FIFA Soccer 2003

by EA

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006ZCCX
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: November 12, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,004 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic Gameplay, January 3, 2003

By 

Andy (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: FIFA Soccer 2003 (Video Game)

Just got this game yesterday and played about five games and the one thing I've learned is that this game is very realistic. fifa 2002 you could basically just dribble the whole team and score, which happens hardly ever in real life. in fifa 2003 you must pass the ball in the midfield, get one opposing defender out of position, and exploit him. some people may find this frustrating and not fun, but once you actually score it is very very rewarding. i personally would rather work hard to score 3 goals than mindlessly score 10 by dribbling four guys with one player. also as previously noted free kicks are much better, all based on timing, like kickoffs in (american) football games. other aspects of the game:
- players look real
- two settings: simulation and action. havent tried action yet, may be more arcade like and satisfy those who just want to run up the score
- the r1 speed thing: i didnt find this to be too much of an issue because you hold the button (as opposed to tapping it) and you dont want to speed burst too much anyway because a lot of times you will lose the ball or dribble in too close to the keeper.
- one-timers are 300% better and easier than in fifa 2002. this is one of the easier ways to score, as it should be.
- passing is much much better. fifa 2003 goes back to the old style of hitting the pass button while pointed in a general direction and the ball will go right to the guy who is in that direction. fifa 2002 you were forced to basically pass in the direction you were dribbling and the ball would go straight, not to any player in particular. but through balls are sort of like fifa 2002 in that you hit it to a spot and then you must direct the player there. not easy to do, but again, it's awesome once you pull it off.
so basically if you enjoy passing the ball around realistically, spreading the defense, and creating scoring chances then this game is a must buy. if you would rather just feed the ball to ronaldo at midfield, sprint to the net and score then fifa 2002 would be better (although maybe action setting in fifa 2003 is like this). oh and i cant say enough about the wireless controllers (wavebird?). you dont realize how cool they are until you get one.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FIFA 2003 is the best football game ever, November 12, 2002

By 

Ivan (Jackson Hole WY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: FIFA Soccer 2003 (Video Game)

Fifa 2003 is the best football game to come out ever. The usual teams are availible, but there are more stadiums and more detailed uniforms. The player's faces are remarkably realistic and the graphics are superb overall.

The best part of this game is the new control system. The passing is much more sensitive, however is it slower, so control is very different. It takes a little getting used to, but once you do it ends up being a much more realstic game and the passing is much more important in the gameplay. The crossing and lobbing is a little weak, though because it is hard to use and very inaccurate.

The free kicks are much better than 2002, you can actually determine where you want to ball to go and how much spin you want to put on it. This is all great, but you have to tap the shoot button at just the right time to get it right. This can be frustrating, but is very rewarding.

The shooting is difficult, but this is accurate. You can't just run around and shoot and score everytime. This keeps the score down, and it is like real football.

Tackling is good and goalkeeper controls are fine. The music is not as good as in previous editions, but it is acceptable. The commentary is delivered a pair of smooth British fellows who deliver accurate and varied assessment of play.

The Tactics are much more sound than the previous edition which allows for more detailed planning, but the AI is much better and it varies the style of play depending on the situation. Again, this adds to the realism.

Overall, the new control system makes this game excellent, but it does require a little getting used to. The other parts of the game are just as good as the last one, if not better, and the added challenge makes this game worth playing.

Graphics 9/10
Gameplay 9/10
Commentary 8/10
Music 6/10
Game Options 10/10
Overall 9.5/10

If this review was helpfull, don't forget to vote!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars FIFA 2003 Disappointed Me, December 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: FIFA Soccer 2003 (Video Game)

After absolutely LOVING FIFA 2002, this game came as a great disappointment to me. The graphics are great, and the team selection is wonderful. However, it is MUCH more difficult to play than FIFA 2002. If you are expecting a game that a 2002 veteran can pick up and be good at, think again.

Shooting is difficult, passing is more difficult, and the controls are not the same as FIFA 2002. After playing 2 games, my hands hurt from having to constantly hit the R button to sprint, versus comfortably hitting the Y button in the 2002 version.

Also, there is a lot of choppiness in this game. FIFA 02 had bugs, but this game is just downright slow at times! EA must have been more interested in the almighty dollar than actually QA'ing the software.

All of the above issues are fine if you enjoy playing soccer by yourself. But I cannot see one of my friends ever being able to play this game with me without being incredibly frustrated. If you like playing on your own, this game might be well worth it. But from a fun factor perspective, get FIFA 2002!

One other issue. The lack of scoring in FIFA 03 may be realistic, but it sure makes for a boring video game. In FIFA 02, I could score 4-10 goals in an average game at the highest difficulty level. This did not seem excessive, but yet was still a lot of fun.

I traded this game in immediately and bought NBA 2K3. I am much happier with that.

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