OK, I admit that little
opening was a tad cliché and probably not as funny as I had hoped, but I figured
that it’s a pretty good lead in to the new soccer game for PC by EA Sports
called UEFA Euro 2004. Obviously, I’ll get into all the good stuff here in a sec
about the gameplay and whatnot, but let me just open this whole thing up by
saying that I don’t really care for soccer that much. Well, it’s not that I
don’t like it … it’s just that I’m more of the football and hockey kind of guy
and usually when I watch matches on TV, it’s not much more to me than a bunch of
guys running around kicking a ball. I honestly learned a lot more about the
sport after playing this, and while die hard soccer fans will like this game, it
takes a REALLY good game to make someone like me enjoy it when they aren’t even
really into the subject matter to begin with.
Euro 2004 does not include
all teams from all countries in the game to play with, as you can imagine since
it’s not FIFA, but instead focuses on the biggest league out of Europe (per my
understanding) so you can select from teams like Portugal, Russia, Spain, and
the Netherlands. The controls, which are changeable to your individual liking,
work pretty well on the keyboard if you don’t have a gamepad to play with.
Movement of the players is done through the arrow keys, and things like passes,
lobs, headers, volleys, fakes, and sprinting are all done using keys that are
close together and in easy reach (W,A,S,D,Q, etc). Also, holding the shoot or
pass keys down will enable you to shoot or pass it harder or softer, which
helped out a lot in trying to be as accurate as possible.
There were a couple of
things that really helped me to get into the game and enjoy it, even though I
didn’t really know what I was doing the first time I fired it up. For starters,
there are a couple of different game modes that you can select from, like a
tournament mode, a friendly game, online mode (oh yes, online mode!), and a cool
practice mode to help you learn the controls, learn how to pull off some fancy
shots, and even do some tricky maneuvers like faking a shot to send the goalie
the wrong way so you can pop an easier goal out of him. The practice mode puts a
few of your guys out against a goalie (or you can add more defenders once you
feel up to it to try your skill), and this really helped me get into the game a
lot more. In addition, there is also a Fantasy mode (which I’ll get into here in
a second), a home and away mode, a situation mode (set your own scores, timer,
etc), and even a PK (penalty kick) Shootout mode.
After hitting the practice
field, off to a friendly game I went to see how good I had really gotten. Now, I
will admit that I played as one of the top teams in the game, and got hammered
by the worst team by a score of 3 – 0, but I still had a lot of fun doing it.
The gameplay was pretty solid, and teammates really did move and react the way
that I thought that they should have. Anytime I was moving the ball down the
field, other players would try to get open or sometimes they would head in near
me to help me out if I were getting approached by a defender. Also, the opponent
AI is pretty sharp as well, and while it wasn’t overly difficult (even though I
did get beat), they put up enough of a challenge so that I didn’t walk all over
them like I have done in games like Madden or NHL when I have the difficulty
down or I’m playing against a bad team.
Lastly, there is a kind of
“Dream Team” mode called Fantasy Mode that you die hard Pele’s out there can
utilize to trade players and build up your ultimate soccer team based on your
favorite players from the league (if you follow it). This of course really will
add a lot of gameplay and enjoyment for those of you who can really get in and
assemble your own teams to your liking, and ultimately will be a lot of fun to
put your own players together and head online to battle it out with other people
and their ultimate picks. You can also play a two player game on the PC itself,
provided that one player is OK on the keyboard and the other can hang with a
gamepad.
Graphically, Euro 2004 is
really sharp in my opinion. The players move well and look decent, and while
watching the action from the high up camera vantage point, the action on the
field looks like it does if you sit down to watch it on TV. The replays were
great (in typical EA replay fashion), and in addition to that, the crowd of
course goes nuts over good or bad plays or yellow / red cards that are tossed
out for penalties, and there are even some little additions in there like three
players standing in a line that will hop together to the sides as you try to
line up a wall for a penalty kick.
The sound in Euro was also
pretty top notch, with commentators that called the game pretty straight (none
of that “5 minutes after the fact” stuff here), and the crowd will begin chants
and such as the game is being played, which really added to the realism of the
experience. The music consists of actual rock and techno tracks too, which was
cool to listen to even if it didn’t really jump out and grab you while playing
the game.
Overall, as I stated before,
EA did a really good job on Euro 2004, even if some of you may not be hip on not
being able to play as the U.S. or one of the other teams not featured, but
ultimately it’s a solid game with good gameplay, good graphics, and good sound.
It also contains enough features to give the majority of gamers out there
something to fit to their liking, and even people who may not be huge soccer
fans can still get in and play it and will probably have a good time.
Gameplay: 8.2
Whether using a
gamepad or the keyboard, the controls were easy to get into and after a little
practice, most people will be able to hop in and get going. The number of
gameplay modes really enhances the replay value of the game, and there is even
an online mode included to go out and challenge opponents online.
Graphics: 8.5
The animations
were great quality, and when the camera zooms down to the players themselves,
each one looks different and hopefully it is the actual likeness of the real
player (since I don’t follow it that much, I wasn’t 100% sure). The crowd was
the standard cardboard cutouts, but it looked good from a distance.
Sound: 8.4
The music was
actual music tracks which was nice to have, and the in game sounds of the
players, kicking, etc. was done well. Also, there were some great little
additions that were added in, like the crowd chants. The commentators also were
done well, and they didn’t get too annoying or call plays way after they
happened like some games will do.
Difficulty: Medium
For those of you
who are used to hopping in and playing soccer games, this may be a little easier
than it was for someone like me who really doesn’t play soccer much. Either way,
the addition of the practice mode will help to learn the game and the controls a
little better.
Concept: 8.2
While fun games
can be fun for players who like the subject matter, making a game that is
enjoyable for non fans is a better basis for how good it is. I don’t really
follow soccer, but I really enjoyed it.
Multiplayer: N/A
As I stated,
there is an online mode that you can play if you have (or will sign up for) an
active account. I have one, but couldn’t get anyone to play against me, so I
really didn’t get to try it out. You can make and accept or decline challenges
online against rivals though, so hopefully I can update this a little later on.
Overall: 8.2
Overall, I
enjoyed Euro 2004. While it’s not my sport of choice, it is a lot of fun and I
was able to get into it and play it, and yes even won my third game finally!
Anyways, for those of you who are fans of soccer, this should be a good game to
pick up. If you’re not a fan of soccer, give this one a shot at a buddy’s house
or something since you’ll probably have a good time with it too. Probably not
worth the price if you aren’t a big fan of the game, but at least check it out
if you get the chance.
