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Hey there guys, KB here for AwCPlaysFIFA and welcome to the latest part of the complete
history of FIFA. This week we take a look at the 1998-99 season -- so here's a roundup
of the biggest stories in English football:
Glenn Hoddle was sacked as England manager after declaring that disabled people were
such because they had committed sin in past lives. He was replaced a month later by Fulham
manager Kevin Keegan, though he stayed at Craven Cottage until the end of the season,
winning them the Division 2 title.
Only 4 years after winning the Premiership, Blackburn Rovers were relegated. They were
in a serious battle to stay in the division by November, and their descent into Division
1 was confirmed in the penultimate game of the season, a 0-0 draw with Manchester Utd
sealing their fate.
Man U on the other hand had a storming season, winning the first ever treble. They wrested
the league title from Arsenal with a 2-1 win over Tottenham in the last game of the season,
and won the FA Cup a week later against Newcastle Utd. But the biggest triumph for them was
winning the Champions' League against Bayern Munich. 1-0 down with 3 minutes of stoppage
time, Alex Ferguson sent on substitutes in the form of Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer. First Sheringham then Solskjaer scored to win United the trophy and Alex Ferguson
a knighthood.
And of course, the latest FIFA was released -- and one that is my personal favourite:
FIFA 99! With Dennis Bergkamp on the cover and another great soundtrack featuring Fatboy
Slim's 'The Rockerfeller ***' this series heralded a big move forward in the series.
Out goes the indoor mode, and in comes a brand new roster. Out goes the Malaysian League,
and in comes the teams from the Belgian and Portugese top flights. Not only that, but
for the first time the big clubs from other leagues were featured under the 'Rest of the
World' banner. You also had the fantastic European Dream League mode, where you could
set up a league of the biggest teams from across the continent in a Champions League
format.
Looking at the gameplay, and this game is like FIFA 98 on speed. It is insanely fast,
and you have to plan 3 or four passes ahead to make a decent attack. Ground passes are
as quick as they've ever been, with a target to help you choose which player you pass to.
Air balls however are slightly more difficult than they were in World Cup 98, with it nigh
on impossible to score from a cross. Dribbling has kept the skill abilities from World Cup
98, along with the controversial addition of unlimited pace.
The problem with this however is that once you see how devastating the pace is, players
never slow down and there's no stamina to reduce the effect. Players like Michael Owen
will burst past at every given opportunity to slam the ball home.
Defensively, and there's been a few tweaks. The circle based standing tackle is now much
more fun, as they've brought back the comedy sound effect when it connects..
However, Slide tackles are a mixed bag. Whilst sliding further and faster than ever before,
they are now far more likely to draw a foul and a red card. Problem is, you don't even
know which ones are fouls! Take these tackles for example:
Do they look any worse than these fouls?
However, when the whistle does blow, it's comedy genius. The ref books or penalises
you and then makes sure the fouled player is OK. However, if you add the right music:
It looks like a Mexican soap opera.
Set pieces work exactly the same as FIFA 98 and the World Cup, with the arrow showing
exactly where to aim the ball. However, corners are easily manipulated. If you move a player
to the near post and hit the ball low and hard, then you have a great chance of getting
the ball just between the goalie and the post or getting a rebound.
Goalkeepers are now far more even in their shot-stopping ability, being generally reliable
from distance and also inside the penalty area. The new commentary also makes sure to
credit the keeper for the saves -- though they missed out on a real trick when it comes
to Arsenal keeper David ***. This is good:
*Commentator: "Great save by ***!"*
But this is better.
The ball sticks to ***!
*** comes flying out of the six yard box!
***'s all over the attacker!
Given the improvement in the goalie AI, attacking is now much more difficult. Misses are more
common, and EA try to make it feel like a real cinematic experience: even if the commentary
is slightly over the top:
*Commentator: "He looks like he's lost his pet dog, he's so disappointed."*
His dog? Are you serious, Motty?
When you do score however, the celebrations are also improved. The team now do even more
complex celebrations to revel in the moment - but you've got to feel a little sorry for
the goalkeeper, who gets shots of him looking dejected and alone:
*sniff* I've got something in my eye...*sob*
Thanks for watching guys -- we'll be back next week with FIFA 2000! Please like, comment
and subscribe to AwCPlaysFIFA. See you next time!