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FIFA Football 2003 for PlayStation 1
FIFA Football 2003 for PlayStation 1 lets you build football attacks with club and national teams. You pass along the ground, look for space with a through ball and cross when a forward runs into the penalty area. When possession changes, you switch to a defender and choose between a standing challenge and a risky sliding tackle. The radar helps you find unmarked teammates beyond the camera's view.
Alongside individual matches, you can play a season or cup tournament. Club Championship brings eighteen European clubs together in a separate competition. First you try to get through the league stage; knockout ties follow. The team menus let you change the lineup and player roles. During a longer run of matches, you also follow results, the table and leading scorers. That gives a narrow win meaning beyond the result of one match.
You play alone against the computer or with up to eight people on the same console. Three to five players require one PlayStation Multitap; six to eight require two Multitaps, with a controller for each person. You save season and tournament progress manually through Save Game in More Options on a PlayStation memory card. The card goes in memory card slot 1, or slot 1-A on the Multitap. You resume later at the next match.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 1 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
FIFA Football 2003 for PlayStation 1 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of FIFA Football 2003
Electronic Arts released FIFA Football 2003 in 2002, when the first PlayStation was already sharing shop shelves with its successor. The year on the cover refers to the football season, not the original release year. EA continued to offer the series across different console generations. Players could therefore keep using their familiar PlayStation for a fresh selection of clubs, players and competitions, while versions for newer hardware followed their own technical development.
Club Championship gave this instalment a clearly recognisable feature. The original PlayStation manual describes a competition with eighteen European clubs, followed by a knockout stage for the best eight. That structure makes the strength of a squad count over several matches. It was not simply a collection of friendlies: home and away fixtures helped decide whether you progressed. Alongside this club competition, ordinary seasons, friendly matches and tournaments remained part of the game.
The PlayStation edition belongs to a time when a football game could also mean a regular gathering around one television. With two Multitaps, eight people could take part in the same match without a network connection. Saved competitions also allowed one player to continue a longer series alone. FIFA Football 2004 later built on this console foundation, with revised squads and a different selection of game options. FIFA Football 2003 remains tied to its own football season and the capabilities of the first PlayStation.
Similar games for PlayStation 1
FIFA Football 2002 for PlayStation 1 also combines club football with national teams and lets you build attacks through passing and runs. That earlier instalment also emphasises the road to the 2002 World Cup. FIFA Football 2003 puts its separate Club Championship with eighteen European clubs in the spotlight. Choosing between them therefore involves more than different player names: it also depends on which competition you want to follow over several matches.
FIFA Football 2004 for PlayStation 1 stays close to the match structure of FIFA Football 2003: you mix passes with crosses and adjust the lineup. The later game offers Season across three consecutive seasons with clubs from twelve leagues. Club Championship in 2003 brings together eighteen European clubs, with the best eight progressing from the league stage to a knockout phase. Thus 2003 provides a defined European field, while 2004 lets you follow a longer club campaign.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2 for PlayStation 1 also lets you control a full team and look for space before finishing an attack. Konami places a strong emphasis on teamwork on the pitch and building a squad in Master League. FIFA Football 2003 offers its own official club names and Club Championship. If you mainly want long campaigns with a squad you have built yourself, Konami provides a different structure from EA's European club competition.
Like FIFA Football 2003, ISS Pro Evolution 2 for PlayStation 1 calls for accurate passes, timely switching between defenders and thoughtful use of the wings. Master League revolves around strengthening a club squad as you play matches. FIFA 2003 puts existing clubs into its own seasons and Club Championship. Names and presentation differ too. Both let you play the match yourself, but they give you different reasons to work towards the next fixture.
Like FIFA Football 2003, This Is Football 2 for PlayStation 1 lets you control an eleven-player team, use passing to find space and change the lineup. Sony links its season football to promotion, relegation and qualification for European competitions. FIFA 2003 also offers the separate Club Championship with eighteen European clubs and a knockout phase for the best eight. One competition path makes a club’s position in a domestic table count; the other brings European clubs directly together.
