to call for the ball by players not in possession, and sending your teammates up the pitch to await an oncoming pass. The A.I. has definitely been improved by leaps and bounds. Even on the easiest difficulty, you will notice that the CPU will make smart decisions when setting up defensive and offensive strategies. They will be aggressive when trailing in the game, and will be more cautious when holding a lead. The CPU will even be aggressive enough to try to get away with a careless penalty or two. The goalkeepers for both sides of the field actually know how to block and hold onto the ball. This provides for more authentic scoring results game after game. On the down side, this may sound a bit boring and trite for casual gamers who like high scoring games, but fans of the sport will enjoy the low scoring results offered in FIFA 2005.

There is a wealth of options laid out for soccer fans this year. Beginning a with a huge lineup of teams and rosters. You have more than 350 official team and leagues and over 12,000 licensed players. You obviously have your typical exhibition and tournament matches, but this year FIFA fans get the EA royal treatment with a deep career mode. Here you control every aspect of the front office, from hiring coaches, to making transfers, and guiding your team to the Championship. I wish there was a better tutorial on how soccer transactions take place, as those unknown to the sport will find themselves a bit lost in the beginning. EA has finally brought back the create-a-player feature that was left out of the last two versions of the game. This is a huge and welcome feature for you fantasy buffs. While not as deep as Tiger Woods, there is plenty to tinker with when making yourself or player of choice. Online play returns to the PS2 and is offered for the first time on Xbox Live. Little has changed on this end for PS2 players as you can set up leagues and tournaments and even download roster updates. For Xbox Live owners, it seems EA may finally be getting the hang of the Live servers as I noticed very little lag, and no connection issues.

There are very few gripes here and there; camera issues and confusing career for newbies, but this is undoubtedly the best FIFA game in many years and seems ready for taking on Winning 11 this season. If you have abandoned the FIFA series in the past because of its arcade style of soccer action, you would be doing yourself a favor in giving EA another try this year. The FIFA you know and love is back in FIFA Soccer 2005.