To celebrate 5 years of the Sweetpatch site, my very good friend Matt Holme, previous supremo of the world's largest Soccer Gaming community, and now EA Sports Assistant Producer for FIFA 2005, has provided us an exclusive interview regarding FIFA 2005, the FIFA Fansite Community and looking ahead to FIFA 2006.
Check out the full interview where Matt answers very honestly to questions such as:
What would you say are the main differentiators between FIFA 2005 and previous versions?
How can the FIFA community compliment the work of EA Sports most effectively in the future?
What are the biggest changes we can look forward to in FIFA 2006?
How has working for EA Sports changed your outlook on the FIFA scene?
Some of the interesting points Matt brings out include that it is important we the FIFA community realises that EA Sports are continuously reading our feedback in the forums and that the community is certainly going to play a big part in how future FIFA's are shaped.
Read the full interview here to see what Matt has to say about FIFA 2005, the FIFA Fansite Community, looking ahead to FIFA 2006 and the first 5 years of this site.
The fifth and final FIFA 2005 Producer Diary is out now. Danny Isaac talks about talent involvement and crowds in FIFA 2005. Those with a good eye for detail will also notice Arsenal's shirts have been updated from the incorrect shirts in the demo.
All five FIFA 2005 Producer Diaries can be found on this page.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Sweetpatch, happy 5th birthday to you."
That's it folks, the Sweetpatch site has now been a part of the FIFA scene for 5 enjoyable years. Thank you all for supporting them during these exciting times.
Pay Sweetpatch a visit today to wish her a very happy 5th birthday and to check out her great birthday offer.
We have our very own hands-on preview of FIFA 2005. After playing the full version of FIFA 2005 for the PS2 I'll let you know more on everything from weather effects to career mode.
"You start off career mode as an unknown manager. It begins with choosing a region you would like to manage in. For example, one of the regions you can choose consists of all the available English and Scottish leagues. After choosing a region you’ll get a number of job offers from relatively lowly clubs in that region. That’s right, you can’t just jump into the big time with giants like Manchester United, you have to work for it."
There will be no snow in FIFA 2005. The only weather effects are rain. However this does affect gameplay and how the ball reacts.
- Off The Ball Hints
If you are struggling to get midfielders forward in the demo then you should start using the "Trigger Player Runs" button. This is typically the L1 button on a PS2 type controller or Q on the keyboard. If you press this button after a player has passed the ball, that player will most likely make a forward run. If you hold this button and move the right analogue stick (used for first touch) in a certain direction the player will make a run in the direction the right analogue stick is pointed, known as "Remote Receiver Control". Do not underestimate this button as this could make the difference between being a Professional player or a World Class player.
- Different Styles
If you are tired of playing the same team over and over again with the same styles, then try swapping the team you play as. You will notice that Milan's defence sit more deep while Arsenal's defence will remain more open. Arsenal on the other hand tend to get many players forward and use the wings to good use whereas Milan choose to attack through the middle more. This perhaps can give you a taste of how teams will play differently in the full version of FIFA 2005.
- Shooting
There's no point playing the game if you don't know how to shoot. To score at short range the best way to beat the keeper is with a low shot along the ground, aimed either side of the goalkeeper. This can be done with a simple tap of the shoot button and aiming in a direction. Timing is the key. Try to draw the goalkeeper towards you and while he is charging at you shoot it before he has the chance to adjust his position.
Tapping the shoot button will play a shot along the ground. If you hold the shoot button and are standing still or moving slowly towards goal, your player will most likely attempt a curled shot. To perform a piledriver, sprint towards goal and hold the shoot button for a considerable time and your player will fire the ball at goal as hard as possible. It's important to understand which shot is good for each situation by trying it out. For example, a piledriver will be more powerful then a curled or along the ground shot but you will have less control over the direction of the shot.
We will have more hints & tips along with everything FIFA 2005 over the next couple of weeks at Soccer Gaming. And of course we will be back again this year with FIFA 2005 Online not too far away.
The guys over at GFO have released their unique mega project for FIFA 2004, the Europe 2004/2005 Mega Patch. This patch is not only of a very high quality, but also extremely extensive.
The patch contains:
Kits: More than 250 new Kits for the Season 2004/2005 from the English Premier League, German first and second Bundesliga, Spanish Primera Division, French LFP, Italian Serie A, Dutch Tippeligaen, Belgian Eredivisie and some more, Mini kits for all that Teams
Roster: Database update for the new Season for the English Premier League, German first and second Bundesliga, Spanish Primera Division, French LFP and Italian Serie A, more than 200 new Players
Faces: 150 new and updated Faces, for more realistic gaming
Badges: Badges update for the Italian Serie A, new Juventus Turin Badge
Adboards: New Adboards for several German and English Teams, new generic Adboards for Premier League, Bundesliga and Primera Division
Flags: Some new Flag packs, especially for the French LFP
Fonts: Seven new Fonts (Umbro, Kappa, Puma, Real Madrid, Premier League, Nike 2004, Nike 2005) for more reality feeling
Repertoire: Original Repertoires of German first and second Bundesliga of the Season 2004/2005
Sounds: New Fansounds: Turn on your speakers and feel the true atmosphere of a football stadium in your room!
Get this unique mega patch for FIFA 2004 now from Sweetpatch's Patches Database and enjoy the new season 2004/2005 all over Europe within your FIFA game.
You can read the basic controls in the readme file that comes with the demo. But they are far from the complete list of controls. If you are using a gamepad with a right analogue stick enabled, here are some advanced controls to get the most from your demo.
Low Cross: Double tap lob button Early Cross (hit the ball into the box from anywhere): Trigger Player Run button + lob Powered Up Passes: Trigger Player Run button + pass button High Through Pass: Trigger Player Run and through pass Chip Shot: Trigger Player Run button + shoot Fake Shot: R2 (or C on keyboard) + shoot button Knock/flick the ball in when receving: Flick right stick in direction Step sideways: Right stick down/up while dribbling (not sprinting) Stepover: Right stick forward while dribbling (not sprinting) Lift the ball up in the air: Right stick forward while dribbling (not sprinting) Back-heel and 180 degree turn: Right stick back while sprint dribbling Knock the ball ahead into space: Right stick and forward direction while sprint dribbling
When we discover more controls we will keep you updated.
The FIFA 2005 Demo has been released and is available for download from our Downloads Centre.
The demo allows you to play a 6 minute half as AC Milan or Arsenal at Highbury. New features include: new gameplay, First Touch and an improved Off the ball system. However, there is no commentary to keep the file size down at 86Mb.
The guys over at Fifa CZ have finished a new version of their excellent Czech Super Patch 2004.
The patch includes:
latest rosters, 2GK kits, flags, banners and menu badges for all 16 Gambrinus liga 2004/2005 plus two second division teams (FK Viktoria Zizkov and FC Viktoria Plzen)
updated Czech national team with 2GK kits
most teams have 2GK keeper kits
lots of authentic chants
every team has its own adboards
correct balls for every team (Adidas Roteiro, Nike Aerow 90, Mitre, Puma...)
working Career mode
Czech menus
you can also download four extra stadiums in standalone packages (requires ECP Stadium Installer):
Toyota Arena (Sparta Praha)
Bazaly (Banik Ostava)
Andruv stadion (Sigma Olomouc)
Mestský stadion Uherske Hradiste (Slovacko)
patch size (excluding stadiums) is 24.4 MB
Czech Super Patch 2004 v.1.0.0 is officially licensed by Czech Football Association
Go grab your copy of this always popular patch direct from Sweetpatch's Patches Database.
If you order FIFA 2005 from Amazon.co.uk now you can get 25% off the recommended retail price. Click here to view this deal along with other special autumn deals.
For a wide variety of soccer games look no further than the Soccer Gaming Shop.
Sweetpatch has dedicated this weekend to FIFA 2005 and she has masses of news for you including:
Exclusive pictures and video from Game Stars Live
Important FIFA 2005 Dates
Exclusive FIFA 2005 Wallpapers
Latest official videos:
Producer Diary 4
First Touch
Gameplay Movie
Sweetpatch also has news on a couple of great competitions including the chance to win free tickets to see next weeks Premiership match between Fulham and Arsenal.
Check out all this great news with Sweetpatch this weekend.
Danny Isaac has taken time to chat to TeamXbox about FIFA 2005. Isaac, Producer of FIFA, discusses the progress FIFA has made and how it is done.
"We spend a lot of time reviewing all the sports products not just our direct competitors and gathering feedback from our consumers. I personally sit down with some of our biggest critics to discuss FIFA at least three times a year."
He also talks about the new features, graphics, gameplay and FIFA's rivals. Read the full interview at TeamXbox
Today Breamster.com visited the Games Stars Live Exhibition at the ExCel, London. Here we were able to play the EA Sports title; FIFA 2005 and can now bring the first community hands-on review.
My initial thoughts were that the gameplay feels much more realistic. The briefing given in the trade only area spoke highly of the new “First Touch” feature. They said they “saw gameplay as the required improvement” (we all did!) and they spent lots of time refining the player’s control. The first touch feature makes the flow of play seamless and makes for a much better control system. Previous versions saw the players stop whilst controlling the ball, making movement look 'robot like'."
Game Stars Live has begun in London, and it could be your first chance to play FIFA 2005. It runs from September 1-5 with FIFA 2005 one of the featured games.
Check out the larger images by clicking on the team names above and then get your copy of these excellent new adboards direct from Sweetpatch's Download Boutique.
Order FIFA 2004
Mutiger's Roster Update 2004
