In previous games, creating scoring opportunities was as simple as getting the ball, then madly tapping the turbo button as you ran down the field, passing one defender after another on your way to the goal. If you try to do this now, however, you'll be greeted by a double team, and there's a good chance that you'll lose the ball before you can ever really get any momentum. Your opponents have gotten smarter on the offensive side of the ball, as well, particularly as you increase the level of difficulty. While they might have taken an ill-advised shot from far out on the normal level, world class will find them passing around until they find an opening, then rocketing a shot past your surprised goalie. The A.I. still isn't as smart as Winning Eleven's brilliant players, but it's definitely closing the gap.

Shockingly, one place where FIFA may have overtaken Konami's series is in the career mode, in which you must start out as a low-level manager and gradually make your way through the ranks in an effort to land a job with one of the world's top-tier teams. The way this works is pretty simple: you have a certain number of prestige points (shown as stars), and more can be earned by winning games or tournaments. When you begin the mode, you choose a world region, then pick a job from one of the openings available. After you've signed on with a team, you'll be told what's expected of you if you want to keep your job. The main career page actually tells you how much job security you have from game to game, and it definitely pays to keep an eye on it.

Since even the greatest managers need a little help now and then, it's important to surround yourself with plenty of good coaches and trainers. As you win games or pass milestones, you can use the upgrade points you receive to give your coaches some more skills, which will end up making your team stronger in that specific area. Best of all, if you decide to move up to a higher league after a few years, you can take your coaching staff with you, so you won't lose the hard-earned fruits of your labor. All in all, the game's career mode is easy to get into, yet hard to master, and it's actually one of the more entertaining franchise simulations you'll see in any sports game this year.


One of the best changes to this year's game is the player animations, which have been greatly improved over previous versions. Not only do players move more realistically when dribbling, passing, and shooting, you'll notice that they jostle for position in the box and put moves on defenders away from the ball in an effort to get open. Most of the player models look better, too, particularly when you take a look at some of the world's premier players. EA has made certain that the stars have accurate faces and playing styles, so David Beckham and Ronaldo look and behave like their real-life counterparts.

While the graphics and player animations have been improved, the same cannot be said for the audio, particularly when it comes to the commentary. Some of the calls and play-by-plays might be good the first two or three times you hear them, but they get old fast, especially when you're hearing them for the hundredth time. After a while, I simply turned the commentary off altogether, preferring to listen to the varied soundtrack. Featuring a nice mix of rock, reggae, and electronica, this is one of the better EA soundtracks you'll hear this year.

Although some people will probably insist that the Winning Eleven series is still top dog in the soccer genre, there's no denying that EA is starting to get serious about taking back some of its lost fans. The addition of the First Touch system makes the gameplay much more fluid, and it encourages you to improvise more often. Armchair managers will love the new career mode, one of the best you'll see this year. It might not be the perfect soccer game, but FIFA Soccer 2005 is a huge step in the right direction for this once groundbreaking series.