FIFA International Soccer

Game review

Soccer World Cup 2014 in Brazil is currently underway and so I decided to add another football game. Game, which kicked off a famous football/soccer game series - FIFA International Soccer, or often referred to as FIFA 94. This game itself is associated with the World Cup. In 1994, in fact, there has been a World Cup in the USA and producers of computer games have released a number of games with the football theme, among them this game, which was the most successful. FIFA game lacks nothing of what should every football simulator include: selection of the match (league, exibition, tournament, playoff) team selection (national teams, allstar team), surface, weather, games options (handling of off-sides, fouls), the amount of statistics and other useful settings.

All these things were present also in all other football simulators of the time, but FIFA has brought something extra - you can play with a friend against the computer on one computer, excellent game controls with extensive settings and the ability to playback and save individual moments (replays). FIFA has also a great graphics, amazing players animations, who can make a large amount of moves - from basic passes and kicks, to a spectacular heads, chutes, scissors, flips, fouls and celebration of scored goals. Really nice. FIFA 94 is among the best football games from the early 90s and I highly recommend it to any sports fan.

The game was positively received by critics upon release; critics lauded the detail and animation of the footballers in the game, the crowd sound effects, and the overall presentation. The speed the game ran at and issues with the response to the player's input were seen as the game's primary faults. FIFA International Soccer simulates the sport of association football. In particular, the game is based on international matches. The game utilises an isometric viewpoint, unlike other football games at the time such as Tehkan World Cup or Sensible Soccer which utilised a bird's-eye view or Kick Off which used a top-down view.

The player controls one of the eleven footballers on their team at a time, with the ability to switch players on command. The game allows up to four human players at the same time, each controlling a different footballer. The players can choose to control a footballer on the same team or on opposing teams. The remaining footballers are controlled by the computer.

Four modes of play — Exhibition, Tournament, Playoffs, and League — are available. Exhibition engages the player in a single match. Tournament mode resembles the format of the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship, with the player controlling a team of their choice through a series of matches, starting with three group games with the possibility of progressing to four further games in a knockout format. The game features 48 national teams in total, plus a team called EA All Stars. Every team has 20 players. The players are fictional (some of them, e.g. Tim Ansell of England or Joe Della-Savia of Italy, are named after people credited as the development team) and look the same, except for darker skin of certain teams' players. 

This game is good to watch and play, and the whole atmosphere around it has a really football-like feel. The players celebrate in style after scoring a goal, the stands seem lively, the spectators chant here and there. Thumbs up.