Game-play:

Every year this category brings about disappointing comments. However, the FIFA series has made a U-turn for the better. It would be best to begin with the highly anticipated and heavily advertised "Innovated New Passing System". They've actually got it right, it's new and innovated! Your own players, on your command or on your own will make runs. You need to aim your pass precisely and power it on the brand new passing power meter. Hit the ball too hard, the ball goes out into touch. Too soft, and the ball goes behind the player. Perhaps you're running down the pitch and you want to make a cross to your running teammate? The defender has you cornered, you try to hit towards him he steals it or blocks the cross. If you try to cross it facing the end line, guess where the ball goes? Out of bounds.

In this game, precision equals accuracy. That means no more pinpoint passes and no upper corner goals at the touch of a button. The shooting meter is even more complex, more sensitive to the touch. Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, you can shoot using a lob and a pass if you choose. But you must be facing the exact spot you want the ball to go. Most of the time this means the ball is going to go wide or over the net. Time the power right and it's over the keeper. At a bad angle, too hard of a shot, wrong foot, can equal shots going wide. And it's not just once in awhile it soars wide; it tends to happen a lot because you aren't just walking down the center anymore. Gone are the days of pathetic computer defenders losing their jocks with the "football god" skills and tricks. There is only one move that is very ineffective, and is also placed so it is hard to reach on the keyboard. The defense AI will tend to be conservative, waiting for a certain opportunity to take the ball from you. Whether you turn the ball into the defender or just get too close.

To the same degree, the offensive AI seems to be smarter and keen on passing, using support, one-twos, and through-balls. You might find yourself down 1-0 with about 10 minutes left in the match. The computer will be passing the ball around in the back waiting for your man to commit, thus making open space to move the ball up the field. Unlike previous games, the AI looks for weaknesses, open spaces, and slower defenders to make plays. With this better ball movement the computer tends to have possession most of the game. The inability to tackle and be dead-on adds more intricacy to an already difficult game of defense, is. The opponent's player, in most cases, must be facing you for you to tackle them. If you tackle too early, you are at a severe disadvantage because of the mistimed commitment (as it is in real life football). Slide tackles must be timed correctly or the consequences are even more usually devastating, because they take more energy from a player. If you are "aiming" incorrectly and slide too far in front or behind the player, your defender is basically out of the play. Hit the player directly, and you are most likely to be called for a foul or given a card. Indeed, I am saying the referee actually calls fouls and gives cards!

The referee AI has drastically improved since FIFA 2001. Take for example, a last defender slide tackle from behind. Ouch - a vicious and inhumane slide tackle! The referee actually cleans off the dust in his pocket from FIFA 2001, and hands him a red card. The same goes for calling fouls and penalty kicks, about 90 percent of the bad tackles will be called, excluding tackles from behind; of which, about 99 percent will be called. Depending on the severity of the foul there will be cards, but it appears the referee is a bit hesitant to hand out the caution. I won't blame you if, in your anger, you tackle the goalkeeper and receive the red (it's fun isn't it?). And with the added bonus of goal and foul replays, you can see it in double-time!

If you're wondering why you'd ever be mad at the goalkeeper, it's simple. The keeper still makes great saves, he just doesn't hold on to it as much, and that's almost the only way you'll score from the ground. Many gamers remember the "superman" (the ability to save and hold every shot) attributives of the goalie. In the same regards, the goalies in FIFA 2002 are "supermen", who have hands soaked with butter. Thus, most of the goals will be scored on rebounds or on breakaways. Don't bother trying to shoot it long, you will almost always miss or the keeper will save it with a defender to clear.

Sometimes, as in the recent FIFA bombs, it still seems as if the computer is cheating. The computer usually uses the same move when winning a header: a simple flick of the ball behind them does the trick or a little "nudge" on your player gives them clear superiority on the play. The redundancy of this will get on any gamers nerves after seeing it beat your defender five times in a row. The user has a similar disadvantage on shooting. While the computer powers red-hot scorchers accurately, the user will have a hard time just getting those shots in the vicinity of the goal. This unfairness will cause a great deal of pain to the young and old FIFA gamers alike, until they get used to it, if ever.

Graphics:

When people think of EA Sports, the first thing they probably think of is superb graphics. In the past EA Sports has never let down FIFA gamers in this category. The same goes this year as well.

Everything from A to Z to has been touched-up, making FIFA 2002 look better than ever before. When you first start your game you will see what I mean. New textures in the crowd make their movements look more realistic - from far away - close up it looks a bit hazy and blurry. The crowd, sadly, is still 85,000 strong in a match between UAE and Zimbabwe; a feature some were hoping would be implemented in this year's version. Stadiums look like they came straight from photos, although they are generic. While the camera is buzzing about the stadium you'll notice how real the players look. The jerseys look like their real-life counterparts. The same also goes to the player faces - most of the well-known players anyway.

Once the game is underway the most noticeable difference you will see is the realism of the grass and playing field. It looks as if you were actually watching a live telecast from your PC. You can almost smell the fresh pitch on a cool Sunday afternoon. It's that realistic. However, the night games and games in the rain seem a bit different. Unrealistic lighting makes the pitch seem flat and not very dynamic. The light seems to come out of nowhere, the stadium lights aren't even on. Night games always seemed so exciting, now EA have added a nice dullness to the word "night game" now. A pity that.

The occasional glitch will show it's ugly face sometimes, however it doesn't occur enough to cause any real problems or complaints. The graphics (nets, ad boards) seem crisper, clearer, and more realistic in most cases. Once again, Kudos to EA Sports!

Sound:

Sound usually ends up as the overlooked part of a game. For the most part, gamers will notice bad sound, and not appreciate good sound when it is present. In these regards, FIFA 2002 gamers will be happy to know the sound is great once again.

Featuring Gorillaz - 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) with the introduction music, the music seems to be keeping its top form year after year. After awhile of playing, some of the music may seem to get annoying and may even sound generic. But, you may soon find yourself tapping to the beat of the music as you just scored the game-winning goal. A mix of music and commentary and in-game noise should spice up your playing experience.

Behind the microphone this time is the FIFA series legend Jon Motson and the new arrival Andy Gray (featured in earlier FIFA versions). With lines such as "My grandmother could have put that in with her left foot" and "Whoa, the defense is playing like a bunch of a donkeys", you might find yourself laughing with your teams play. Indeed, their words are wise and usually are very relevant and to the point. You probably won't find yourself going mad due to the reiteration of commentary.

However, you might go mad at the crowd cheering just as loud for the visiting team. In regard to that, there really is no point for home and away teams in this game, except for the jerseys and flags. The crowd sound is pathetic on goals anyway, and is usually covered up with celebration and music. EA has made some new crowd chants and brought some back from previous versions (including World Cup 98), but besides that there is nothing special with the crowd sound. The atmosphere is felt more because of the field noise.

The on the field option is a great way to get yourself in the game. Even with the commentary on you can still hear players yelling for the ball when going on a run, screaming in pain after a hard tackle, and grunting on a hard kick. As mentioned above, the real atmosphere is in the cinematic scenes. Like the players celebrating a goal or yelling after a foul. It brings a great sound to the in-game feel along with the commentary and crowd noise. I don't even know how I could say a game's atmosphere was great without these sounds.

In all fairness, the sound is great. The crowd still needs work, but when it all comes together it creates a great sounding game that makes for a lively and realistic atmosphere for a soccer game. I like, you like?

Options:

A game just isn't a game without a lot of options, right? Once again, FIFA 2002 gives the intense gamer a good game with numerous options. Friendly, Season, World Cup 2002 Qualification, Tournaments, Creation Center, and Rewards top the options list. We'll just get right down to the nitty-gritty.

FIFA 2002 crams in a whole load of features, and a few newly created features, unique to this year's edition. The typical game modes are here, Friendly, Season, and Tournaments. The season mode will take you through your favorite clubs season. You'll have to battle tough competition for the title and fight to keep yourself out of relegation position, compete with the world's finest in the Champions League type tournament, and fight for your leagues cup. You can expect plenty of gaming action in the season mode, or simulate you way to the end of the season for the final action.

The uniqueness in FIFA 2002 that will stand out to previous and future versions will be the World Cup 2002 Qualification mode. Select any of the 124 teams from the CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, AFC, and UEFA conferences. Finish in the top few teams and you will be headed to East Asia, right? Wrong. Once you qualify the game is over, "Congratulations. (your team) has qualified for World Cup 2002!" will pop-up on your screen. EA Sports might as well say, "Congratulations. You have qualified for World Cup 2002. Please purchase World Cup 2002 for $39.99 to continue!" Once you click "OK" you will have unlocked a reward in the "Rewards" section. But, if you sincerely want to play in the World Cup, you can use the tournament option to create your own WC tournament.

If you're into editing teams and players, the Creation Center is just for you. You will be given the option of editing or creating your own team, player, or league. With numerous face options and kit options you could create anything your FIFA gaming heart desires. Despite this new addition, I believe it will never replace individual patch makers. The Creation Center has its limits and patch making really doesn't have these limits (e.g. could change EA logo on shoes to Adidas). Overall, it is a great addition to the game for those quick changes a player may need to make.

In the aspect of in-game options, a few new options stand out. A great new feature, the "FIFA Assistant", helps out and suggests substitutions when a player is injured or very tired. Thus, ridding the hassle of searching for a proper sub and then waiting 30 minutes to have the sub enter the match.

FIFA 2002 provides the best for any type of gamer. If you want the game easy, just turn on the "Automatic Crossing" option to make it easier to cross the ball to the middle of the pitch. If playing at high difficulty is your preference, turn it to the most realistic settings, including "Slow" to keep the game at a more realistic speed. You can even edit your controllers to make the game fit your preferences! Plus, EA have also added plenty of new camera angles so you can check out different angles of all the match action!

It appears this category was something EA looked at a lot. It's a crying shame they forgot the sole-purpose of qualifying for the World Cup - the World Cup tournament! The Creation Center should include exporting and importing options for patch makers, but it is still a good add-on for this year.

Controls:

If you read above, you'd see a mention about controllers. EA Sports have heard the complaints about the inability to edit your controller preferences and layouts. It's just what the doctor ordered.

As for controls in game-play, as it has been for recent years, the response when passing or shooting can be delayed, which can ruin your whole play. Still, for the most part, the controls are the most improved yet (as I have said about things in every category). It's simple. If you don't like the controls, change them.

Overall

So many great things, there isn't much to complain about. It really is the best FIFA yet, and it is a whole lot more fun to play than the older versions. The passing has changed the game-play drastically, graphics are top-notch, sound is energetic, and there are so many new options to fit any gamer's needs. EA Sports has REALLY re-invented the beautiful game, and in the process, their own name in soccer gaming as well.

• Game-play: 9.0
• Graphics: 9.5
• Sound: 8.5
• Options: 9.0
• Controls: 8.5