Retro Game Walkthroughs for Fifa 2004 (Gamecube)
Submitted By: many goats
FIFA 2004
1: The Dream Team
2: Scoring Methods
3: Mastering Free Kicks
4: Tactics
5: That’s It!
1: The Dream Team
This team has won me everything on the career mode with ease. I was using Chelsea, so I had a lot of money to spend, but try and get hold of some of these players. Your formation must be a 3-5-2 neutral:
GK: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
LCB: Roberto Ayala (Valencia)
CB: Alessandro Nesta (Lazio)
RCB: Christian Chivu (Roma)
LWM: Edgar Davids (Juventus)
LCM: Clarence Seedorf (AC Milan)
RCM: Claude Makelele (Chelsea)
RWM: David Beckham (Real Madrid)
ACM: Pavel Nedved (Juventus)
FL: Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
FR: Hernan Jorge Crespo (Chelsea)
This team is unstoppable, whichever difficulty level you’re playing against. Nedved is the creator, so use him well. The five central attacking players: Makelele, Seedorf, Nedved, Crespo and Ronaldo are all fantastic at long shots, so they are all very useful when you come up against a tough defence. Nesta has a tackling stat of 100 so he needs to be played in the centre of the three defenders.
2: Scoring Methods
I know loads of people who have problems scoring on FIFA 2004, so here are some ways of scoring. Once you have mastered them, it is almost impossible to miss sometimes:
Long Shots
Most centre midfielders can do long shots very well indeed, and so are great sources of goals if you can’t break through the opponents back line. All you need to do is find some space in the opponents half, sprint a little to build up some momentum and then hit the shot towards the far corner of the net. You need to hit it quite hard, about three-quarters full, and it will go in either the top or bottom corner. If you use the team above, Seedorf is EXCELLENT at these shots, as is Crespo. But, whatever team you use, there will be a midfielder who can score from range. I played a season as Carlisle and even their midfielder Brian Shelley is also great at them (there’s a bargain buy, by the way).
Corners
Although I don’t really like this corner system much, it is useful for scoring. Always choose “In swinging near post” and aim for the bloke on the edge of the box (I think he’s “Y” but I’m not sure). The jostling becomes very difficult when you get onto professional and world class, but it is possible to beat the defender to the ball. Wait until the timer in the corner has about a third of the circle left, then storm in, and you should time it to get the most powerful header or volley possible.
Free Kicks
Free kicks are very hard to master in FIFA 2004, and some players have such a weak shot they can only just reach the goal, but there are some who are brilliant at them. If you are using the dream team, use Beckham, Ronaldo or Seedorf for the free kicks. Even if your not, you should always curl the ball away from the keeper, even if this means using the outside of the boot. If you swing it in towards him and end up putting too much curl on it, the ball will go straight down his throat and you will have missed a scoring chance. There’s more on this in the next section.
3: Free Kicks
Around the edge of the box, the ball needs to be curled away from the keeper and hit at about 2/3 of the whole power bar (some players can only just make this without blasting it over, so be careful). The cursor on the ball needs to be on the bottom corner, so that it bends the ball away from the goalkeeper. Do not put the cursor too far down otherwise you will get right under the ball and put it over the bar. Also, don’t put it too far to the side, as it will curl too much and wont hit the target you placed in the goal. The cursor in the goal needs to be in the top corner furthest from the keeper, touching both the bar and post. You can get it to go higher and wider than this, put you risk hitting the post or bar. Start the power bar and wait until 2/3, then hit the accuracy right in the green bit for great accuracy. Goal!!
If you are further out, then put the same amount of side swerve on the ball, but raise the cursor up a bit, so that you are not under the ball so much. Then you need to hit it a little harder, maybe ¾ or more. This will give the ball a nice shallow arch over the wall so that it comes down quickly enough to hit the target.
Free kicks where you cannot shoot need to be used well too. If you have set pieces set up already using the useful planning feature then they work similarly to corners. If you get a free kick in your own half it’s best to just pump it and see what happens. If you get one in the opponents half but not close enough to shoot, aim for a striker around the edge of the box and chip it to him.
4: Tactics
Tactics and strategy are the most important part of successful football, and it is the same in FIFA 2004. Here are some ways to shred the opposition to pieces:
One touch passing is a simple and effective way of getting past people. As a player’s bad first touch can loose you possession, this is very useful, as there is no controlling touch. Also, it gives the opponents less time to react. If you can add a well weighted through ball onto the end of a one-touch passing sequence, you could find yourself one-on-one with the keeper.
Another great part of FIFA 2004 is the “Off The Ball” mode. This can be used very effectively to create goal-scoring opportunities. If you have a man in space with the ball, you should have enough time to bring the “Off The Ball” options up and look for your man. You need to use the C Stick to make the other guy move, remember. Make him run through the back line and aim to release the ball (a long ball in the air is useful) as soon as he is level with the defenders. This way, he won’t be offside, and you can be one-on-one with the keeper too. If you hit it quite hard, he will run onto the ball and slot it away. If you hit it about right, he will take it down on the chest as he’s running. If you hit it too light, he will have to turn around and take the ball down, slowing down the whole process.
When defending, never let the opposition get into your box, especially if you are on World Class. You will probably already know that chasing after a player and tackling them is quite hard to do without committing a foul. Never use the slide tackle when chasing, as you will always give away a free kick, and the conservative tackle seems to give free kicks away too, as you muscle them off the ball too hard, or something. I have given away many penalties because of this. Remember, defending starts from the front, so make sure the opposition don’t get in behind you at any point. Slide tackles are great for the centre midfielders, and are very effective for winning the ball, as are conservative ones in most areas of the pitch. Just watch your tackles when defending.
First time shooting works very well. This way, if you play a sloppy pass and the player you’ve passed to is going to be under instant pressure because of it, you can prevent them being tackled if you line up the shot and power before the ball reaches him. Obviously don’t use this when defending, try and pass it first time when you are under pressure.
5: That’s It!
That’s all I have for you, so hopefully you can use the hints I have given you to be a better player. Just don’t be better than me, ok?
Cheers
*HighlyExcitable*
1: The Dream Team
2: Scoring Methods
3: Mastering Free Kicks
4: Tactics
5: That’s It!
1: The Dream Team
This team has won me everything on the career mode with ease. I was using Chelsea, so I had a lot of money to spend, but try and get hold of some of these players. Your formation must be a 3-5-2 neutral:
GK: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
LCB: Roberto Ayala (Valencia)
CB: Alessandro Nesta (Lazio)
RCB: Christian Chivu (Roma)
LWM: Edgar Davids (Juventus)
LCM: Clarence Seedorf (AC Milan)
RCM: Claude Makelele (Chelsea)
RWM: David Beckham (Real Madrid)
ACM: Pavel Nedved (Juventus)
FL: Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
FR: Hernan Jorge Crespo (Chelsea)
This team is unstoppable, whichever difficulty level you’re playing against. Nedved is the creator, so use him well. The five central attacking players: Makelele, Seedorf, Nedved, Crespo and Ronaldo are all fantastic at long shots, so they are all very useful when you come up against a tough defence. Nesta has a tackling stat of 100 so he needs to be played in the centre of the three defenders.
2: Scoring Methods
I know loads of people who have problems scoring on FIFA 2004, so here are some ways of scoring. Once you have mastered them, it is almost impossible to miss sometimes:
Long Shots
Most centre midfielders can do long shots very well indeed, and so are great sources of goals if you can’t break through the opponents back line. All you need to do is find some space in the opponents half, sprint a little to build up some momentum and then hit the shot towards the far corner of the net. You need to hit it quite hard, about three-quarters full, and it will go in either the top or bottom corner. If you use the team above, Seedorf is EXCELLENT at these shots, as is Crespo. But, whatever team you use, there will be a midfielder who can score from range. I played a season as Carlisle and even their midfielder Brian Shelley is also great at them (there’s a bargain buy, by the way).
Corners
Although I don’t really like this corner system much, it is useful for scoring. Always choose “In swinging near post” and aim for the bloke on the edge of the box (I think he’s “Y” but I’m not sure). The jostling becomes very difficult when you get onto professional and world class, but it is possible to beat the defender to the ball. Wait until the timer in the corner has about a third of the circle left, then storm in, and you should time it to get the most powerful header or volley possible.
Free Kicks
Free kicks are very hard to master in FIFA 2004, and some players have such a weak shot they can only just reach the goal, but there are some who are brilliant at them. If you are using the dream team, use Beckham, Ronaldo or Seedorf for the free kicks. Even if your not, you should always curl the ball away from the keeper, even if this means using the outside of the boot. If you swing it in towards him and end up putting too much curl on it, the ball will go straight down his throat and you will have missed a scoring chance. There’s more on this in the next section.
3: Free Kicks
Around the edge of the box, the ball needs to be curled away from the keeper and hit at about 2/3 of the whole power bar (some players can only just make this without blasting it over, so be careful). The cursor on the ball needs to be on the bottom corner, so that it bends the ball away from the goalkeeper. Do not put the cursor too far down otherwise you will get right under the ball and put it over the bar. Also, don’t put it too far to the side, as it will curl too much and wont hit the target you placed in the goal. The cursor in the goal needs to be in the top corner furthest from the keeper, touching both the bar and post. You can get it to go higher and wider than this, put you risk hitting the post or bar. Start the power bar and wait until 2/3, then hit the accuracy right in the green bit for great accuracy. Goal!!
If you are further out, then put the same amount of side swerve on the ball, but raise the cursor up a bit, so that you are not under the ball so much. Then you need to hit it a little harder, maybe ¾ or more. This will give the ball a nice shallow arch over the wall so that it comes down quickly enough to hit the target.
Free kicks where you cannot shoot need to be used well too. If you have set pieces set up already using the useful planning feature then they work similarly to corners. If you get a free kick in your own half it’s best to just pump it and see what happens. If you get one in the opponents half but not close enough to shoot, aim for a striker around the edge of the box and chip it to him.
4: Tactics
Tactics and strategy are the most important part of successful football, and it is the same in FIFA 2004. Here are some ways to shred the opposition to pieces:
One touch passing is a simple and effective way of getting past people. As a player’s bad first touch can loose you possession, this is very useful, as there is no controlling touch. Also, it gives the opponents less time to react. If you can add a well weighted through ball onto the end of a one-touch passing sequence, you could find yourself one-on-one with the keeper.
Another great part of FIFA 2004 is the “Off The Ball” mode. This can be used very effectively to create goal-scoring opportunities. If you have a man in space with the ball, you should have enough time to bring the “Off The Ball” options up and look for your man. You need to use the C Stick to make the other guy move, remember. Make him run through the back line and aim to release the ball (a long ball in the air is useful) as soon as he is level with the defenders. This way, he won’t be offside, and you can be one-on-one with the keeper too. If you hit it quite hard, he will run onto the ball and slot it away. If you hit it about right, he will take it down on the chest as he’s running. If you hit it too light, he will have to turn around and take the ball down, slowing down the whole process.
When defending, never let the opposition get into your box, especially if you are on World Class. You will probably already know that chasing after a player and tackling them is quite hard to do without committing a foul. Never use the slide tackle when chasing, as you will always give away a free kick, and the conservative tackle seems to give free kicks away too, as you muscle them off the ball too hard, or something. I have given away many penalties because of this. Remember, defending starts from the front, so make sure the opposition don’t get in behind you at any point. Slide tackles are great for the centre midfielders, and are very effective for winning the ball, as are conservative ones in most areas of the pitch. Just watch your tackles when defending.
First time shooting works very well. This way, if you play a sloppy pass and the player you’ve passed to is going to be under instant pressure because of it, you can prevent them being tackled if you line up the shot and power before the ball reaches him. Obviously don’t use this when defending, try and pass it first time when you are under pressure.
5: That’s It!
That’s all I have for you, so hopefully you can use the hints I have given you to be a better player. Just don’t be better than me, ok?
Cheers
*HighlyExcitable*