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Jul 07, 2000 UEFA Euro 2000 Report. Our European correspondent gives us a little insight into what's kicking across the ocean. By IGN Staff.
The usual way to kick start the article would be to write a little introduction on EURO 2000, and how EA Sports is trying to recapture the spirit of the championship blah, blah, blah. Instead, what we have here is a classic example of the company milking the soccer fan's money for yet another largely identical game of the FIFA soccer series. EA Sports is really starting to test the patience of their loyal fans. That's the general opinion pervading amongst the hardcore PC soccer buffs that I came in contact with. Here's one for EA Sports - Eidos is not doing all that well guys, and I'm guessing that has something to do with the number of cloned Tomb Raider sequels that finally managed to irritate even the most fanatical of Miss Croft's fans. I mean, can somebody at EA Sports take a hint? Having people buy World Cup 98 was bearable, having them buy a new 'theme' game every time an actual championship comes along, plus the annual FIFA game only to realize that they could've just kept on playing FIFA 99, or 2000 is just stupid. As a little disclaimer, this rant is coming from a pissed off, die hard soccer fan that had his share of sleepless nights playing FIFA with a bunch of overly irritated soccer fanatics. Many of the mass market consumers out there are going to fall for all the marketing hype, and purchase the game anyway. So, if any of you US soccer fans are thinking of getting the game, here's what you can expect once it hits your local software store...
Nuances Don't Justify the Purchase
![Uefa euro 2000 results Uefa euro 2000 results](/uploads/1/2/5/7/125793514/388180432.jpg)
There is absolutely nothing revolutionary about Euro 2000 ¿ the game. Most of the guys I know were just asking me whether to buy FIFA 2000 or Euro 2000, because they were confused about the level of innovations (or the lack of thereof). The most obvious answer apart from the usual makeover of the interface would be the genuine and complete listing of all the teams and players that participated starting with the qualifying rounds of the championship. EA Sports acquired the almighty FIFA license (unlike Rage - Birmingham), and they can now dish out every detail on every player of every national team that is a member of the organization. Apart from their shoe size and some personal facts about their love life, Euro 2000 definitely features the most comprehensive database of all the coaches and players participating in the competition. The authenticity of some of the details is just astounding. Looking at the in-game sideline ads, I realized those are the very same brand names that appear at the actual stadiums. At least, the players will get to feel the 'excitement' of seeing the same ads that have been flashing across their TV screens during the match coverage.
As for gameplay novelties, there are but a few, and none of them are earth shattering. The most noticeable difference is the improved physics model. The subtle changes make for a more realistic passing game, as well as some accurate player behavior. For instance, depending on the power of the kick the ball will knock a player of his feet, or at least cause him to loose his balance. No more silly, close range pass interceptions that frustrated the hell out of gamers in the past. The ball deflections seem more natural, adding to the overall dynamics of gameplay. Apart from that, the players move in the same manner as before. For the life of me, I couldn't notice any new motion captured moves, or tangible changes in the player technique. The weather effects now feature 'on and off' effects, meaning that it will occasionally stop raining or snowing during the coarse of the match. The physics of the surface remained much the same, although it seems like there is slightly more friction now on the wet surface (i.e. tighter ball control on a soggy field). The rest of the gameplay changes include a fine-tuned interpretation of offside situations by the AI, along with more believable penalty calls. The two subtle details make the game seem more like a true simulation than ever before. None of that though is nearly enough to justify going for Euro 2000 when you already own a FIFA 2000 CD.
One Big Drop!
Every year we expect a huge improvement in the field of FIFA visuals, but then we just let out a collective sigh knowing how such a change would have a damaging effect on the game's frame rate. This time, the programmers have managed to outdo themselves. Without any useful and apparent graphical improvements, they've managed to absolutely murder my frame rate in 1024 and full detail. Now, I know I don't have the most powerful rig in the world, but you would expect more than 12-18 FPS on a PIII600/GeForceDDR setup. The players definitely don't seem to boost more polys. Most of the frame rate carnage is caused by the rather useless, more elaborate design of the crowds and stadiums. Apparently, the engine seems to render all the polys no matter if they are in the player's field of view or not. You just start to wonder how a good dynamic LOD system would make the FPS fly on a decent PC ...
The rest of the visual 'improvements' include butt-ugly player faces, which is irrelevant since nobody looks at the faces during gameplay anyway, some cooler looking rain effects, sky textures, and real-time shadows. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that Euro 2000 visuals suck, far from it. They are definitely on the level we would expect from EA Sports. The thing is, they do not in any way show any substantial and noticeable improvements over FIFA 2000, and they sure don't justify the huge frame rate drop. If I was to read a brochure written by some dude from EA, I would probably convince myself that the drop is justified, but as it is, I'm just a player, and I just can't see any impressive differences.
Wait for FIFA 2001 I Say
Euro 2000 begs one simple question for all you US soccer fans out there... Should you get excited about the prospect of playing UEFA Euro 2000? Unless you are a big fan of the Old Continent, and have one of your favorite national teams that you'd like to lead to the ultimate prize, don't bother getting your hopes up too high about this one... I'm putting the CD back on the shelf 'as we speak', and I'm off to watch the championships at the local bar. You know how us European soccer fans enjoy a good brawl over whose squad has bigger guns and all...
-- Uros Jojic