PlayStation 1
Released in 1995 by EA Sports
Grade: D
It’s EA’s first crack at a 3D soccer game, so you can’t expect too much.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the first of 10 versions on PS1.
Praises and gripes
It’s always funny looking at games from this era, proudly showing off their revolutionary but ugly 3D graphics, like a child who tries to wow you with his messy science project.
The screen shakes constantly and the players look funky. Without the shaky screen, I’d go a whole letter grade higher.
The gameplay is standard primitive soccer, with basic controls that are easy to pick up but a bit sluggish. The AI is also basic, but in classic EA fashion, there’s enough unpredictable chaos going on out there.
A few control oddities make you feel clumsy. It’s not always easy to secure the ball, and the slide-tackle is delayed. The game moves at a realistic pace, but without more refined controls, they may as well have supercharged the action for a more arcade feel.
It’s a decent start, and things got better for FIFA a little later. Jump three years ahead to FIFA 99 for a more enjoyable experience with 32-bit soccer.