IMPORTANT: YOU MUST READ AND AGREE TO ALL OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET FORTH BY THE USER AGREEMENT LOCATED AT THE FOLLOWING PAGES BEFORE USING THIS DOCUMENT AT ALL COSTS. BY USING THE CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT, YOU AGREE TO ALL TERMS OF THE USER AGREEMENT GOVERNING THIS WORK. YOU CAN USE THIS WALKTHROUGH IN YOUR WEBSITE PROVIDED YOU E-MAIL ME ABOUT IT (Ziffer Szmaza, from_hell54@yahoo.com). BUT YOU'LL IN NO WAY MAKE A PROFIT FROM IT. IT IS TO REMAIN FREE IN ALL ITS FORMS. IT CAN ONLY BE PRINTED AND REPRODUCED ELECTRONICALLY FOR PERSONAL USE. I BET TRANSLATION IS A HEFTY JOB BUT KEEP THIS IN MIND, JUST CAUSE YOU TRANSLATE THIS WALKTHROUGH DOESN'T MAKE IT YOURS. © Copyright 2004-2005 Ziffer 'bad boy' Szmaza(from_hell54@yahoo.com) +=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+ 'bout me: I'm: Ziffer 'bad boy' Szmaza Home State: Assam ICQ: 220708558 e-mail: from_hell54@yahoo.com +=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+ As far as mailing me goes: 1. You are free to mail me with queries, suggestions or corrections as long as you mail me in English and form complete words. 2. I am really bad in answering back (ask my alien masters, they still haven't received my reply if there are any good games on Earth ) but I do try to reply. Maybe instead of replying back directly I'll put up the answer in some updated copy of this walkthrough. Please don't lose heart. 3. When you mail me, in the subject line, write who you think is the SEXIEST video game character and from which game. e.g: Lady Kagami from TENCHU 2. I'm writing this report on video game characters but am too lazy to write a HTML voting code. You can write the code for me if you want. I'll give you the due credit. And you'll also have my heart and my soul. 4. I've already had enough of dating biker gals. So, watch your language in your mails. Flaming means I'll burn your mail. 5. Don't spam. I hate that. No junk mails. No advertisement. And NO PORN. Specially not pics or vids of you or any member of your family doing IT. 6. Keep the fake messages to yourself. 7. DON'T send me link to unethical websites (have a heart, I just turned 19). 8. I HATE RACISM. I've had enough of it around me already. Keep your comments to yourself. 9. Mail bombing/ Bulk mailing simply means I'll have to contact your ISP. =-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+ Hi to all my punk rock brothers. =-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour. - "Auguries of Innocence" by William Blake *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Call me stupid but sometimes when I have nothing to do I just read some game walkthrough, many a times of games that haven't even played. I know its a weird habit but its kinda fun. So, when I started writing walkthroughs I tried to make them as much fun as I could. I wanted them to be for people who wanted something more than just about the games. Thats why in my walkthroughs you get so much more other than game stuffs. There are song lyrics, at times poetry, funny quotes and just general cribbings. These might bore someone. Please bear with me. It was hard with this document to put stuffs other than about the game. So, most of you out there, heave a collective sigh of relief. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Anyone who is been reading my walkthroughs or general game stuffs would realize that I have this really bad habit of doing games that are two-three years old. Its not actually a habit, its just some bizarre co-incidence. Really. Swear. A reason for doing the games late is that most of the people have already played through the game and thus it is easier for me cause then I don't have to reply to the questions of too many over zealous gamers. This doesn't mean I hate replying to your queries, I really like doing that, but just that some of the experienced FAQ writers have told me that sometimes the questions these gamers ask are really difficult. You always got to be weary of that. Now why am I doing this one on FIFA 2002? Thats cause I wanted some tips and secrets of FIFA 2002 and when I looked at gamefaqs.com I found FIFA World Cup 2002 but not anything more specific about FIFA 2002. So, I thought there must be others who might face the same problem as me. And this is for all of them. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* No matter what others say EA Sports' FIFA series is the best soccer action out there. The others are good but they struggle to live up to the standards set by FIFA. If you ask me although EA Sports is developing FIFA with every year, FIFA 2000 will always be a classic to me. It had something, upon which I can't put my finger on, but really made the game work for me. But my favourite EA Sports' title forever will be NHL. I got NHL 2000, NHL 2002 and NHL 2003. And the series is evolving with each of them. The NHL series is light years ahead of EA Sports' any other title. I mean, in even in NHL 2000 you should see the player likeness. I have only seen games in 2004 achieving that kind of player likeness that NHL achieved in 1999. Thats not all, you could even import your pic and create yourself to play in the big league. In NHL 2003 you can also import your favourite tunes into the game. From stimulation to player stats to everything NHL rules. And the music in NHL is hell lot better. Its mostly rock. If thats not all the player stats change every season, increasing or decreasing depending on their performance in the last season. There might be times in this document when I compare EA Sports' NHL and FIFA series to show their technical differences. Another thing, I have just played the demos of FIFA 2003 and FIFA 2004. So, any of my comments do not pertain to these games. =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= Here is your first tip on FIFA 2002. Stop looking to unlock the World Cup. Its not there. To play the World Cup you'll have to get FIFA World Cup 2002. I was really anxious to play the World Cup after I play all those qualifying matches and unlocking the tournaments. Damn all those corporate giants who will scoop to anything to make a few millions more. =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= And when the stars threw down their spears, And water'd Heavens with their tears, Did He smile His work to see? Did He who make the lamb make thee? - "Tyger" by William Blake. =============================================================== Soccer Glossary: (courtesy-http://www.sayso.org/glossary.htm) =============================================================== 18-Yard Box - (British) - the penalty area; the large box adjacent to the goal mouth, extending 18 yards out into the field from the goal line and 18 yards in each direction from the goal posts to towards the corners 3 Blind Mice - a derogatory term referring to the game officials 3 D's of Defense - deny, delay, and destroy 6-Yard Box - the small box adjacent to the goal mouth, extending 6 yards out into the field from the goal line and 6 yards in each direction from the goal posts to towards the corners Abuse - verbal (nonphysical) questioning, criticism, mockery, disagreement, or characterization Advantage - (1) when play is permitted to continue by the referee following an infraction but the team on whom the foul is committee maintains possession of the ball, and the official feels that the team which has been fouled would be punished further by stopping play; (2) when a team quickly advances the ball down the field in an attempt to get its players near the opponent's goal before the defenders have a chance to retreat; (3) where a team has possession of the ball and outnumbers the opposition near the opposing goal Advantage Rule - a clause in the rules that directs the referee to refrain from stopping play for a foul if a stoppage would benefit the team that committed the violation. AFC - the governing body of soccer in Asia; acronym stands for Asian Football Confederation; based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; founded in 1954; membership of approximately 41 nations Aggregate Goals - the total number of goals scored by a team from more than one match Air Mail - (British) slang for a ball sent way over the head of an intended recipient Arc - the half-circle at the top of the penalty box; alternatively, the quarter-circle at each corner of the field in which the ball is placed for a corner kick Area (The) - The penalty area (box). Attack - an attempt to score Attacker - (1) a player who is moving into position to score; (2) any player on the team that has possession of the ball Attacking Half - the half of the field containing the opponent's goal Attacking Team - the team that has possession of the ball Away (Game) - a game not played on a team's home field Back Door - the area on the opposite side of the goal mouth from where a cross or corner kick is taken Back Header - a player's use of their head to direct the ball backwards Back Pass - a pass made to a player behind Back Tackle - an attempt by a defender to take the ball away from a ball carrier by placing the defender's leg in front of the ball Ball Carrier - a player that has possession of the ball Bench - the area or structure in which the coach and substitutes remain during a game Bend the Ball - make the ball curve (around a wall) Bicycle Kick - a play where a player kicks the ball in mid-air backwards and over their own head, usually making contact above waist level Book; Booked; Booking - a term referring to a player's name being written down by a referee for either a yellow or red card infraction Breakaway - when an attacker with the ball approaches the goal undefended; this exciting play pits a sole attacker against the goalkeeper in a one-on-one showdown Celebration (after a goal) - any action (removing one's jersey, running to the sidelines, doing a flip, or the entire team making a snake or chain) which is performed after the scoring of a goal Center Line - the line that divides the field in half along its width, parallel to the goals Center Spot - the small mark inside the center circle that denotes the center of the field from which kickoffs are taken to start or restart the game. Challenge - an attempt to strip an opponent of the ball Charging - a method of unbalancing (using one's shoulder and arm) the player who has possession or is attempting to gain possession of the ball Clinical Goal - a textbook goal scored that was shot and scored perfectly Coin Toss - a method used by the referee to determine which of two teams kicks off and the respective directions of the two teams CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Football) - represents the region of North and Central America and the Caribbean basin CONMEBOL - organization representing South American soccer region; acronym drawn from full name - Confederacion Sudamericana de Futbol; based in Asuncion, Paraguay; founded in 1916; membership of approximately 10 nations Corner Arc - a quarter-circle with a radius of 1 yard located at each of the 4 corners of the field; on a corner kick, the ball must be kicked from inside this arc Corner Kick - a direct free kick taken by an attacking player from the corner of the defending team's end of the field in an attempt to score Counterattack - an attack launched by a defending team soon after it regains possession of the ball Crossbar - the horizontal beam that forms the top of a goal and sits on top of the two posts Dead Ball – stationary ball (stopped ball) such as a free kick or corner kick Deep - close to the penalty area or goal Dive (to) - to fall to the ground, sometimes feigning injury, in an effort to draw a foul or penalty kick on an adjacent player Dribble - running with the ball at the fee and playing it on every step or every other step Ejection - An act (of showing the red card and requiring leaving the field) taken by the referee against a player who has committed a serious offense. Extra Time - time added to the end of any period according to the referee's judgment of time lost due to player injuries or intentional stalling by a team Extra Time - (1) the additional two periods each of 15 minutes of play and prior to any sudden-death periods added to a game that has ended in a tie but must result in a winner; (2) any time (e.g., injury time) added by the referee at the end of a game. Eye Save - a (derogatory) description of a goal scored in which the goalkeeper doesn't move but merely watches the ball go into the net FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) - world governing body of soccer, founded in 1904 and based in Zurich, Switzerland Football - the name for soccer everywhere except in the USA Free Kick - a kick awarded to a player for a foul committed by the opposition Ghost - (British) - an extra defensive player with no specific side or position and that just wanders around the field Goal - The actual structure consisting of two goal posts and a crossbar; a ball that crosses the goal line between the goalposts and below the crossbar for which a point is awarded Golden Goal - where a game ends with the scoring of a goal in overtime rather than by the expiration of an extra time period. Half-Time - a period of rest between the two halves of the game Holding - preventing the movement of a player by obstructing with the hands or grabbing parts of the uniform Illegal Slide Tackle - a tackle from the front "cleats up" and almost any tackle from the rear Indirect Free Kick - a free kick that is awarded for other less-serious fouls, requiring two players (of either team) to touch the ball before a goal can be scored Injury Time - time added to the end of any period according to the referee's judgment of time lost due to player injuries or intentional stalling by a team Kickoff - the kick that begins the game at each half and restarts play after a goal is scored Killer pass - a pass that sets up the receiver particularly well Lob - a high, soft kick, lifting the ball over another player's heads Long Ball - (1) a long pass, as from the backs to the forwards, bypassing many players on the field; (2) a style of play using long passes up the field, popular in England and other countries where poor field conditions often prevent creative dribbling Obstruction - when a defensive player illegally uses his/her body to prevent an offensive player from playing the ball Oscar - a term referring to a player who greatly exaggerates an injury (e.g., "give him an Oscar for that performance) Overtime - the extra periods played after a regulation game ends tied Own Goal - a goal scored when a player accidentally puts the ball in his/her own goal Pass - (v) to give the ball to another player in a controlled, considerate manner; (n) the transfer of the ball from one player to another in a controlled, considerate manner Pass Into Space - a pass sent ahead of a moving teammate Penalty Mark - a mark on the field from which penalty kicks are taken Penalty Shot - a kick taken from the penalty spot by a player against the opposing goalkeeper Penalty Spot - the small circular spot located 12 yards in front of the center of the goal line from which all penalty kicks are taken Punish - take advantage of a mistake Rebound - to hit an object (e.g., a goal post) and return to the field of play Red Card - a card issued by the referee for a serious infraction Sandwich (to) - an illegal act of obstruction is which two players from one team impede the movement of a player from the other team with contact from two different sides at the same time Save - a block of a shot that would have resulted in a goal Sell Yourself - to act, move, or overcommit in a manner that allows you to be beaten Substitute - a player who is not playing at the beginning of the game Substitution - replacement of one player with another player Sudden Death - overtime in which the first goal scored by a team ends the game and gives the scoring team the victory Sunday Shot - a hopeless shot from long out that remarkably results in a goal Sweeper - a defender that plays between the defenders and the goalkeeper, or in a triangle defense position, behind the stopper Tackling - the act of taking the ball away from a player UEFA - organization representing the European soccer region; acronym stands - Union of European Football Associations; based in Nyon, Switzerland; founded in 1954; membership of approximately 49 nations Volley - a kick while the ball of off the ground Worry the Goalkeeper - a tactic, punishable by a yellow card, of bothering, distracting or interfering with the goalkeeper during play Yellow Card - a warning card issued by the referee; a caution =============================================================== =============================================================== Controls: You probably see the controls on your screen everyday, still here they are: Pass/ Switch Player: S Shoot/ Consevative Tacle: D Lob/ Aggresive Tacle: A Sprint: W Player Runs/ Keeper Charge: Q Add Ball spin left: Z Add Ball spin right: C Special Moves: E 1-2 Pass: Space Advanced Controls ( courtesy: http://www.fifa2002.com/controls/ ) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Shoot Volley: DD Pass Volley: SS High Volley: AA Shot Header: D Pass Header: S High Header: A Player Runs: Q Skill Move 1: E Skill Move 2: EE Skill Move 3: TAP W then E Fake Pass/Lob/Shoot: Hold Z and C then S/A/D Fake Headers: Hold Z and C then S/A/D Fake Volleys: Hold Z and C then AA/SS/DD Player runs towards you: Hold Z and C then Q Ballspin right for pass/lob/shot: Hold C then press S/A/D Ballspin left for pass/lob/shot: Hold Z then press S/A/D Onto the knee then clearance/shot (From air): Hold C then DD Scorpion kick (From air): Hold Z then DD Kick-ups: Hold Z and C then WW while stood Keep an eye on your power meter. A strike too hard will definitely go over the bar and one too gentle will be pitied upon by the keeper. Press Z or C while you take a shot to curve the trajectory of your shot. Its not too easy on a keyboard. Joystick maybe. Since I don't have joysticks I just shoot them straight and hard. While with the ball press E for your player to execute moves like Zidane, Figo or Christiano Ronaldo. Yeah, it looks great. And 10 to 1 you'll lose the ball to the opposition. These moves are nothing compared to the 360 degree turn of FIFA 2000. In FIFA 2002, keyboard's 'Alt' and 'Ctrl' key have been disabled. This has caused me much problems. Hey EA, I got five fingers and its really difficult to get to the key for special moves and spinning the ball cause you have disabled the most important keys. ================================================================= Player positions: (courtesy: http://allaboutsoccer.com/positions) ================================================================= GK - Goal Keeper Defense: -------- LWB - Left Wing Back LCB - Left Center Back LB - Left Back CB - Center Back RB - Right Back RCB - Right Center Back RWB - Right Wing Back SW - Sweeper Midfield: --------- LCDM - Left Center Defensive Midfield LCAM - Left Center Attacking Midfield LDM - Left Defensive Midfield LWM - Left Wing Midfield LAM - Left Attacking Midfield LCM - Left Center Midfield LM - Left Midfield CDM - Center Defensive Midfield CM - Center Midfield CAM - Center Attacking Midfield RM - Right Midfield RAM - Right Attacking Midfield RDM - Right Defensive MIdfield RWM - Right Wing Midfield RCM - Right Center Midfield RCDM - Right Center Defensive Midfield RCAM - Right Center Attacking Midfield Offence: -------- LF - Left Front LS - Left Striker CF - Center Forward RF - Right Front RS - Right Striker ST - Striker ================================================================= Some of the best players in the game: ================================================================= Okay, the list doesn't include them all. Someday I'll finish it to the best I can but till now it includes most of the players that I like to play with. Also I consider the attributes 7 and 6 to be very good but if any player has either SPD, SHT or TKL (three most important qualities) less than 6, I have indicated it. Keep in mind that strikers don't need a perfect TKL while defenders will do without high SHT points. Midfielders need both, while SPD is a must for all. I'm not too sure when Fitness and Strength come into play. I'm also planning to list the names of the teams they play for. Forgive me if I have excluded names of much better players and included lesser mortals. Here is the list: Goal Keepers: ---------------- Oliver Kahn - 94 Fabien Barthez - 92 Iker Casillas - 83 (he's really good actually) Defenders: ---------- Alesandro Nesta - 94 Francesco Coco - 90 Fernando Hierro - 94 Ivan Ramiro Cordoba - 92 Favio Cannavaro - 90 Sol Campbell - 88 Salio Lassissi - 84 Bixente Lizarazu - 87 Lilian Thuram - 78(With TKL:4 whatever you do don't use him in defense) Patrik Andersson - 87 (SPD:5) Paolo Maldini - 92 Kakhaber Kaladze - 91 (SPD:5, SHT:5) Ze Roberto - 82 (PSS:3) Ivan Campo - 86 (SPD:5) Roberto Carlos - 94 Michel Salgado - 86 (SPD:5) Jaap Stam - 90 (SHT:5) Midfielders: -------------- Alexander Mostovoi - 90 Jens Jeremies - 92 No.9 - 86 Emile Mpenza - 90 Djalminha - 92 Rivaldo - 88 Gustavo Lopez - 90 (HDR:2) Stephane Dalmat - 87 Juan Sebestian Veron - 87 (TKL:4) Fernando Redondo - 89 Patrick Viera - 86 (SHT:5) Edgar Davids - 92 Veleri Karpin - 88 Giazka Mendieta - 88 (SPD:5) Ruben Bajara - 89 (TKL:4) Francisco Fran - 89 (TKL:5) Manuel Rui Costa - 88 (TKL:5) Ivan Helguera - 91 (SPD:5) Pavel Nedved - 90 (awesome player in reality) Luis Figo - 97 (a perfect 10!!) Zinedine Zidane - 94 Pablo Aimar - 90 David Beckham - 85 (SPD:5) Phillip Cocu - 85 Roy Keane - 84 (SPD:5) Gerrard - 88 Ivan Gennaro Gattuso - 90 (SPD:5) Steve Mcmanaman - 86 Jose Maria Guti - 86 (SPD:5) Savio - 88 Forwards: ---------- Raul - 90 Frencesco Totti - 93 Andriy Shevchenco - 95 Hernan Crespo - 91 Henrik Larsson - 92 Hasan Salihamidzic - 90 Victor Agali - 90 Thierry Henry - 88 David Trezeguet - 80 (SPD:5) Javier Pedro Saviola - 91 (TKL:3) Patrick Kluivert - 87 (TKL:5) Roy Makaay - 88 (TKL:5) Gerald Asamoah - 86 Fernando Morientes - 86 (SPD:5) Christian Vieri - 88 (SPD:5, SHT:5) Ruud Van Nistelrooy - 81 (TKL:4, FIT:3) Diego Tristan - 85 (TKL:5) Players I wish who could be included in the list or hope will be there in future FIFA editions. Christiano Ronaldo (Portugal) Marcelo Salas (Chile) Fernando Torres (Spain) Ariel Ortega (Argentina) Wayne Rooney (England) Johnny Heitinga (Netherlands) Bastian Schweinstiger (Germany) Johan Vonlanthen (Switzerland) Arjen Robben (Netherlands) Brooke Burke (!!) ============================================================== Formations: ============================================================== Every FIFA guide that I have read says that the best formation for soccer is 4-4-2. I'll admit that this is true for FIFA 2000 but in FIFA 2002 the best formation is 4-3-3 or 3-4-3. In these cases you'll have three forwards which will really help you to score. And there is a little trick that you can do with three forwards which you can read in the Offence part of this document. Again, 4-3-3 or 3-4-3? That depends on you. Do you want three defenders and four midfielders (3-4-3) or do you want four defenders and three midfielders (4-3-3). If you ask me I'll you that you might want to keep 3-4-3 for weak teams like Estonia (think Carmen Kass!!) and then change to 4-3-3 for stronger teams like Real Madrid. Ivan Ramiro Cordoba(92) has SPD:7 SHT:6 and TKL:7. You can keep a player like him in the team and when you change formations give him either the newly vacant defensive position or a defensive midfielder role. Works like a charm. 4-3-3 Formation: ---------------- In this formation you'll have four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards. In this case you can keep your defensive strategy as 'pressure' or 'contain'. You'll have three choices in the arrangement of your defenders: i. LB-CB-RB SW ^ ^ ii. LWB-LB__RB-RWB (notice the arrow marks over the wings) iii. LB-LCB__RCB-RB The first formation will allow you to have a sweeper. If the opposition ST is really good then it will pay to have a SW between your CB and GK. The second and third formations will check the wings better but will leave a gap for the ST to attack freely. The second formation is bit more attacking. I usually prefer the first formation. Select your midfielders with care. Figo, Zidane, Pires, Ronaldo (No.9, Inter Milan), Fran, Valeri Karpin, Mostovoi are my usual choices. Again here you'll have three choices in the arrangement: i. LM-CM-RM ii. LM RM CDM iii. CAM LCAM RCAM The third formation will be more attacking but might leave you wanting in your defense. Choose with care. Forwards: Did you know that strikers are considered most temperamental in the whole team? The slightest things and they just walk off. Strikers are a coach's nightmare. And worst than a striker - a striker's GF. So, choose yours with care. Both strikers and GFs!! Larsson (Sweden) and Shevchenko (Ukraine) are the best to choose from. Others include Totti, Crespo, Raul, Saviola, Henry. And as far as choosing your GF goes, I won't even comment!! You can arrange your three strikers in the formations: i. LF-CF-RF ii. ST LF RF iii. LS RS CF Each of the three work very well against all oppositions. But watch out with the second formation. You might be offsided a bit too much. 3-4-3 Formation: ---------------- In an actual match this formation is rarely used. In this formation you'll have three defenders, three forwards and four midfielders. Its really good if you want to go all out attacking. But the success of this formation will depend on how good defenders you choose. Since you have only three of them choose wisely. With four midfielders pass the ball around and let your strikers finish the job for you. Defense: You can arrange your defenders in two formations: i. LB-CB-RB ii. LB RB SW In your defense you have to make the choice between having a centerback or a sweeper. I'd rather recommend a centerback but change according to the way the game progresses. Remember to keep your defensive strategy as 'withdrawn' cause with only three defenders you don't want them on the other side, leaving your keeper open. Midfield:Your midfield will be very important in this formation. Following are the ways to arrange your midfielders: i. LM-LCM__RCM-RM ^ ^ ii. LWM-LCM___RCM-RWM iii. LCAM RCAM LCDM RCDM iv. CAM LM RM CDM v. ^ CAM ^ LWM RWM CDM The first formation is more conservative while the wings on the seconds mostly play as your forwards. The third and fourth are okay and then with the fifth again the wings play as your forwards. Its good to have wings but it pisses me off to see my forwards behind and my wingers as forwards. So, I basically avoid second and fifth formation. The third never works for me. So, I usually go with the first or fourth formation. With the first one, if your forward's shot has been deflected by the keeper away from the goal then your wingers would zoom in and send it to the back of the net before the goalie can collect his wits. So, select only those with speed to be your wings (Figo, Pires). In the fourth formation you'll already have a center defensive midfielder, so you can have a sweeper in your defensive formation. Forwards: Did you know that strikers are considered most temperamental in the whole team? The slightest things and they just walk off. Strikers are a coach's nightmare. And worst than a striker - a striker's GF. So, choose yours with care. Both strikers and GFs!! Larsson (Sweden) and Shevchenko (Ukraine) are the best to choose from. Others include Totti, Crespo, Raul, Saviola, Henry. And as far as choosing your GF goes, I won't even comment!! You can arrange your three strikers in the formations: i. LF-CF-RF ii. ST LF RF iii. LS RS CF Each of the three work very well against all oppositions. But watch out with the second formation. You might be offsided a bit too much. And I'm done with the two formations that I consider the best. Maybe someday I'll do the other formations but not today, not today.... The formation that I consider the most unhelpful is 5-3-2. What will you do with five defenders? And what team are you playing against with such a weak offence? And I also find it unhelping if you have two forwards and they are arranged as: ST CF This will leave your left and right sides totally bare. Barcelona plays with this formation with Saviola and Rivaldo being the forwards. =~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~= =~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~==~= So, now you are ready with your team with just the perfect formation that you want. Now onto the game. Here are a few tips and tricks that might help you win. I'm not saying that you'll become a good player if you s--ked before but with these tips and tricks you might just learn to love the game. GENERAL: ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## Cameras: You have 10 different camera views but the best view is when you get to see the most of the field. It should allow you to see the positions of your players as well as your opposition's. The one I find best is the tower camera (num key 2, default PC), with the zoom at the minimum and height at the maximum. Its not important if you get to see the player's faces or not but sure is important to plan your moves perfectly and you'll not be able to do that if you can't see all the players' positioning, both of the opposition and your own. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## Sound: Basically its your call what you want to do with the sound options but here is something that I like to do. Go to the sound menu. Change SFX Mix from 'commentary' to 'On the Pitch'. Now make the Game SFX volume maximum. Turn off all other sounds eg: Menu SFX vol., Menu Music vol, Game Music vol. So, what do you think? Like the way the game sounds now. Thanks to Korben for liking this tip. So, this one's dedicated to Korben. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## Tackles, Injuries and Cards: This should be probably written under three different headings. But I'll do this in just one cause they are just interlinked. I don't know whats wrong with FIFA 2002 but injuries and cards are very, very uncommon. Unless you bring down the keeper. Thats a sure red card. In FIFA 2000 there was a key for definite rough tackle. Most of the times it would mean injury to the opposition player and card for yours. I loved it. In FIFA 2002 not only are injuries rare but the injuries also don't last long in a season. In the NHL series injuries can last upto months and may also force a player to retire. Thats called reality. However bad you tackle cards are rare and injuries even rarer in FIFA 2002. So, I just go on making rough tackles. Many a times I tackle from behind. Yeah, sometimes my players are carded but most of the times I get away with it. In fact the last season I played was a custom season and each team had to play 46 games and in 46 games I was carded 3(!!) times. Thats counting the numerous fouls that I had committed. And just so that you know the ref strictness was user defined at the highest. But NEVER tackle inside the box. That will end up as a penalty shot. Read Goalkeeping to learn about saving penalty shots. When I get carded I usually shout, "He barely touched him!" and when my players get tackled," You're letting him get away with THAT?" I think I might just have a career in coaching. Basically, you want the ball? Then tackle. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## Set Pieces: Corners, Free Kicks, Spot Kicks all seem like child's play. Yeah, they are if you know how to work them to your advantage. Free Kicks and Spot Kicks more or less depend on chance. If you get a Spot Kick or Free Kick just outside the box then instead of passing to another of your player try aiming for the far end of the goal post closest to you, farthest from the keeper. Try to curve the ball around the wall of players in front of you. It will take practice to make perfect and I'll admit that I have done it only a few times but its a charm. Or you can simply be traditional an pass to the player closest to the goal line and pray that the keeper is slow enough to allow him to head it home. With Free Kicks half way between the kick off line and the box also you can go for the ends of the goal post. If you perfectly curve and time it right your team will be celebrating a goal. I totally miss the training mode of FIFA 2000. All these could have been made perfect in the training mode instead of trying in an actual game. ## Corners: "Hey, Ziff, how do you score with a corner kick?" This is something that my friends ask me a lot. Really a lot. I really don't know if you can actually curve the ball into the goal with a corner kick but a perfect pass to your player will definitely see it home. The perfect corner kick depends on two major things: i. Your formation ii. Kick Taker Most of you must be thinking that I'm out of my mind ("what has formation got to do with it?") but let me elucidate my point. To me the perfect corner is when you are able to pass the ball to your player closest to the goal and the keeper doesn't rush out to catch it. In that case you can surely head it home. Or even if the keeper rushes out he doesn't catch the ball but punches it away. Then your player in the midfield will head it back to one of your forwards. And send it home marked "Return to sender!!" And how to do that?? I know this for sure with only two formations. With 4-3-3 formation have your LM to take the kick. In that case W will be the key to pass to the player closest to the goal. He can head it home. Or if the keeper punches it away your RM will be in the center field to head it right back to one of your forwards. Whats you waiting for. Shoot!! With 3-4-3 formation (midfield arrangement no.i, refer to formation section above) again have your LM take the kick. Scenario will mostly be same as above but I'm not too sure if there will be someone of yours in the center field. Okay, the above two kick taking techniques are not fully disaster proof. I mean there will be times when the keeper WILL grab the ball or you won't be able to pass to one of your players closest to the goal post or something like that. It will work with some teams but maybe won't work with others but in a match these arrangements may be your last hope. Even with the same kick taker the field arrangement for left and right corners are different. So, things will not always be the same. Also avoid taking corners with your defenders. Cause if the keeper punches it away to one of his forwards and your defense has one man missing then you'll be in deep trouble. Never take kicks with your keeper, unless its a penalty shot. Also experiment with different kick takers. Sometimes, with some kick takers the players don't stand too near to the goal but a bit away, just outside the 6 yard box. I think this happens if your kick taker is a forward or CAM. But I'm not too sure. Just experiment with different kicktakers with two things in mind. You need to have a player near the goal and if the keeper punches the ball away you need someone in the midfield. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## X------------------------------- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ___________ | | | | | | | ____________________ | | | | | | | | | | ,'" "', | | / \ | |__________| x |___________| | \ / | | `.___.' | | | | | | | | | | ____18 yrd_________ | | | | | | | ___6 yrd___ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | R------------Goal line---------- The whole diagram you see above is a soccer pitch. Doesn't look like it, but don't argue with me. I did the whole thing in Notepad. Didn't use any ASCII software, so appreciate the effort. I did it all for you. See, I made you feel special :-} Okay, back to topic. You'll see two marks on the diagram (X and R). When you take corners from the 'X' position press downward key and left direction key together, then D to surely head the ball into the net. This can be done if you followed the above stated corner taking rules. On taking corners from 'R' position press down key and right key. Doesn't work on the other two sides. Ball will go wide. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## And what to do when a corner is being taken against you? Let your players come into position. Keep pressing the S key to bring the pointer over your best defender. Now bring this player in front of the opposition player closest to the goal mouth. Keep pressing D to head the ball in the opposite direction. This is where Nesta's height scores over Roberto Carlos'. Taller players have better chances of clearing the ball for you. Still this method is not full-proof. There will be times when the opposition players will jump over yours to score. Also not always the ball is passed to the player closest to the goal mouth with a corner kick. Sometimes the ball is passed on to a player further away. In that case, keep pressing the S key while the ball is in air to bring the pointer over the player closest to the landing point of the ball. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## Sometimes when the opposition players converge in on your ball carrier it plays to quickly press the left and right direction keys. This makes your player weave the ball out of danger. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## Fatigue is caused when you keep running a lot. Even though player fatigue is not visible here as much as in NHL yet try switching quickly from one player to another. Pass the ball around. Replace a severely fatigued player. To get to see player fatigue let the opposition have the ball and keep a player of yours running about. See his fatigue meter. Let it fall to the lowest. Still don't stop. He'll bend over with fatigue and get horribly slow. This is a real fatigued player. All this time remember NOT to switch players. I like to this with the GK. With the ball I make him run around inside the 6 yard box. The opposition player can't tackle him and he just keeps on going till he almost drops. Then CPU makes a suggestion for you to substitute the player. Okay, I'll admit, I switch sides and do this to the opposition GK not mine!! In NHL I used to put my favourite player in all the four lines and then wonder why he was getting slow towards the end of each period!! ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## Shots, Shots on target, ball control% are all statistics and mean squat in the game outcome. I usually control about 30-40% of the ball in a game. In the only game I controlled 85% was one I lost. I take multiple shots on target yet when I proudly see the Stats I'm shocked to see only 2 or 3 shots have been counted. Thats cause there are definite guidelines about counting the shots. If you take a vicious shot but it deflects from the goal mouth hitting a defender's body then it won't be counted and things like that. The only stat that might matter is percentage of action on each part of the field. Keep this minimum in your half and max in the opposition goal area. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## I usually find it rewarding for long lobed passes to pass them diagonally across the field. That means from my left defensive back to my right wing or from my right wing to my left forward. Straight lobed passes for me somehow don't reach who they are supposed to. Pass the ball exactly to fall IN FRONT of a player making a run so that he doesn't have to slow down to collect it and definitely not stop, turn around and chest it down (and be tackled). Slide passes (ground passes) are great for small distances. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## Get the injured player out as soon as you can. Kick the ball out of play quickly. There is no use keeping an injured player unless you might want to sing - "...and they say that a hero could save us, I'm not gonna stand here and wait..." - "Hero" by Chad Kroeger and Josey Scott. I only did that once. I mean score with an injured player. With Owen. And it felt real good. Did you know even when an INJURED player scores the celebration video shows him celebrating without an injury. EA, listening?? But when an opposition player gets injured try to keep the ball in play as much as you can. Try to take advantace of his injury by finding an opening for yourself. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## During seasons players can be traded. But most of the time the teams do not have enough funds if the team is not a big name. So, this is what you do. Before starting the season go to team management menu and get the costliest players into the team that you'll be playing as. While trading in the team management your funds are not affected. Now start the season with your team. Now go to team management here and then trades and sell your costly players and get the players that you want. Remember to get fresh blood after every season. And the original team management would remain unaffected because you haven't changed the changes. And you'll have players like Shevchenko, Nesta playing in BSC Young Boys (Switzerland). ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## Suppose your ball carrier is moving in to score and you see an opposition player coming in to intercept. If you are able to turn to the direction that he's moving in from (eg: east-west, whatever) and the defender attempts a slide tackle then he will just brush the ball a bit away from you. By the time he gets up on his feet you can get the ball and score!! ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## Its not always your best players will be on the pitch. Argentina starts with Saviola on the bench. In Inter Milan's starting line-up there is no Ronaldo (No.9) even in the starting 15. Get your best players off the bench and onto the starting line-up. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ## Know the away goal rule? An away goal is worth two at home. If you are playing in a tournament where you have to play each teams twice in the play-offs then this rule will be very important. Try to be more defensive when you play at home, stop the opposition from scoring. But when you play away games, go all out. You have got to score. First criteria is always the number of goals scored to determine who advances to the next round. If the number of goals scored is same then the away goal rule comes into play. And if even that is equal then the outcome is determined by penalty shoot-out. In 2003 Champions league AC Milan and Inter Milan met in the semi-final. Since AC Milan and Inter are both based in Milan they share the same stadium. It was decided that the first game would be home for one team and away for the other while the other game will be away for the previously home team and home for the previously away team. Both AC Milan and Inter scored 1 goal each but Inter were ejected out of the tournament on the away goals rule. It was heartbreaking for Inter to lose on the away goals rule in their home turf. This was irony of the Gods. ================================================================= ## GOALKEEPING: Goalkeeping is an art. Its really great that you don't actually have to control the goalkeeper in FIFA. Except for the goal kicks and passes. i. After catching the ball the keeper usually makes a slow 360 turn. Heavens know how many times impulsive that I am, I have put the ball in my own net. The keeper makes the turn very slowly but keep this in mind, wait to turn the direction you want to face only then press the key. Pressing the key before will send you my way, with the ball in your own net. ii. When a wing or the Left or Right strikers is charging in alone then press the Q key for the keeper to rush out. Doing this usually makes the player shoot the ball wide. But it doesn't work every time. Keeping in mind that if your keeper stays rooted to his position its more often than not a sure goal, so the above tactic could be a definite gamble. Also remember to try this only if your keeper is fast (Kahn), the attack is from the left or right side not the front and that the opposition player is on a breakaway (that is he is alone, looking for glory). If you rush out to a striker who is not alone he will pass to his partner on the other flank and with your goal keeper down, things don't look too good. Don't rush out if the attack is from the direct front. You'll almost never stop that. This very often works with weak strikers. With someone like Larsson its a rarity but not complete failure. iii. Scoring with goalkeepers is hard but not impossible. To do this when the ball is in the GK's hands press Q to drop it now head along the left or right side lines. Take it slow because it is a long way home. Press E for skill move. Tapping W along with E helps. Mind you, your keeper will be attacked. So, if you keep close to the side lines even if you are tackled the ball goes usually for a throw-in and also a tackle on the keeper (however mild) usually is a free kick. So, it is a win-win situation for you. Well, not actually. Firstly your goal is unguarded. Anything goes wrong you are done for. Secondly, its a long way. Avoid running at first. Fatigue factor. Tap the skill moves whenever necessary. But run like hell when you reach the opposition goal. Shoot!! iv. Saving penalty shots: Even though I mentioned above to read this space about saving penalty shots I'll admit I have no idea, like hell, how to save penalty shots. Don't let your jaws drop and say," I thought FAQ writers knew everything." Yeah, I spent a lot of time with FIFA 2002 but so what, I also spent a lot of time with girls that doesn't mean I understand them either!! Seriously, about saving penalties, well, I'm not even sure which key to use. Its either A or S (default PC). Press the direction you want the goalkeeper to dive and then try either A or S. And pray. During penalty shootout what I usually do is keep my GK rooted to the same place. Amongst five opposition shooters at least there would be one who would shoot straight. Thats at least one definite save. I usually lose in penalty shootouts. =============================================================== ## DEFENSE: Always get the best defenders. All defenders need good TKL and SPD points. Nesta is by far my favourite defender. I'll place him above Roberto Carlos because of his height, it helps in some cases. i. Main job of the defense is to get the ball out of the danger zone. If you are able to pass to one of your forwards with a perfect pass he might be open to the goal because most of your opposition players might be stuck in your half. ii. No question about it, when your defender has the ball and your half is covered with opposition players use the D key to get rid of the ball quickly. No time for a long shot. Don't take chances. iii. I find this rather amusing. Whenever you are close to the opposition ball carrier and you slide on the ground, press A key (aggresive tackle), even if you don't make contact the opposition player passes the ball prematurely. I do this a lot in the defense zone. This makes them shoot the ball wide. It actually works. But inside the box be careful. Do this if only you have no chance of making contact. Cause contact would mean a card and penalty shot against you. Even you are some distance away from the opposition ball carrier just slide, he'll either pass or shoot prematurely. It works all over the field - defense, midfield, offence. A premature pass has more chance of being intercepted by your players. But in the offensive zone take care cause here making contact might mean a shot at the goal but not making contact would mean that the opposition defense would pass the ball to the midfield. iv. I usually keep my defensive strategy as 'withdrawn'. This strategy keeps your defenders within your half and you are not open to breakaways. v. When you have a SW (Sweeper) take care, because if the opposition has a ST (Striker) then the opposition striker can be deep inside your half without being off-sided, not that FIFA 2002's off-side judgments are always perfect. Seems like the CPU always gets away with off-sides. vi. Sometimes you might have to sacrifice a player for the greater good of the team. Like when the opposition player is on a breakaway. Bringing him down is a sure red card but not bringing him down a sure goal against you, so what do you do? I say tackle him. Maybe from behind. Sacrifice your player (red carded, most of the time). Save a definite goal. But it would s--k if you get red carded and the opposition scores. Don't try this inside box. vii. When you have a fast defender and are chasing a player on a breakaway, try overtaking the player before you slide tackle (pressing A) him. Or when you are just adjacent to him slide forward. This way you'll win the ball without being carded of giving away a free kick. ~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~ ~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~ OFFENCE: --------- Midfielders: Midfielders need to pass the ball around. Not look for glory themselves. How do you think Zidane, Nedved made their names as playmakers - by setting up excelente goals. i. When the ball is with you midfielder and you need to pass to your forward, look for an opening and then send a ground pass (press S). Don't lob unless the forward is on a run. But usually leave the lobbing to the defenders to pass the balls to the forwards. Ground passes are more prone to interception but they are faster and the reception is more definite. ii. Remembers your midfielders are there to set up your forwards with sweet passes but when the opportunity comes just score. Usually when the forward takes a hard shot from the front the goal keeper deflects to the right or left and falls down upon impact. This is the cue for your wing to rush in and send the ball home. iii. Try to intercept as many opposition passes as you can. Keep sliding along the ground in front of an opposition player just before he gears up for a pass or a shot. You might just win the ball. ~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~ ~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~ Forwards: This is where your 80% of goals are going to come from (16% from midfielders and 4% from defenders). When the midfielder passes on the ball don't wait, take a well timed shot. i. I wrote in the formation section to read this section about a trick with 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 formations. To tell the truth this is also possible with other formations only you need to have a CAM in your team, I think. Okay, lets concentrate on 4-3-3 and 3-4-3. With this two formations along with the kick takers in the center circle you'll have another player (two incase of 3-4-3) on the central line. As soon as you kick off the ball pass it to this player (or one of the two player on either side). If you passed the player to the left side of the field, go ahead and a bit right trying to be parallel to the goal post closest to you. With the right player go a bit left. From here take a shot at the goal. Yes! this is possible. And its my most favourite scoring habit. This will take practice. First you'll shoot over the crossbar, into the goalkeeper's hand, but know that you are on the right path when the keeper punches the ball away for a corner kick. Soon you'll be scoring masterpieces. You'll have to time the ball just right with just the perfect power for it to into the goal over the keeper's head. The keeper can only make an eye save. The goal scored is spectacular. This way if a goal is scored against you, you can have your sweet revenge just as soon as kick off takes place to restart the game. To score in this way the ball has to be shot with just the perfect trajectory. The ball rises, attains greatest height and the starts its descent. And for you to score the ball has to descent over the GK's head and into the net. You can also shoot the ball diagonally aiming for the far post of the net. This too will fly over the GK's head if shot perfectly. This happened to me only twice but sometimes when you don't power the shot enough it bounces just in front of the keeper and through under the keeper's legs end up at the back of the net. Both times it happened to me the opposition goalkeeper was Seaman. Taking this shot is really great cause you'll be creating a scoring opportunity within the first five mins of the game. In a real game this has a devastating effect on the opposition morale. Good luck!! ii. I should have included this in the midfielders section but I wanted you to read the above portion first. You can have a midfielder take a shot at the goal from the between the center line and the goal line and perfectly timed it will be a goal. Just don't try this from straight front but from the left or right fields. I have created this midfielder (height 170 cm and weight 70 kgs) who scores from outside 30 yards midfield. I think his height has much to do with this. iii. When you're on a breakaway run parallel to the goal post closest to you, just enter the 18 yard box and then shoot hard. Very hard. Just not too hard. The keeper is never able to save this goal. The diagram shows the path you take with your left forward: ! <- Follow this path ____18 yrd_____!___ | ! | | ___6 yrd___ ! | | | | | | | | | -----Goal line------ The exclamation marks(!) show the path you should take. The ball goes diagonally towards the goal no matter how far you are from the goal mouth. iv. Its best to score with a left or right forward from closest to the endlines. The goal keeper can almost never make a save. Here is a diagram to show the path you should take with your left forward: ____18 yrd________/ | |/ <- Don't go to the other side of this diagonal line | ___6 yrd___ | | | | /| | | |/ | <-close in from here ----Goal line----- You can also run along the diagonal line shown. v. When your forward is being chased and the opposition defender runs alongside your player try to side step little by little till you're open to score. If you slow down or go too close to the defender you'll be tackled. vi. Whenever an opposition defender tries a conservative tackle (not sliding) on you just stop in your tracks. Your player will shield the ball and the defender will go just past. Then run ahead. Stopping in your tracks inside the box while the opposition was trying a sliding tackle might just earn you a penalty shot. vii. I can't curve the ball. At least not to perfection. CPU players do this a lot. Playing against Roma and Real Madrid is my nightmare. These players do this a lot. They take a curving 30 yard shot and kill me with it. Since I'm not too good with curves(!!) I just try to shoot straight and fast. viii. When you run ahead to the opposition goal and the goalie rushes out you can press A very quickly to send the ball over the goalie's head. But try this if only there are none of your players around otherwise your player will pass the ball to the other guy no matter how far he is. Also keep the direction key (which way you want the ball to go) firmly pressed. Still many times my player ends up passing the ball instead of lobbing it in. ix. Again when the keeper rushes at you, you can quickly pass the ball to another of your player on the other flank. Take care that the defense doesn't intercept the ball. With the keeper down if you are quick enough you'll score. x. Again when the goal keeper rushes out at you just stop in your tracks before the keeper can reach you. The goalkeeper will be down on the ground and an empty net infront of you. Side step the goal keeper and put one in. xi. When you approach from the front, and the goalkeeper rushes at you don't stop or anything but as the goal keeper starts to dive for the ball send a fast one home. ~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~ ~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~~--~ She heard the dead man say, I'll come to thee by the moonlight, Though Hell should bar the way. - "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes ================================================================ The unethical: ================================================================ I wasn't sure if I really wanted to include this but I just wanted to include everything so here it is. These are the unethicals that might make playing the game more fun. Definitely not for those with strong sense of honour and equality and all those stuff. For them I would like to say - you know when I'm two down and Raul scores a curving 30 yard goal, it just kills all the ethics for me. All these are most fun when you increase the half-time length to 4-6 mins. Thats perfect to execute all these moves. i. EA has allowed the switching of sides during a game even in season and tournament mode. Thats a major no-no, EA. But you might as well exploit it. Every time your team is losing switch to other team and put in some goals for you. Or stand rooted and just watch as your team put in some goals for itself. But even for someone as unethical as me this is unacceptable. I never do this. ii. This one is more fun. Switch to the other team then go to team management, here change all the kick takers to the goal keeper. Make the goalkeeper take all the kicks (corners, spot kicks and free kicks). Now switch back to your team. Everytime you are down, just kick the ball for a corner. When the opposition goal keeper takes the corner remember that his net is unguarded. Get the ball to your forward and take a 30 yard kick at the yawning net. Score!! This more or less becomes a timed run like in the Tomb Raider games. Just like you have to reach the door on the other side before it closes in TR, here you have to score before the opposition goalie takes position. But sometimes the joke may be on you cause the GK might make a perfect pass resulting in an opposition goal. And sometimes after changing the opposition team management when you switch back to your team, CPU automatically reverts the opposition setting to the defaults. iii. Read fatigue part above about fatiguing the opposition goalie. But remember that this requires time and patience and if the opposition team has two goalies you might have to work on both of them. But later just relax. You'll have a much slower GK to deal with. Remember that in time the goal keeper will recover but till then enjoy. All the much better if you make the fatigued goalie take a corner. Its fun to see a tired GK running towards his net. =============================================================== Captaincy: =============================================================== You can change the captain of your team in the team management menu. Select a player in the starting line-up and click captaincy. Its one of the least important part of the gameplay but its nice to see the captain's arm band on your chosen player. In a real match when the captain is substituted he ties the band around another player before leaving the field. In FIFA 2002 if you substitute the captain the arm band automatically goes to the next eligible player. Its small things like this that makes the FIFA series so great. And its the small things that all of us should notice and appreciate. BTW, captaincy can't be changed by you during a game. =============================================================== Man of the Match: =============================================================== FIFA 2002's MoM awardees are unquestionable. It always goes to the most deserving player. In a match where I scored two goals against a nil score line the MoM went to the opposition GK because he had made 17 saves. And I don't grudge him that. Rather I'd like to applaud EA Sports. =============================================================== Glitches =============================================================== i. Sometimes when you pass the ball to a player who isn't making a run (but the pointer is upon him) he'll run towards ball half way but then suddenly stop in his tracks even if he is open to the goal. No matter how much you tap on W he'll not run. Or he'll just not run towards the ball. That pisses me off big time. ii. Injury: The lack of injury to players is something unrealistic. Pires didn't play the 2002 WC due to injury. Same with many other players. In NHL 2003 if you keep the injury frequency at the highest then by the end of the game half of your team will be battling injury. Okay, I really hate to see players injured in a real game but in a VG these can be allowed. Otherwise I usually stick to my usual line-up and my benchers don't get a chance at glory. Even incase of injury, the injury doesn't last long. iii. Stimulation: Stimulation will always be a FIFA issue. But its worse in FIFA 2002. If you are playing a created team and you stimulate the next game there is 10 to 1 chance that you'll lose the game, no matter who you have in the team. Whereas if you severely deplete a Real Madrid, AC Milan team and stimulate still these teams will win. I think stimulation in FIFA somehow depends on the team name rather than the team strength. Create a team with the best players. Put it in a league. But play as another team. The performance of the team you're playing as will depend on you but your created team will be near the bottom of the league if not the last. This is no matter how strong your team is. Whereas in NHL if you put all the good players in a team and all losers in another the former will win all stimulated games while the latter will lose all its (give and take some). iv. User created teams: If you are not playing as an user created team, it stands squat chance of winning a league championship on its own no matter how strong a team it is. v. Keeper Charge: Some of the keeper tackles are vicious and in a real game the keeper would be promptly red carded. But here the keeper just gets away with it. Specially when you're on a breakaway the keeper rushes forward to dive for the ball. Whether he gets the ball or not is secondary but more often than not he brings down your forward with a vicious tackle. This should amount to red card for the keeper and a penalty shot for your team. vi. The option to switch teams and restart matches in a season mode and tournament mode should be removed. These just bring down the competitive spirit and make it all too easy. One should learn to live with one's performance. Sometimes there are no second chances. But these options can be retained in exhibition mode. vii. User Tournament Progress: In a user created tournament, in the second round, the first match is always between the teams advancing from the same group and not against teams advancing from other groups as the law of FIFA states. In the second round you'll meet teams from other groups unless you have four teams advancing from your group in which case again in the second round you'll face a team from your group. viii. CPU trading should be allowed. There should be trading between CPU teams also. Its no fun if only you get to make the trades. This feature is there in NHL and its great because without your knowing some teams get stronger and that always surprises me. ix. In user created seasons trading of players cannot be done. Thats no fun. And also players from user created teams cannot be traded. x. Both CPU and my players make conservative tackle (pressing D) but why do my players take much more time to recover from a CPU tackle than CPU players take to recover from my tackle? xi. If the ball hits the goal post and then hits the goalie to end up inside the net its an own goal in the name of the goalie but if this happens in FIFA 2002, the striker walks away with all the honours. [xii]. I'm including this in glitches part because I want everyone to notice it and it seems nobody skips the glitches part. Its not that I hate FIFA 2002 that I compare all its little details with NHL. Its just that I see that FIFA could be so much better and I want EA Sports to know that and get it on. FIFA is already amazing. The team detailing, the uniform details are unbeatable. I have had FIFA 2002 a year more than NHL 2003. Even though I just love both games I score more than 10 goals in NHL in every game now no matter what settings, what team whereas sometimes I still struggle to break the Real Madrid defense or lose against Austria Memphis in FIFA. So, replayability of FIFA is much higher. Actually I loved FIFA 2002 so much that I promised myself that I wouldn't get FIFA 2003 and FIFA 2004. And I didn't. Now I can't wait for FIFA 2005. =============================================================== Wishlist: =============================================================== i. I really wish the keeper could be red carded. ii. Hand balls should be introduced. Hand balls inside box should be penalty shots. iii. EA Sports should also turn to women soccer. Or just include a women team in the FIFA series. It would be really nice to see Mia Hamm (she's retire after 2004 Olympics) score against Van der Saar. The team must also include Heather Mitts, Maren Meinert, Birgit Prinz, Briana Scurry (GK), Abby Wambach, Julie Murray, Tiffeny Milbrett, LaKeysia Beene (GK) and while they are at it Tara Dakides and Gretchen Bleiler. Hell, they can also include Anna Kournikova, Maria Sharapova, Jenna Jameson and Paris Hilton for all I care. Just have a team, EA. iv. Indirect free kicks should also be introduced. These require two players touching the ball before a goal. v. VOILA (very obscene or insulting language abuse) could be introduced. It would be nice to hear the players swear. There is no need to go overboard EA, but just a little swearing. C'mon don't tell me pro soccer players don't swear. vi. As long as I'm wishing for the almost impossible I might as well wish for a FAQ/Walkthrough on girls. Yeah, that would be most helpful to all mankind. Specially about the times when they say no and mean 'yes' or say yes and mean 'no'. Me: God, I wish for world peace. God: Son, thats impossible. Me: Then I wish that men may understand women. God: Let me try on world peace. =============================================================== Creation Center: =============================================================== Seems like I have told you all that I have learned. One last thing. Here is how to create Ziffer Szmaza in FIFA 2002(!!) >;-) Go to the creation center, create new player. Enter the fields as follows: Name: Ziffer Szmaza Nationality: Asy. (thats why withhelded) Age: 19 Position: RWM Number: 20 Foot: Right Height: 172 Weight: 54 Face Type: 4 Hair Style: 9 Facial Hair: 7 Boots: 39 (Adidas, please) Hair Colour: 4 Skin Colour: 2 Sleeves: No Fitness: 4 Speed: 7 Shot: 6 Pass: 5 Strength: 4 Header: 4 Ball Control: 6 Tackle: 6 ----------------- Overall: 81 =============================================================== The List: =============================================================== Aki told me the only way she'd proof read this document is if there was something of special interest to her. And I spent days searching for the perfect thing. And I found it in one of those teen girlie mags (not telling you which one) [the name is a number. Hint! Hint!], so here goes nothing, specially for Aki and all the hot chicks out there, the list of sexiest soccer players 2004. :-) The numbers indicate their score. ---------------------------------------------------------------- List I: Of the young and beautiful. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Fernando Torres (Atletico de Madrid, Spain) - 8/10 2. Rafael Van der Vaart (Ajax, Holland) - 7.5/10 3. Stilian Petrov (Glasgow Celtic, Bulgaria) - 7/10 4. Christiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Portugal) - 7/10 5. Sebastian Deisler (Bayern Munich, Germany) - 6.5/10 6. Maris Verpakovskis (Dynamo Kiev, Latvia) - 6.5/10 7. Angelo Charisteas (Werder Bremen, Greece) - 6/10 ----------------------------------------------------------------- List II: Of established stars who depend more on their playing abilities than their looks. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. David Beckham (Real Madrid, England) - 9.5/10 2. Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus, Italy) - 9/10 3. Christian Vieri (Inter Milan, Italy) - 8.5/10 4. Luis Figo (Real Madrid, Portugal) - 8/10 5. Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid, France) - 7.5/10 6. Fernando Morientes (Real Madrid, Spain) - 7.5/10 7. Raul Gonzalez Blanco (Real Madrid, Spain) - 7/10 8. Thierry Henry (Arsenal, France) - 6.5/10 To all the hot chicks: If I left out your fav. player then don't lose heart and write to me. Maybe I'll include the name in an update. Also send the score you think he deserves. Another thing, you may not be able to play with some of them, of list I, thats cause this list is the latest while the game is two years old. You'll definitely get all of them in FIFA 2005. Good luck with that. !-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-! World Cup 20-- Final: "....and the ball has been passed on to the young forward. She/he dribbles it past the defenders. The whole world watches. This is her/his one chance at immortality. And she/he shoots...." !-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-!!-! =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= Writing this document literally kept me alive. While writing this document I was battling acute manic depression. So much so that the docs had put me on the strongest anti-depressants and a 24 hr watch. But I didn't give up on me and saw this to the end. Sometimes even aiming for the smallest things feel like Hell. If you ask me, I don't want to live forever, just till I receive the first mail that someone read this document and liked it. =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= I'm finally done. Now for all the people I've to thank. - my foster parents for adopting me and giving me a new life. - my sisters Saima, Nabeela and Nida. You always believed in me and proved that some relationships are thicker than blood. - Irshad, cause you believe that one day I'll make it to the list of sexiest men of RANK™ and also into Juiciest Hookups™!! - Im, Dee and Jo. We did make an awesome foursome, didn't we? Especially Jo who believes I have the raunchiest love-live ever except that she calls it corrupted!! - Akash, who loves Lara Croft and Wonder Woman, for always being there for me. - Korben (Mexico City), for being the first (and the last?!) person to read this doc. =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= Everything I write will always be a tribute to Aphrodite, Goddess of love and beauty cause she seems to have some greater scheme in the tapestry of existence for me. To you, my Goddess. =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= Zeya once asked me, "What is there to live for, if you don't live for your dream?" Today I can say to her that I did live for my dream. She changed my life. But all I can say to her this moment is - sleep well, sweetheart. =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= In the end its dedicated to the girl I'll never have. I'll happily live a lifetime if only just to stare at her from afar. Her boyfriend, he don't know anything about her He's too stoned, I wish I could make her see, She's just the flavour of the week. -"Flavor of the Week" by American Hi-Fi. =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= Also dedicated to: Paula Malai Ali - my favourite VJ. Evanescence, Blink-182, Amorphis, Archenemy - Music that kept me going. Rogue - I wish I could... Christiano Ronaldo - Cause he's the same age as me and has proved his worth to the world. Defines poetry in motion. Gautam - If Ukraine has a sudden population explosion, then he'd be the cause of it!! Miss you, bro. =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= Coming from a boy who wasted half of his life in rehab, trust me, stay away from drugs. You'll be only letting down everyone who ever believed in you. Peer acceptance is not worth enough living through Hell. I have watched my best friend whither away. I found a reason for me, To change who I used to be, A reason to start over new, And the reason is you.... - "The Reason" by Hoobastank =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= =-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-= This document is still far from complete. My mind is mosaic and I can still see the pieces falling into places. I add things as they come to mind. I'm still trying to catch that song in my head.... The only place you might catch me-http://imdb.com/user/ur1447533/comments This walkthrough is also available at: http://geocities.com/from_hell54 © Copyright 2004-2005 Ziffer 'bad boy' Szmaza( from_hell54@yahoo.com).