As you may have guessed from the unusual lateness of this review, the entire Ferrago writing team are busy mopping-up the remainder of the releases, having been somewhat snowed-under in the deluge that has continued to arrive since mid-October. Anyway, we're slowly but surely beginning to get there, and as an opening tribute to EA's latest cash-cow, it is to FIFA's credit that I spent more time playing it over the festive season than I did reviewing (anything, really).

Before we go any further, rest-assured that 2004 is the best FIFA game ever. That said, it still won't quite tempt Pro Evo's dedicated following away from Konami's labour of love - though it should certainly provide the first viable alternative in some time. Indeed, FIFA 2004 takes more than a page or two out of Pro Evo's book, with Sports having made the game a lot tougher and more detailed, adding a greater sense of realism - something that those of us who found the previous couple of outings in the series rather soft will welcome. This is not the fast and friendly FIFA of old; this is the real deal, with every game proving authentically competitive.

To get the most from 2004, then, you'll probably be wanting to dispatch with your preconceptions and return to footballing basics: passing, moving, shooting - as Liverpool's FA Cup final song went something like in yesteryear. It is in these areas that things have suddenly grown somewhat tougher, with passing accuracy becoming crucial, as well as dribbling skills, and the necessity of some form of fore-thought in shooting - rather than the previous tap of 'B' resulting in a spectacular finish almost every time. All passes (and there are a variety available) and shots (ditto) must now be more measured in their power, and off the ball player movement is a new focus too.

The new and enriched FIFA has apparently gone down rather well (not that the previous fourteen FIFA's could be described as flops) with fans around the world, too - with FIFA 2004 a permanent fixture in the top ten as I write.

Of course with all this refinement of the game play, there still remains the usual polish we expect from EA on the front-end front, and we've got an even more exceptional selection of to choose from now as well, with the likes of Paul Weller, Kings of Leon, Junior Senior and Underworld all featured. There's an expanded Career mode on offer too, and whilst it on its own it won't be snatching CM04's crown any time soon - it certainly makes for a welcome extension to the standard FIFA game modes and does at least mean I can offer West Ham an artificially optimistic chance of promotion this season.

Another attraction to add to the burgeoning list is the 'Football Fusion' option, which means purchasers of Total Club Manager 2004 can play as teams they manage in FIFA, and vice-versa, its quite a clever tie-in really and even allows you to export match results between titles.

Is there a downside to the new-and-improved FIFA? The repetitive commentary from Motson and McCoist can grow a tad grating - and the free-kick system is baffling initially. More over, I still found the shooting to be somewhat luck-reliant, rather than skill-based, though the newly enhanced player statistics have made for some highly convincing matches and I couldn't fault the accuracy of this at times.

As ever the modes are the finest with all manner of competitive fun to be had for up to four players - though it is a shame the version has missed out on an (Live) option, as this could have been ace. Regardless of this omission however (based more on politically-minded wrangling between EA and from what I can gather), this is the most realistic, fun and down-right engrossing FIFA yet, and shows the progress have made in creating a genuine contender to the Pro Evo throne. This is certainly one run that won't end in disappointment.

90%

By Luke Guttridge

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