PlayStation 1
Released in 1998 by EA Sports
Grade: B+
This action-packed take on soccer strikes a good balance between depth and simplicity. It feels at home on PS1, making the most of the console’s power without overdoing it.
Where it falls in the series
Starting with FIFA 96, there are 10 FIFA titles on PS1, but EA’s focus was on the next generation starting with FIFA 2001 on PS2. I don’t plan on covering much PS1 FIFA, but I read in other reviews that this game is a clear step up from 98 and that 2000 is a clear step back down.
Praises and gripes
Like the old-school FIFA games, realism is sacrificed for high-speed action here. Quick, accurate passes and hard shots are the norm. AI defenders rush after the ball all over the field, so you’ve got to pass and move quickly. Teams don’t typically possess the ball for more than a few seconds.
Defenders take the ball away easily with a reliable standing tackle or an unrealistically long slide tackle, but offensive players have a few dribbling tricks to offset that, including one where you easily lift the ball into the air.
While the passing is crisp, there’s still plenty happening that makes the action feel organic. The ball squirts loose and flies through the air often. On the downside, through passes don’t lead your teammate very far, and crosses into the penalty box are rarely headed into the net.
The view is too zoomed in to see all your passing options, even when switching to a wider camera, but a helpful icon shows you which teammate you’re pointing to before you pass, even if that player is offscreen. You can also turn on a little diagram in the corner of the screen. It’s understandable that there isn’t a super-wide camera because it would make the 32-bit player models look like indistinguishable clumps of pixels.
The graphics are certainly dated, but it’s about as good you can expect from this old game, aside from a somewhat shaky camera. Player models are very choppy but move naturally, and the grass is easy on the eyes. The sound is solid, with a crowd bustling and British announcers who keep up with the action.
There are a lot of options and a lot of real teams. You can play with three wide-ranging difficulty levels, and you can increase the game speed (an option I didn’t find necessary). Unfortunately, the indoor soccer mode from FIFA 98 isn’t available though.
This game is surprisingly playable in 2017. It’s fast and exciting with good controls and a balance of order and chaos. It’s got to be among the best sports games on PS1. I don’t know about the later versions of FIFA; I’ll probably never play them. But I have played International Superstar Soccer 98 on Nintendo 64, which is highly regarded, and I much prefer FIFA 99.