Amazon.co.uk Review
If there's one thing you can't fault
This Is Football 2004 on, it's scope. While other PlayStation 2 football titles are happy to concentrate on national and international teams, here the beautiful game is taken right down to grass roots, allowing you (if you wish) to seize control of a local team.
You do that as part of the best feature in the game: the career mode. Here, you really can go from the very bottom to the very top, and it adds a challenging long term goal to the proceedings. It's just one example of where the game differs from the opposition, and there are plenty more. For instance, you can also try and blatantly blag a penalty by diving in the area. You can get penalised for handball. You can even take it online and test your skills. In short, there's plenty going on.
TIF 2004's downfall though is that it's simply not as slick, fluid and downright playable as the competition. Both FIFA Football 2004 and especially Pro Evolution Soccer 3 offer a much more succulent marriage of gameplay and presentation than This Is Football 2004 can muster, and that does cloud its otherwise welcome merits somewhat.
A mixed bag in all then. What This Is Football 2004 lacks in polish and style, it does compensate for when it comes to ideas and innovations. And if nothing else, it's testament to the quality of choice gamers are presented with that a perfectly good and enjoyable game such as this struggles to find a foothold. As it stands, This Is Football 2004 is certainly worth a try, but shouldn't be your first port of call. --Simon Brew
Manufacturer's Description
This is Football 2004 is the ultimate football fan's video game. The user controls all aspects of the team, playing against the CPU or up to seven other players. TIF 2004 has totally revamped gameplay and deeper management options for a more immersive and compelling experience. The player can add football superstars to their favourite team using the transfer market feature. Or they can begin with a novice team and, by playing through the leagues and carefully buying and selling players, eventually progress to the Euro League, taking on the best club sides in the world. The 2004 version will include over 300 photo-realistic players from around the world, 22 leagues with 30 divisions, over 800 teams and over 17000 players.