FIFA 2000

FIFA 2000 (titled FIFA 2000: Major League Soccer in North America) was a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts. It was the seventh game in the main FIFA series. The game brought the excitement of football to players’ homes, letting them control real teams and famous players.

It was released for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation, making it accessible to many gamers. A version for the Game Boy Color was also made by Tiertex Design Studios and published by THQ. This version allowed fans to enjoy the game on a portable system, bringing football action wherever they went.

Game features

This edition of the game introduced a new feature allowing players to compete across several seasons. Players could aim for promotion or relegation and try to qualify for European Cup competition. For the first time, the game included an official license for the US Major League Soccer, which was used as a subtitle for the North American version.

Sound

The FIFA 2000 game features commentary from famous sports broadcasters. In the UK version, you can hear John Motson and Mark Lawrenson, who are well-known BBC television commentators. They recorded their voices in a studio in London, and John Motson even visited the game developers in Vancouver, Canada, to help make the game more realistic. In the US version, the commentary is done by Phil Schoen from ESPN and Julie Foudy, a famous US soccer player.

The game also includes music from singer Robbie Williams. His song "It's Only Us" is the main theme of the game. Because of this, EA Sports added Port Vale, the soccer club Robbie Williams supports, to the game even though it was not usually included.

Reception

The game was well-received overall. The Game Boy Color version did not do as well, with a score of 47% on GameRankings. The PlayStation version scored 87%, and the PC version scored 85%. In Japan, where the PlayStation version was released as FIFA 2000: Europa League Soccer on March 30, 2000, it received a score of 28 out of 40 from Famitsu.

PlayStation Max gave the PlayStation version a gold rating, praising its look, sound, and lasting appeal, though they noted it was too easy to score goals. The Official UK PlayStation Magazine criticized the gameplay for being too precise and easy to beat defenders but praised the graphics and commentary, giving it a 7 out of 10.

One review in GamePro called the PlayStation version a top choice for soccer fans, while another mentioned that despite some flaws, the game was fun and exciting. A review of the PC version liked the single-player AI and MLS features but felt the cartoonish player designs and limited plays were drawbacks.

By 2000, the game had sold 500,000 units. The PlayStation version earned a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association for selling at least 300,000 units in the UK.

The PC version won the "Computer Sports Game of the Year" award at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences’s 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.