UEFA EURO 2004

The road to the World Cup is not an easy one.  In fact, the road itself branches out into different paths that lead teams to either failure or success but you can bet dollars to donuts that this journey is going to be one hell of a ride.  While all of the North and South American teams will be heading to Peru for the Cup of the Americas, all eyes will fall on Portugal as teams from Scotland to Russia will compete for the Euro Cup.  UEFA Euro 2004 not only plans to capture the essence of the Euro Cup tournament but also bring us a soccer, excuse me, football game that is just as exciting. 

Being a football fan myself, UEFA Euro 2004 came as a pleasant surprise seeing as EA Sports recently released one of its best soccer titles of the year.  Yet sports fans know that the games leading to the Euro Cup are just as, if not more, intense than the games of the World Cup.  The game itself pushes over fifty-one qualifying European countries in the long lineup.  You’ll find everything from Romania, Poland, Norway and even Croatia.  And, in Tournament mode, you can take your favorite European country all the way to the Euro Cup as qualifying champs.

The game has a number of game modes such as Friendly, Home and Away, Fantasy (where you can select a team filled with your favorite players from all over Europe), Situation and even something called PK Shootout (where you can practice your skills as a goalkeeper and shooter).  There’s even a Practice mode that allows you to practice nearly every aspect of an actual game such as corner kicks and penalty shots.  We’re already looking at a game with a lot to see and do so those gamers expecting to find a few features only because the game features European teams will be pleasantly surprised.

I will keep referring to FIFA Soccer 2004 because much of what we saw in that EA Sports game can be found here.   As an Xbox gamer, I found the controls for FIFA to make for a slightly harder game to control but the PS2 control scheme just seems to make the game flow more smoothly and slightly more enjoyable since the default commands are easily assessable thanks to the R1 and L1 buttons.  This gives you an easier way of pulling off tricks such as chip shots, fake shots and bicycle kicks.  The game’s style was never simulation-style so thanks to its arcade-styled feel (much like Winning Eleven 7) this makes for a fast-paced game of football.  This doesn’t mean, however, that the game is easy (you may be able to bend it like Beckham but not all the time, buster).  Free kicks have to be directed via a targeting cursor and then set the power of the shot.  While annoying as that may seem, it does take some getting use to so practice is always recommended.

Tournament is the heart and soul of the game since it not only beautifully captures the feel of what its like to go through a qualifying tournament but it also realistically has you managing various aspects of your team.  Morale can drop and players can be injured to the point that they’ll need a great amount of time to recuperate.  The game also follows strict regulations but, unlike games such as World Tour Soccer 2005, you won’t find the referee handing out yellow cards like crazy.  In fact, there are times when the referee fails to see an infraction . . . just like in real life.  And, while the opposing team can make you really work, they are also prone to making mistakes.  Players also play the way you expect them to play and by that I mean real players who are skilled in things like shooting are skilled in the same thing in the game.  Italy’s Totti is amazing at dribbling in real life so he’s great at it in the game.  You have got to love that.

The game’s graphics are also stunning when it comes to both the player models and the stadiums themselves.  We’ll start with the player models that move and react naturally enough that it will wipe away the distant memory of the robotic player models of the PSOne’s World Cup 98. You’ll quickly recognize your favorite superstar right away whether it’s France’s Zidane or England’s own Beckham.  The stadiums are also amazing and come to life beautifully with fans waving flags and the stadium lights attempting to break through a foggy overcast evening.  While there are some clipping problems here and there (when players push each after an infraction, hands phase right through a player’s chest) it really nothing that takes away from the overall visual presentation.

Still, the feature that really shines over the nicely detailed visuals is the sound.  The sounds heard in the stadium during a match are truly amazing to the point that, if you’re playing this one with a great sound system, people will think you’re watching a live telecast of a European game.  EA Sports accurately captured the various chants only fans from many of the countries listed will recognize. The Italian fans, for example, have a certain distinguishable song they sing and you’ll hear it in the game.  There’s also a decent two-man commentary team that don’t offer much insight but if you speak Spanish the Spanish speaking setting has a commentary team that is not only insightful but also react to goal far more enthusiastically.  You’ll also find some licensed tunes from bands like Boxer Rebellion or solo artist Nelly Furtado.  It’s not bad at all, but we certainly heard a lot better from other EA Sports games.

Once again, EA Sports offers up another stellar soccer game and this one is the perfect companion to FIFA Soccer 2004.  UEFA Euro 2004 is a solid game of soccer with plenty of goodies, more than decent visuals and downright addictive game modes that will keep fans of European football more than satisfied.  While it doesn’t really improve on the little imperfections seen in FIFA Soccer 2004, all the things it got right just overshadow this stuff.  If you’re looking for a great Euro Cup soccer game, look no further . . . this is the game to own PS2 sports fans.

UEFA Euro 2004 requires 339 free space from your Memory Card. 

Gameplay: 8.7
Amazingly rock solid when it comes to gameplay, UEFA Euro 2004 feels very comfortable on the PS2.  The control scheme seems to fit the Dual Shock controller really well and that’s a good thing since it gives you more easy access to far more fancier footwork such as bicycle kicks and fake passes.  The game’s ref also less prone to handing out yellow cards like there’s no tomorrow so, like an actual game, it’s possible to get away with infractions. 

Graphics: 8.5
Like FIFA Soccer 2004, the player models are nicely detailed to the point that you’ll instantly recognize familiar players, especially the superstars of the sport, before you can even read their names off their jerseys.  You will find a few clipping issues here and there but it never gets too bad and the crowds have been reduced to sharp yet blurry pixels but from afar their movements give off the impression of a packed stadium.  Speaking of stadiums, they look amazing and watching flags wave and colored flares burn brightly just makes the experience all the more eye-catching.

Sound: 9.0
You’ll be impressed with the level of sound detail this game pushes and if you have a good sound system you’ll swear you’re in the stadium filled with rowdy soccer fans.  You’ll listen to fans chant, react and sing accurate patriotic songs.  A certain game reviewing Englishman, who will remain unnamed, actually wept when he heard the fans in the Manchester stadium chant and sing to England in true Manchester fashion.  There are some licensed tunes here and, while they’re not my cup of tea, they do the trick nicely during end game replays.  The commentary is okay, but it would have been great to hear some more detailed play-by-play like the Spanish setting.

Difficulty: Medium
Tournament mode will certainly put your favorite team up against a number of low and high division class teams and that alone will be a real challenge.  The game also accurately portrays the currently dominant teams realistically enough.  France, once again, is impressively showing a lot of potential in real life and so it’s a powerful team to go up against in the game.  The player AI is also a lot more intelligent in their defensive and offensive tactics so expect plenty of challenges.

Concept: 9.0
With fifty-one teams in the lineup and hundreds of recognizable team players on the roster, UEFA Euro 2004 will not fail to impress those gamers that think this game can’t possibly offer all the treats found in games like Winning Eleven 7 or even World Tour Soccer 2003.  The game modes also offer an assortment of challenges and with Fantasy mode, who doesn’t want to play and all-star game with a roster filled with star players from all over the world?

Multiplayer: 8.5
You can’t help but think how amazing this game would have been if it had included an online multiplayer mode but thanks to the PS2 Multitap you’ll be able to sit down with a group of friends and play a game with up to five players or, if you happen to have a second Multitap, a game with up to eight players.  No one is left out and that’s the beauty of this game. 

Overall: 8.5
This is turning out to be an amazing year for great soccer games for the PS2 and UEFA Euro 2004 just happens to join their ranks with its soccer excellence.  So much of what we love about the sport is present and accounted for and, to top it all off, it looks, sounds and plays like a dream come true.  If you’re a fan of European football, or just sports in general, this is the game to buy.