It’s hard to find a flaw in FIFA 2005’s presentation. Year after year, the franchise has delivered top-notch graphics, and once again the 2005 version does not disappoint. Stadiums are colorful and show a life that isn’t seen in most sports games where the audience plays second fiddle to the on-field action. The presentation isn’t THAT much better than what is seen in the other sports titles, but for whatever reason, the crowd just seems to be more “in the game.” Players are detailed and animated smoothly. There are a number of players who look generic, but there are also players who stand out. Common sense says these are the super stars of the sport, but not being a fan, I couldn’t tell you how accurate the models are.
Commentary is about as good as it gets when it comes to sports games. The two commentators are very low key for most of the game, but do get excited after certain events. For the most part, things are kept vanilla and rather general, but when the action heats up, they really get into the game and start yelling out names. During lulls in the action, one of the commentators will begin to tell about his days in the sport. The cool thing is that if something happens during a story, the other commentator will cut him off. This is something I would love to hear Al Micheals do to John Madden one of these days. The “life” seen in the crowds is not only seen in the stands, but heard. Fans will stomp when excited and sing chants and songs that represent their countries. The game’s soundtrack is good, although it may not have as broad an appeal as other EA soundtracks. Most of the tracks are from Latin groups that some players (at least those in the U.S.) may not be all to familiar with. Still, the music adds a nice flair to the game that works.
