Background Info
Microsoft has dipped its hand into the soccer gaming arena and the high expectations that surround this game have people wondering if Microsoft International Football 2000 (MIF2K) is the new pinnacle of soccer gaming. Let us find out!
Presentation/Graphics Impressive! Probably the closest competitor to the EA FIFA series as far as graphics go. The stadiums, though limited in number, are graphically the best to be seen. From scrolling ad boards to flags waving in the stands, to the realistic backdrops of the stadiums, MIF2K even has new camera angles from inside the stadium to give a new “view” of the field. The field is very realistic with the “cross-hatched” cut grass. Weather events are included in the game for that added realism. Day and night games are also optional to give an added flavor. They get my nod for the best fields and stadiums to play in.
The players are modeled well and are not “box” shaped as in other games. Close-ups of the players reveal some very smooth graphics. Hairstyles of the players range from dreadlocks to spiked, bald, and other unique things not seen before. I was heartily surprised to see a multitude of 52 different combinations of faces to choose from. Some of the players even have sideburns. Player uniforms are done accurately to define a team on the field.
MIF2K supports resolutions from 640x480 up to the limit your video card and monitor can handle. Even at a baseline 640x480 the graphics were stunning to see.
Presentation/Audio
MIF2K has exciting sounds and good background music, but seemed to have a small database of original commentary. After playing a few games, I noticed commentary from earlier matches getting repeated. The commentary is original and involves more excitement from the announcers though at times the commentary is late. Frequently the announcers were broadcasting the play by play when the play was already over.
The on-field sounds were quite fun, from new crowd noises to the sound of the ball “clanking” off the post. As the ball is moved down the field and gets closer toward the goal, you can hear the crowd increase its level as they anticipate a good play.
Menu and background music in the game is very good, but like the commentary, does get repetitive after a few matches.
Interface/Options
Microsoft kept the menus and options at a very basic but easy to read level. I compliment them on this. Anything I tried to navigate through was easily deciphered and I never got lost as I have in other menu configurations. MIF2K has a main menu to guide you to a friendly match or a tournament. Your saved matches are easily accessible from this menu as well. The game also has team and player editors to customize shirts, player faces, pants, and many other aspects. The Team edit menus have player ratings by differently colored slide bars which are very nice to see, but hard to distinguish whether a stat is good from player to player. I think a number rating should be included along with the slide bars.
Gameplay The game has basically two features for play: Friendly matches and a Tournament. The Tournament is the same setup with teams as the current Euro 2000. Even Netherlands and Belgium do not have to qualify since they are the hosting countries. The teams, unfortunately, do not have real rosters. Microsoft must not have gotten a license to use the players names. So any team I played with, I had to learn their strong and weak spots. Friendly matches included a variety of international teams to choose from but were limited to only 6 stadiums to play in.
Movements and gameplay were hit or miss especially when defending against the AI. I tried numerous times to take the ball away from the defender and no movements occurred. After my next defender approached the offensive player, the movement from the previous defending player occurred. So basically there was a 1-2 second delay at times in movement. Offensive movements did suffer some lag, though I found it overall very good. Special moves such as headers, bicycle kicks and pass backs are easy to perform. The AI teammates need some improvements on tactics, as I found myself a few times trapped with no one to pass too. The AI controlled defense is pretty aggressive and, comparable to other games, the AI offensive (without me on their team) usually get a good shot on net. Their quick passing leaves your defender running from offensive player to player and when you finally give up, that's when they move in for the kill.
Controls to play MIF2K were very comparable to the norm for soccer games. I found no difficulty adjusting to the keys and after a few quick friendly matches, I was ready for the Tournament! I found the different controls and actions for your player limiting. On defense it seemed all I could do was try to push the opponent off the ball or go for a slide tackle that usually drew a foul. The offense has a little more creativity as crosses, headers, and bicycle kicks were pretty easy to perform. I found a lot of times if I had a run up the sideline, the AI players on my team did not seem to want to move upfield with the play. I would have to wait for the forwards to get upfield so I could either pass to them or kick a lob at them.
Replay Value
Beginners to experts can take part and have some fun with this game. The difficulty level is defaulted to easy but after a few easy matches against the AI, you can crank up the difficulty to a more normal level commensurate with your skill. MIF2K limits you to either Friendly matches or a Tournament which does not provide a variety of challenges thus lessening the longevity of the game. After learning the weaknesses of the AI, the game tends to become dull; even at the hardest difficulty, the AI still has the same holes in their defense. If you are tired of the AI though, bring over a buddy and match your skills against him/her on the same PC.
Overall
The game overall is basic and fun to play overall. Graphics are arguably the best to date in some areas and the audio music and commentary are good. The human player controls are in dire need of work; it becomes frustrating at times when your players do not respond to your actions. I think Microsoft is testing the market with this game in the soccer arena to see how the overall take becomes in the market. The simplicity of it does not inspire longevity in its play but Microsoft has thrown a few scares that they can instill some great graphics rivaling EA. The EA FIFA series is the game to beat--Microsoft International Football 2000 would need more features to battle for the top of soccer games.
