The Computer Chain - FIFA Road to World Cup 98

By Simon Wright - Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

Football has become one of the most popular simulations available for video game addicts.  There have been a range of different titles over the years, and in a new regular series for Simon’s Football Zone, I will be reviewing some of these games.  They will range from excellent playable games, to titles that were probably best being left on the shelf.

It is 20 years since the FIFA series started and I’ve been lucky enough to own all but one title at some point during my life.  Next up on The Computer Chain is a real step into the late 20^th century world with official soundtracks and all international teams making their mark on FIFA Road to World Cup 98.

FIFA Road to World Cup 98

Released: 17 June 1997

Systems: PlayStation, Microsoft Windows 95/98, Nintendo 64, SEGA Saturn, SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis, Nintendo Game Boy

Cover Stars: David Beckham and Paolo Maldini

FIFA Road to World Cup 98 was both a marked improvement for the FIFA license on computer game consoles, and a change in the way the license was accessible to players.  Dealing with the impact of PlayStation on people, along with Nintendo’s move into the market with the Nintendo 64, EA Sports worked harder on these consoles as the SEGA Saturn drew to a disappointing conclusion.

There were so many plus points with this game.  For starters, 16 official stadiums are included.  They include the Rose Bowl in Pasadena where the 1994 World Cup final was staged, Milan’s legendary San Siro, the Azteca stadium in Mexico City and of course, Wembley Stadium in its ‘Twin Tower’ days.

For the first time, a licensed soundtrack featuring popular musical artists around the time was made accessible for the game.  It is welcome to the indie bands and FIFA Road to World Cup 98’s intro is an absolute cracker.  The song is the epic ‘Song 2’ by Blur and in my opinion, is the best intro ever for the series.  If you don’t agree with me, check out the video below.

Other changes allow the strictness of the referee to be changed on a manual basis.  It means some blatant tackles will go totally unpunished, although any flying elbows from Leonardo or kick-outs by David Beckham off the ball will still likely to be dealt with.  The offside rule, as frustrating as it can be on computer games is also properly implemented.

174 international teams, most with full licenses are covered to promote the title of the game, with the main focus on the qualification stages for the 1998 World Cup finals, which were held in France.  It means gamers can play as a host of international teams, ranging from England, Brazil and Germany to Azerbaijan, Zambia and Venezuela.

11 leagues are also playable, including the FA Premier League featuring the 20 clubs from the 1997/98 campaign, and the popular five-a-side indoor mode is also retained.  However there is one huge error glitch.  Should your team be winning with 99 goals and score again, the counter resets your score to 0 rather than go to 100.

The game was a bestseller in the UK for two months and it is hard to argue with that.  FIFA Road to World Cup 98 was the complete game for its time but the question was, could EA Sports finally achieve consistency with an equally as good FIFA 99?