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I remember that my cousin and I were playing in the living room, and my cousin said, looking at the soccer players: "Wow, they look real!" Had she seen those of Fifa 09, she would have changed her mind. And my cousin, as with every respectable video game novelty, said, "It even has injury time!"
Fifa 99.
A milestone in the world of soccer video games, the follow-up to the incredible Fifa 98, famous for the concurrent World Cup. A worthy sequel, well thought out, perhaps a little weaker in graphics regarding the players' appearance, who more or less have the same face. Del Piero looks like an Egyptian, just like Zidane. Multicultural solidarity? Or simple somatic approximation? The latter, but it doesn't affect the game.
There is a depth of gameplay, noticeable lately, which is absolutely amazing. It feels like being at the Ferraris in Genoa, a stadium with deep cameras by definition. This makes the entire game even more thrilling. Playing through filter passes with R1 or one-twos (even though the ball sticks to the player who receives it) is something very entertaining. The goalkeepers are phenomenal, saving the impossible and only faltering at 0 meters or rarely with a volley shot. It falls under the term UNSTOPPABLE.
The in-game graphics are beautiful, alternating during the match for shots on goal, the half-time score, the victory count. Less realistic is the fact that a player who is fouled is seen standing up at first, then collapsed on the ground holding his legs after the scene changes. And the referee who, if he has to book a player, normally pulls out the card. And if he has to send a player off, he pretends to pull out a card and then pulls out the red, creating more suspense for the butcher, who feels a lava-like weight in his stomach (Damn, he sent him off).
Completely useless (or almost) is the tactical management, the substitutions: the players are more or less equivalent, and you can continue a championship with the same 11.
The commentary by the unforgettable Giacomo Bulgarelli and the good Massimo Caputi is splendid. Great maxims from the first, agreements from the second, sometimes without response.
A game to try, to rediscover. Even with its shortcomings. But we're in '99. Pro Evolution Soccer hadn't been born yet.
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