Last season, for the first time in console footballing history, Konami outsold the FIFA brand with Pro Evo. The reason? Last year's FIFA was, at best, crap. Especially all that short pass nonsense. You had to use a compass to get any kind of accuracy, and by the time you had done so, the opposition had nicked the ball and scored. Could FIFA 2003 do any better? EA Games Reckoned so.

This year, it was clear that EA would have to pull out all the stops to get the FIFA license back up to it's old standard. In all fairness to them, they have. Big name signings for the cover, and a reworked control system, not to mention the all new "inverse ball kinetics." Which in lameman's terms, means that the ball is now animated separately from the player, and so will not move until actually touched. Which, if cynical, we could laugh about. But we're not.

Obviously, since it has taken seven years for EA to get the ball separate from the player, it must be pretty difficult to do. Or, the programmers might have just never bothered to try. Whatever the reasoning, it does make a significant difference to the gameplay. When sprinting, for example, the ball is a foot or so in front of you,so you have to catch up with it before you can pass or shoot. Whilst this takes some getting used to, it actually creates a very realistic game. This new feature also works in the defender's favour. The attacker is no longer in possession until the defender presses tackle, but until the defender has made a touch on the ball, by tackling, or just by you knocking the ball into them while sprinting. Again, very realistic.

The passing has also had an overhaul. Now, you have the option of tapping X for a smart pass, or square for a lob. Both of these will go in the direction of a team mate automatically. Brilliant. Should you want to revert to a more complicated passing system, though, EA have also catered for you. Just use triangle, and you have control over the power and direction applied to the pass. Shooting, is, as ever, fine. Just use a well timed tap or tap-hold of circle to unleash a strike. The shot will go in the direction of your player.

Yet another Rewritten system is the free kick taking. You now have to pick the exact part of the goal you want to hit, along with the part of the ball you need to kick to get it there. Then it's just a matter of hitting circle on the "sweet spot" of the golf like swing-meter to get a Beckham like wonder. This new system is genuinely brilliant. Especially, if like me, you were never able to score with the old system...

A brand new addition to the control system, is the use of the right analog controller to serve as the new "EA Sports Freestyle Control." Simply tap the stick whilst in a sticky spot, and your player will attempt some fancy trickery to evade the marker. Get it right and the crowd go wild, go wrong, and the marker gets the ball the easy way. This new system isn't just a way to show off, as once you learn to use it properly, then it is possible to make room for a shot when nobody is there to pass to. Also, different players pull off different tricks, depending on real life ability.

The new penalty taking system takes many tips from the new free kick model. Simply pick a point on the goal, get the "sweet spot" and you score. Unless the keeper gets in the way, of course. This is very simple on paper, but the sweet spot is very thin indeed and, the controller shakes like mad, to simulate the player's heartbeat, and to make yours very similar.

Graphically, even last season, FIFA has always been the better title. All the players look great, and this season, extra care has been taken in making the stadiums look ultra-real. Don't overlook the fact that EA have the rights to all the REAL players and teams. Hear that Konami? I mean, who wants to play as the Oranges, for Giggs' sake?

So, it's quite possible that EA are onto something this year, they have revamped everything, practically built a new game, even. The FIFA series is what it should be again. Fun. Whether the game can beat the predictably brilliant Pro Evo 2, remains to be seen.