The stalwart soccer sim is back bigger, online and better than ever

Autumn. We really used to hate autumn. The falling golden leaves may look pretty enough, but after a haciendic, six-week educational hiatus, they were always synonymous with the start of another dreaded school year and the miserable prospect of colder, shorter days. But we all grow up sometime, and once boyhood blazers are shed for manly monkey suits, September's ominous clouds have a platinum lining because they mean the football season is well and truly under way. The beautiful game has seen many console incarnations over the years, spearheaded by the imposing FIFA series, which returns after a summer break with a strengthened squad of features and innovations, intent on Premiership domination.

Authenticity has always been a firm Saturday morning fixture of the FIFA series, and the latest pairing is a match made in heaven, incorporating every conceivable team from 18 leagues around the world. Big-hitters like the Premiership, Spanish Primera and German Bundesliga line up against the lesser-known Korean K-League, Norwegian Tippeligaen and the Swiss Axpo Super League.

Quite. Nonetheless, this massive amount of choice provides something for everyone, incorporating more than 15,000 players realistically modelled on their real-life counterparts. Bad news for FIFA programmers, great news for us.

Character animation has been significantly spruced up, so as well as looking unbelievably like the real players themselves, they now also run, dribble and, like Robert Pires, dubiously go down in the most realistic manner. This is accentuated with the fantastic individual player skill moves. A recent emergence in the last couple of FIFA titles, slick ball skills are taken to the next level with a quick wiggle of the Right thumbstick. More than just silky-looking showboating, these numerous stopovers, drag backs and deft flicks are vital to get past tricky defenders and, more importantly, are immensely satisfying to perform.

And this is where you notice there's another new feather to FIFA's cap; because this game has been putting it in pre-season and is now nippier than ever. The sluggish feel of the previous titles has been shed and, as such, gameplay benefits more than Leeds would from winning the National Lottery. Players sprint around the pitch with unprecedented speed, and this is translated into faster, smoother gameplay. A new First Touch feature (see He's On The Ball, right) allows players to gain an extra yard on an opponent on an incoming ball, and then either trap the ball and lay it off, or direct all manner of flicks and passes to their nearby team-mates. Just like Fergie's dream strike partnership of Rooney and Smith, the increased pace of the game matches this new feature brilliantly, and makes for a much more exciting experience.

On the subject of an exciting experience, if you believe the cliché, footy games are the staple of post-pub entertainment. Well, the sober amongst us can enjoy the virtues of the fantastically fun multiplayer any time we like, as up to four players (two per team) can fight it out for footballing supremacy. You'll no doubt be aware of EA's and Microsoft's blossoming relationship, and that FIFA 2005 supports one-on-one Xbox Live play - the online terraces will literally come a(Live) with the screams of fanatical footy aficionados. We've been crying out for ages for the franchise to go Live, and we can't wait to trash-talk to Europeans about whose league is better. If the online mode is as good as the fantastic four-way game, this will be some seriously sexy sporting shenanigans.

Microsoft is throwing its hefty weight behind the online aspect too, by organising the world's first ever Interactive World Cup. You don't get to actually trot out with Messrs Beckham and Owen in Germany in the 2006 World Cup, but you can still take part in the huge on/offline tournament roadshow as it arrives in a country near you - in a bid to become FIFA champion of the world.

But the burning question: how does FIFA 2005 actually play? Is there much of an improvement over last year's version? Well, we're pleased to say very well, and with a Meg Ryan-esque resounding yes! There's long been a hotly contested derby between the FIFA and PES series, and after finally bowing to the baying crowd, it seems EA has sat up and taken notice. Like a drifting midfielder the new FIFA outing has gravitated towards the PES way of thinking, and actually plays a lot like Konami's lauded footy sim. Which is a very, very good thing. Seemingly minor touches like the ability to control players during throw-ins make for a much more fluid and dynamic experience.

There still remains the odd inherent FIFA flaw, however. Gameplay is still weighted in the favour of attacking play; it's much easier for strikers to split defences with a deft though ball than it is for defenders to put a successful challenge in. That said, this does lend itself to a more exciting, and frequently scoring, style of play. And it's not just when you're on the backfoot - tackling is always a tricky matter of precision timing and technique.

Playing against a CPU opponent is no laughing matter either, as improved Al means they'll match your every move. What this does mean, is that you must play the game exactly as you would in real life. Training ground discipline is key here, because working triangles and playing intelligent through balls are the only way to win.

Unfortunately, the AI of your team-mates doesn't always match that of your opponents. Passing was always a dubious point in the previous titles, yet for all the advancement of other aspects of the game, direct a sweeping pass out wide to a winger and, annoyingly, the ball is sent backwards into the path of an advancing opponent. And why is the pass button when in possession the same as change player when not? Very confusing and infuriating when challenging and winning the ball.

But we split hairs. Much like the Manchester massive, it seems the footy-loving games fraternity is fiercely divided between the FIFA and Pro Evo camps. For some, the arcade feel of PES proves a stronger pull than the more complex and technical aspects of FIFA, but cynics may want to take a look at EA's refreshingly improved title, that continues to blur the once obvious divide between the two games. We'll be taking both titles online next issue (on sale 04 November), so don't miss it.

1. Gameplay has been significantly improved, with the latest instalment now providing a much more fluid and dynamic experience.
2. Stunning character animation and ultra-realistic player modelling means you can almost feel those crunching tackles flying in.
3. Massively deep career modes boast an almost incomprehensible amount of different teams, leagues and custom tournaments.
4. Brilliantly fun two-on-two multiplayer is bolstered by the mouth-watering prospect of Xbox Live play and online tournaments.
5. Team-mate AI can still be an issue, and the complex controls may frustrate those after a more rudimentary arcade experience.

The latest FIFA signing is far fitter and more skilful than previous bench-bound counterparts. A Galactico in the making.