I actually took a glance of the 1995 Megadrive version of FIFA before loading up EA's latest incantation and the difference between the two is startling. While FIFA visuals have improved dramatically over the later part of this decade many sports fans would justifiably argue that Konami's ISS Pro games slightly hold the edge. The motion capture is excellent as players twist and turn in a realistic style allowing them to execute directional changes and skill moves in the middle of turns. The players all have different heights, build and increased shading. You can even enter the custom screen and mess around with each player giving them goatie beards, changes of hairstyle and even alter their facial shape.
Speed is once again of the essence and on normal setting the players move around at lightening pace.
Switching the tempo up to the fastest setting sees the ball passed around at the speed expected from that in a pinball machine. Another first is the way the crowd actually moves during a match adding further to the big game atmosphere. The most common complaint with past FIFA games has been the long loading times. Maybe they haven't disappeared completely but the drastic reduction in waiting time while a section is booting up is certainly welcome. The front end has even been simplified making getting into a game a much quicker process all round.