UEFA Champions League 2004-2005 (PS2)

With a megalomaniac boss in your shadow, the game's main Season mode shows just how tough it is to juggle Europe's premier footy competition with domestic success. This is all well and good in terms of keeping things fresh, but whether you stick with UEFA Champions League will largely depend on your love of FIFA, because this is basically FIFA 2005 in everything but name. Yes, passing still feels sluggish, while the off-the-ball system remains unnecessarily over-complicated.

JUMPERS FOR GOALPOSTS
And yet minor improvements have been made, which at least show that the series is moving in the right direction. The awful set-pieces have been completely overhauled, giving far greater control over the style of free-kick or corner and, more importantly, where you put the ball. If you score from either it feels like it was down to your skill and not just a coincidence (as before). The commentary from new-boy Clive Tyldesley and stalwart Andy Gray is also the best yet.

There are some good ideas amid all the glossy presentation - and with some more tinkering on the field as well as retaining scenarios for a Premiership season, the inevitable FIFA 2006 could finally put a dent in Pro Evolution Soccer's dominance.

Well firstly a completely refined set piece system:

For freekicks you finally get the choice of short ball passing it to a short of goal player to. You then ofcourse can curl it or hit it hard. You can also play lobbed balls for heading in.
For corners the old method has gone to be replaced with a method that has similarities to the old and the really old method, once more a short ball method exists.
Tuned gameplay, there are slightly different skill moves and also slightly more, the midfield is much more closed up making it harder to get to the box every time
NEW RULES
HANDBALL, FINALLY,
ADVANTAGE, ALWAYS BEEN THERE BUT IS NOW BETTER AND MORE OBVIOUS
EXTRA TIME SHOWING it tells you how long it will be roughly
UNFAIR DECISIONS the more tricky decisions can be wrongly done ( THIS IS ON PURPOSE BY EA) this ranges for let offs on tackles, corners/ goalkicks given wrongly right up to goal dissallowed if it only just rolls over the line ( NOTE THIS IS NOT USUALLY THE CASE IT HAPPENS VERY VERY RARELY once every 25 games probably.

The secanrios are a great addition i.e you can be losing 3 -0 after say 10 mins a man down, 5 of your teams mates on a yellow. And you start of the game at this stage!.

One thing i have always wanted in footi games is a home and away option. (including away goals rule - optional. These are the type of games where you may be winning 1-0 away and last few minutes you decide go defensive trying to hold that vital away goal. These matches bring out the best in tactical play. However one problem with this is after the first leg, it automatically goes to the 2nd leg without giving you a chance to change your team. I.e if you won at home you may want to play some defensive player. Instead you have to sub. This seems a bit silly!!, should have been sorted!

The AI seems to have also improved. Defenders play more higher up the pitch reducing the gap that used to be between midfield and attck in 2005. Also Goalkeepers seem the same i.e clumsy, more animations are used.

Corners seemed to have improved, i didnt like 2005 where you only controlled one person. Now you can loft the ball and any nearest player can head it.

Free kicks. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, not sure about this!. Seems to me more like pot luck. Doesnt require any skill. You press the shoot button, bar fills up when it turns red (half way through) you let go of the button. Thats it! Mind you you have three options to curl it, blast it or take a short pass.

Crosses, EA seem to have a problem in this area. They are far to floaty!!. You should be able to whip them in pro evo style.

To sum up, its a good game, i would recommend it! if you can afford it.