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How does the GBA version compare to the excellent console game? Surprisingly, the game is a rather enjoyable handheld soccer title perfect for those soccer-craving spare moments.
FIFA Soccer 2005’s main draw is the Career mode. Much like the console version, in it, you play as a newcomer coach, and as such will have to begin in the bottom with the worst teams of whatever region you choose. As you progress through the career, you’ll be offered jobs in more prestigious teams and you can pack up your beefy coaches and take them with you. The Career mode lasts through five seasons and is quite beefy for a handheld game, specially considering that EA Sports managed to include over 350 teams in the game.
Additionally, the game includes a Challenge mode, where you’re able to play the last few minutes of historic games to see if you have the skill to change the outcome. Or perhaps you want to make sure that the losing team does win the game… like it happened in real life.
If you find a friend with a copy of FIFA Soccer 2005 and their own GBA, you can partake in a two player multiplayer mode, as well.
The actual soccer gameplay is quite solid on the GBA. The game is very fast paced which works wonderfully for the handheld but gives you a good bit of control over the characters. The games includes new features such the through ball and the one-two pass, which allows you to pass the ball to another player without losing any time. The AI in the game puts up a decent fight all throughout, never feels cheap and isn’t too dumb.
The game’s visuals are commendable for the GBA. There are many characters on-screen at any given time, and they all animate smoothly. The character models, however, don’t have much detail and all pretty much look the same. The engine scrolls through he field as the action moves and does a commendable job at keeping up.
The game’s audio package is hurt more by the limited space in the GBA cartridge. The soundtrack is limited and repetitive, and the quality isn’t that great. The sounds are soccer are otherwise accurately represented, including the enthusiastic chants of the crowd.
All in all, FIFA Soccer 2005 for Gameboy is a competent if not downright good soccer game to take on the road. -- Adam Nunez, PGNx Media
---- Nov 2, 2004
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