Retro Game Walkthroughs for fifa 2004 (Xbox)
Submitted By: jim-hat
The FIFA 2004 career mode is very comprehensive; in the way both off the pitch management plays as large a part as on the pitch action. It is important to learn the masterful techniques of off the ball control, and purchase decent budget players for your team, for you to fully learn these ways, commence.
To begin with, it may be wise to choose your preferred, supported team, or if you have no preference (or your team is too unknown to even be considered) you may find enjoyment in taking upon a small-division club, for example a Division 3 team in the English leagues. This way you will have more satisfaction upon winning and climbing the football league ladder, although, it is not essential.
To start off with, the transfer window shall be open (the transfer window is open in January (the month in which you begin) and July through to August) so you could indulge in a quick buy if you feel your team requires improvement. It depends upon your budget to make a decent recommendation, however you may find interest in Robinson from Leeds (Plays in Goal) on the cheap, or Inamoto from Fulham who isn’t quite so cheap, but is a very worthy investment. It is worth noting that it is not essential to buy players at this stage of the season, and for some, I would recommend against it, as the points (the currency used in player buying) could be used for training, and it may also let you see what quality you already have in your existing squad.
The training screen basically offers exactly what it says on the tin – Training. There are multiple options that spring from the title. The first, Team physical training, which basically lets you choose between three training programs – advanced, basic or simply, none. Each with there own separate prices (obviously, you pay more for advanced training then you do for none at all). I recommend keeping to a regular cycle of these programs, instead of random inconsistency – for example, ‘repeat no training, basic training, advanced training, basic training’ in a 4 week cycle – this should produce consistent results.
In the weeks in which you choose no training, it is important to use the individual training sector to train players whom are of concern, or play in positions where your team is weak – i.e. your defence, or midfield players. You can individually choose between various options like player agility, player skill, passing, shooting, tackling etc. and can train your players in up to three of these departments simultaneously in the week. You should try to do this every time ‘no training’ is assigned to ensure your players are fit and are playing to their potential. The only time I would not recommend this, is when the Transfer Window re-opens – then you should try to save your points for bidding on new players to create both a strong first teams and substitute bench (so you are prepared for any suspensions or injuries).
Now, to consider the in-game features. The main play-making system of FIFA 2004 is the Off the Ball play, which is simply activated using the white button; upon activation you can cycle through available players to create runs into space, or prepare a run and play a long ball. You control the off the ball player with the right analogue stick and you continue to operate the on the ball player normally with the existing controls (in case you did not know). I would strongly insist on making a run with the on the ball player along the wing, so you can introduce the off the ball feature (white) and play it into the middle, where it is easier to get a shot on goal.
One feature that is harder to unveil is the skill manoeuvres – there are two ways in which you can exercise this feature, simply by running, and moving the right analogue stick into any position (very similar to the freestyle play evident in FIFA 2003) this is pretty simple to discover. However, you can produce effective results by holding down the left trigger, which puts you into walk mode, where you walk very slowly, and then you move the right analogue stick in the same manner as you would do before. Also, whilst holding down the left trigger and the right trigger you can activate in game management, which allows you to alter important tactics during play without unnecessary interruption. Choose your defensive strategy (Pressing/ Neutral/ Contain) your formation preference (attack, Neutral/ Defend) and Attacking Strategy (Wing Play/ Possession/ Long Ball) by toggling up and down with the D-Pad and left and right on the D-pad to make changes. This feature will become more and more important as you progress in your season mode, and is important to activate.
Hopefully, these in-depth descriptions of the crucial functions of the game will help you immensely in becoming a successful squad in whichever league you choose to enter – whether you become a European Champion or a K-League disaster is up to you, but if you follow this guide loosely, your problems will become lesser. Enjoy, young one.
To begin with, it may be wise to choose your preferred, supported team, or if you have no preference (or your team is too unknown to even be considered) you may find enjoyment in taking upon a small-division club, for example a Division 3 team in the English leagues. This way you will have more satisfaction upon winning and climbing the football league ladder, although, it is not essential.
To start off with, the transfer window shall be open (the transfer window is open in January (the month in which you begin) and July through to August) so you could indulge in a quick buy if you feel your team requires improvement. It depends upon your budget to make a decent recommendation, however you may find interest in Robinson from Leeds (Plays in Goal) on the cheap, or Inamoto from Fulham who isn’t quite so cheap, but is a very worthy investment. It is worth noting that it is not essential to buy players at this stage of the season, and for some, I would recommend against it, as the points (the currency used in player buying) could be used for training, and it may also let you see what quality you already have in your existing squad.
The training screen basically offers exactly what it says on the tin – Training. There are multiple options that spring from the title. The first, Team physical training, which basically lets you choose between three training programs – advanced, basic or simply, none. Each with there own separate prices (obviously, you pay more for advanced training then you do for none at all). I recommend keeping to a regular cycle of these programs, instead of random inconsistency – for example, ‘repeat no training, basic training, advanced training, basic training’ in a 4 week cycle – this should produce consistent results.
In the weeks in which you choose no training, it is important to use the individual training sector to train players whom are of concern, or play in positions where your team is weak – i.e. your defence, or midfield players. You can individually choose between various options like player agility, player skill, passing, shooting, tackling etc. and can train your players in up to three of these departments simultaneously in the week. You should try to do this every time ‘no training’ is assigned to ensure your players are fit and are playing to their potential. The only time I would not recommend this, is when the Transfer Window re-opens – then you should try to save your points for bidding on new players to create both a strong first teams and substitute bench (so you are prepared for any suspensions or injuries).
Now, to consider the in-game features. The main play-making system of FIFA 2004 is the Off the Ball play, which is simply activated using the white button; upon activation you can cycle through available players to create runs into space, or prepare a run and play a long ball. You control the off the ball player with the right analogue stick and you continue to operate the on the ball player normally with the existing controls (in case you did not know). I would strongly insist on making a run with the on the ball player along the wing, so you can introduce the off the ball feature (white) and play it into the middle, where it is easier to get a shot on goal.
One feature that is harder to unveil is the skill manoeuvres – there are two ways in which you can exercise this feature, simply by running, and moving the right analogue stick into any position (very similar to the freestyle play evident in FIFA 2003) this is pretty simple to discover. However, you can produce effective results by holding down the left trigger, which puts you into walk mode, where you walk very slowly, and then you move the right analogue stick in the same manner as you would do before. Also, whilst holding down the left trigger and the right trigger you can activate in game management, which allows you to alter important tactics during play without unnecessary interruption. Choose your defensive strategy (Pressing/ Neutral/ Contain) your formation preference (attack, Neutral/ Defend) and Attacking Strategy (Wing Play/ Possession/ Long Ball) by toggling up and down with the D-Pad and left and right on the D-pad to make changes. This feature will become more and more important as you progress in your season mode, and is important to activate.
Hopefully, these in-depth descriptions of the crucial functions of the game will help you immensely in becoming a successful squad in whichever league you choose to enter – whether you become a European Champion or a K-League disaster is up to you, but if you follow this guide loosely, your problems will become lesser. Enjoy, young one.