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The key points of EA's early advertising campaigns were the isometric view of the pitch, an innovation when other games used either top down, side scrolling or bird's eye views, as well as detailed graphics and animations, and of course the FIFA endorsement. It was shipped for Christmas 1993, named FIFA International Soccer, and was released for most of the popular console and computer platforms of the time.
While FIFA 95 did not add much other than the ability to play with club teams, FIFA 96 pushed the boundaries. For the first time with real player names by obtaining the FIFPro license, the PlayStation, PC, 32X and Sega Saturn versions used EA's "Virtual Stadium" engine, with 2D sprite players moving around a real-time 3D stadium. FIFA 97 improved on this with polygonal models for players and added an indoor football mode, but an early pinnacle was reached with FIFA: Road to World Cup 98. This version featured much improved graphics, a complete World Cup with qualifying rounds (including all national teams) and refined gameplay. Months later, World Cup 98, EA's first officially-licensed tournament game, gave each team a unique kit and broke a sequence of poor tournament-based video games started by US Gold's World Cup Carnival in 1986 and continued until Gremlin Interactive's Euro 96.
FIFA games have been met with some criticism, such as for the minimal improvements each title features over its predecessor. As the console market expanded, FIFA was challenged directly by other titles such as Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer (known as Winning Eleven in Japan and the US). Both FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer have a large following but Pro Evo enjoys a higher volume of sales.[citation needed]
FIFA is the only video game series to be published on the same console platform (in this case both the Sony PlayStation & Playstation 2) for ten successive years (Formerly FIFA Soccer 96 published in 1995, through to FIFA Football 2005 published in 2004; and then FIFA 2001 published in 2000, through to FIFA 10 published in 2009). EA's Madden NFL series appeared on the PlayStation for nine straight years.
While FIFA 95 did not add much other than the ability to play with club teams, FIFA 96 pushed the boundaries. For the first time with real player names by obtaining the FIFPro license, the PlayStation, PC, 32X and Sega Saturn versions used EA's "Virtual Stadium" engine, with 2D sprite players moving around a real-time 3D stadium. FIFA 97 improved on this with polygonal models for players and added an indoor football mode, but an early pinnacle was reached with FIFA: Road to World Cup 98. This version featured much improved graphics, a complete World Cup with qualifying rounds (including all national teams) and refined gameplay. Months later, World Cup 98, EA's first officially-licensed tournament game, gave each team a unique kit and broke a sequence of poor tournament-based video games started by US Gold's World Cup Carnival in 1986 and continued until Gremlin Interactive's Euro 96.
FIFA games have been met with some criticism, such as for the minimal improvements each title features over its predecessor. As the console market expanded, FIFA was challenged directly by other titles such as Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer (known as Winning Eleven in Japan and the US). Both FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer have a large following but Pro Evo enjoys a higher volume of sales.[citation needed]
FIFA is the only video game series to be published on the same console platform (in this case both the Sony PlayStation & Playstation 2) for ten successive years (Formerly FIFA Soccer 96 published in 1995, through to FIFA Football 2005 published in 2004; and then FIFA 2001 published in 2000, through to FIFA 10 published in 2009). EA's Madden NFL series appeared on the PlayStation for nine straight years.
