One of my favorite games of all time has to be FIFA 2000 for the PSX! But what did they do to FIFA 2001? Again, the PS2 is missing the point….great graphics and sound don’t make a fun game…lets see what FIFA 2001 MLS has to offer. In this department, FIFA 2001 is just beautiful. They really upped the poly count on the models and you can really tell! The joints at the knees and ankles look very believable and the animations are just wonderful! The goal net actually flexes with the ball when you make a shot! Slow motion replay lets you sit back and enjoy your beautiful bike kicks! But the coolest feature is the shadows in the game! The sun will actually move during the game making the shadows turn over time! The field will “warp” do to the shadow of the stadium! Only downfall in this category is the crowd is still 2d…but hey, at least the camera is 3d and positioned where you’re different camera angles are available!
Not a lot of music in this one, but the music they do have is chosen from some very well liked and modern tunes. Though I myself wouldn’t get the sound track…it wouldn’t be a bad buy. As for on the field sound effects, this games got all the grunting and shin pounding sounds that you could ever want! The players will actually complain to the ref, ala Sims jibber jabber, after fouls. The crowd noise is some of the best I’ve heard, with hometown chants and whistles! The anouncers are very well done and keep up with the game…I would have liked more than 2 of them though, as the british guy and the irish d00d get rather annoying after awhile. GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLL!!!!
Well, the games been all uphill till now. What possibly could bring this game an 85% and not something in the 90s range? Oh, that’s right, we’re in the gameplay section now! I don’t know if you’ve ever played 98, 99, of 2000 but if you did, you’ll find FIFA 2001 MLS a very constraining game! Remember all those cool moves you could pull off in attempts to blow bye your opponent…well, now they are all one button and they won’t blow bye shit! The controls are sluggish at best and the pressure sensative shot button is more of a pain than a cool feature. Passing in this game is absolutely stupid and the only way to score is a cross from the corner and a bike kick to the upper left or right. Lets just say corner kicks are an instant goal. The diffeculty levels are some of the most unbalanced pile of poo I’v ever seen…with your already sluggish controls, good luck winning any game on World Cup level…but be prepared to wipe the floor with your oppnents on the next diffeculty level down (pro). On an upside…you can play with just about any team in the world and the game comes packed with all real players and believable stats.
The graphics and sound of this first gen PS2 soccer game are top notch. Lacking only in gameplay (snickers to himself…ONLY) FIFA 2001 MLS is a beautiful game! To the average Joe, I would have to say wait for 2002 to purchase a FIFA title for your PS2, but to the hardcore soccer lovers…you might wanna give it a try. I would advise renting it first and seeing how the game plays for you before buying. That’s that, time to play some more SF alpha 3:) Trippyliquid…Trippin out!!