The breadth of coverage is one aspect of This Is Football 2004 that cannot be criticized in any way. The beautiful game is brought all the way down to the grassroots level in this PlayStation 2 football game, whereas most football games for the PlayStation 2 are content to focus on national and international teams. This game gives you the option to take control of a local team if you so choose.
You do this as part of the career mode, which is the best thing the game has to offer. In this setting, it is quite possible to work your way up from the very bottom to the very top, which provides the action with a compellingly difficult long-term objective. It’s only one example of how the game is different from the competition, but there are plenty more like it throughout the experience. You could, for instance, try to brazenly blag a penalty by diving in the area. This is another option. Handball is a violation that can result in a penalty. You can even test your knowledge and abilities by doing it online. In a nutshell, there is a lot going on here.
The problem with TIF 2004 is that it is not nearly as sleek, fluid, or even playable as the other games in its genre. The fact that This Is Football 2004 is unable to deliver a more satisfying union of gameplay and presentation than FIFA Football 2004 and, in particular, Pro Evolution Soccer 3 does cast a shadow over the game’s otherwise welcome aspects.
The conclusion is that it’s a mixed bag. Although What This Is Football 2004 is lacking in polish and style, it makes up for it when it comes to the number of ideas and improvements it includes. A perfectly decent and pleasant game like this one, which is having trouble finding a foothold in the market, is a tribute to the quality of choice that gamers are faced with. If nothing else, this is a testimonial to the quality of choice that gamers are presented with. This Is Football 2004 deserves a go, but it shouldn’t be your first port of call because of the way things are now set up.
