Xbox

UEFA Champions League 2004-2005

So it's a game of two halves then isn't it? Super gameplay, stunning presentation and some great new innovations are hampered by one of the Season modes being a bit odd and some halfwit adding black bars to the top and bottom of the screen.

UEFA Champions League 2004-2005 is a great footballing title, with lots of features standing right out from the crowd, waving a genius flag. The sound, the objective-based gameplay and the situation maker all strike me as new and exciting. With an online mode, UEFA Champions will appeal to a lot of people but I can't help thinking that this is just another attempt to net some more revenue. I'd have rather seen a FIFA 2006 with all this and more - which would have made a title worthy to rival the next Pro Evolution. I definitely would recommend this over FIFA 2005, despite the higher score I gave FIFA in the heat of the moment when competing directly with Pro Evolution 4. If EA starve us of the next FIFA and merge these two titles together then we're going to have a true champion on our hands!

Uefa Champions League 2004-2005 is a decent soccer game, but people who own PES4 or FIFA 2005 surely don't need to get out to buy this one. The missions and the EA Sports Talk Radio are nice and bring some variation while the referee has become a bit more human which makes things more realistic. The irritating gameplay and graphics that could be improved downgrade the overall experience.

It's a good game because FIFA is a good game, and EA produces licensed video game products better than anyone else in the world. But if you own FIFA you're buying it simply for the branding and the thrill of "being in" the Champions League, and your affair with it will be fleeting. As fleeting as the event itself, in reality. UEFA Champions League is basically a story mode based on FIFA 2005. But then, you knew that already.

Pourquoi ? Oui pourquoi les pontes de chez EA n'ont pas inclus la Ligue des Champions dans leur série phare des FIFA ? Pour en faire un soft dédié pardi ! Du coup, ce UEFA Champions League 2004-2005 ressemble plus à un add-on vite développé qu'à un nouveau jeu. Moins d'équipes, moins de contenu que dans FIFA Football 2005, gameplay appauvri, ce soft n'est là que pour remplir les caisses de l'éditeur. Un jour, il faudra vraiment arrêter de prendre les joueurs pour des vaches à lait.