The big unveiling at the EA Play event this year was without a doubt FIFA 2003. While the GC version played surprisingly well, I found this one to be somewhat of a mixed bag.

Many of the flaws, though, are not entirely EA’s fault, since the GBA simply does not lend itself very well to soccer games. First of all, the small screen would usually make it difficult to see the actual player animations. EA tried to solve this by zooming the camera in close to the action, making the players look bigger and sharper. But by doing so, another problem occurs that is perhaps even more serious. The camera only shows a very small portion of the field, so when you decide to make even a relatively short pass, you cannot see the receiving player or any nearby opponents ready to intercept. In that way, passing becomes a matter of luck rather than skill, and often I found myself just hoping that a pass would go through. Obviously, it should not be that way.

Another problem is linked to the GBA having so few buttons. Clearly, EA went for the simple-but-addictive approach with one button for shooting, one for passing and one for sprinting. While the controls are easy to get to grips with and also very responsive, I doubt they are varied enough in the long run.

It is not all bad, though. Despite these negative points the game still plays rather well. In addition to the standard Friendly Match and World Championship options, there is a two player link-up feature that is bound to be fun. Also, the game moves incredibly smoothly and quickly, and the computer AI forces you to pass the ball around rather than simply dribbling. This translates into some pretty amazing goals now and then. The animation is also great. There are a lot of different heading, shooting and passing animations, which is impressive, especially when you consider that this is a GBA game.

So overall I had fun playing this game. Even though it may not last for ages and is plagued by some fundamental problems, EA have done a lot of things right. The version I played was totally complete but for some reason not ready for release in Europe until November. The US release date is unknown.