FIFA 98: Road to the World Cup

Reviews / previews

Review: FIFA 98: Road to the World Cup

If you want further evidence of why the game is such a hit, check out EA Sports' latest incarnation of its FIFA license. I'd tip it as not only the best soccer game on the market by far, but possibly as the best sports game ever made.

I was frustrated by EA's apparent complacency in the 97 version. With FIFA 98: RTWC, those issues have not only been addressed, but it seems that virtually every element has been reassessed to ensure the most complete soccer experience possible.

For starters, there's the sheer scope. Check this: 172 national teams along with 189 club teams from 11 leading soccer nations are represented. That incorporates some 6,400 different (real) players, each with individual stats. So you can plot the course of your selected nation's road to France through the regional qualifying rounds. A random drawing then groups the 32 qualifiers into eight groups to battle for places in the straight knock out to the World Cup final.

In addition to the three difficulty levels offering considerable replayability (World Class level is tough), the national squad rosters can be changed, allowing you to bring in fringe players. You can also play in league mode in any one of the 11 nations. Adding further spice is the option to transfer players. Each team is given a kitty to be spent on any of the 6,400 players-so if you want to buy the Brazilian striker Ronaldo from Inter Milan, you can; you just have to come up with some 23 million pounds by selling from your own squad.

FIFA 98 natively supports 3Dfx and PowerVR, giving a stunningly realistic representation of the stadiums. On the field, the players look and move so realistically that I genuinely thought I was watching TV at times. A MotionBlending technique captures all the nuances of soccer players' movements in the finest detail. For example, a winger, crossing the ball at pace from the touchline, will fall over as his balance shifts. It's gobsmackingly realistic.

The players can now also deke and pull off some funky special moves. The AI's movement of the players you don't control is generally first-rate. And, of course, you can now save your golden goals. These may not come easy at first, as the AI goalkeepers have been significantly enhanced. They now command all of their penalty area, come to catch and punch the ball, and even dive at an attacker's feet.

Commentary is supplied once more by England's voice of soccer, John Motson, ably assisted by Andy Gray's Scottish lilt. Great sound effects include tackle-grunts, ball bounces, and crowd chants.

English band Blur supplies a couple of great tracks for the menu screens as you work out team tactics, formations, starting lineups, and which players are to take penalties, free kicks, and corners. The only thing missing here is a play editor for set pieces (FIFA 99?).

EA has gone the distance for multiplayer support too. While two players on one machine is the best option, it's possible to get up to 20 playing a league or tournament over eight linked PCs.

I honestly wasn't expecting much from FIFA 98, and what I got was a staggering surprise. Its level of detail is phenomenal, the realism second to none, and the overall production values so high-class that I reckon it crowns NHL 98 as the finest sports game ever made.-- Rob Smith / GamePro