UEFA Euro 2004 (video game)

UEFA Euro 2004
Developer(s)	EA Canada
Publisher(s)	EA Sports
Series	UEFA Euro
Platform(s)	PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2
Release date(s)	EU May 7, 2004
Genre(s)	Sports, Football
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer
Distribution	CD-ROM, DVD-ROM

UEFA Euro 2004 is the official licensed video game of UEFA Euro 2004 football tournament hosted in Portugal. The game was developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports. It was released for PC, Xbox and PlayStation 2.

It is the second game from EA Sports based on the quadrennial UEFA European Championship and features all 51 national teams from the respective qualifying round.

The commentary is provided by John Motson and Ally McCoist.

Development

Electronic Arts made the game's development public on February 6, 2004, when it announced that it had signed an agreement with UEFA to develop, publish and distribute the official game based on UEFA Euro 2004 championship that would begin on June 12 of that same year in Portugal.^[1]

Gameplay

A friendly match between Portugal and England. The lighting, saturation and weather were improved to better resemble Portugal's Mediterranean climate.^[2]

New Features

• Morale System - In addition to tracking injuries and suspensions, a new dynamic morale system tracks players' morale, which fluctuates based on individual and team performances and affects player abilities on the field.
• Right Analog Skill Moves - 10+ all new Right analog skill moves including drag backs, step-overs and the nutmeg. Get the ball to the highly skilled players and watch them perform spectacular moves. Success is based off timing and the attributes of the defender.
• Through Passes - Split the defenders with two all new through passes. Use the ground through pass to play the ball into space for your teammates to run on to. Use the chip through pass to play the ball into space over the top of the defenders.
• Chip Shot - Use it inside the area to lift the ball over the oncoming goalkeeper. Use it outside the area to leave the goalkeeper stranded.
• Fake Shot - Confuse defenders by performing a fake shot while keeping hold of the ball.
• Crossing Model - New crossing model allows the user to easily pull off pinpoint crosses into the penalty area. Use the new early cross modifier to play the ball towards the penalty area from anywhere inside your opponents half.
• Bicycle Kicks and Diving Headers - Perform spectacular moves such as bicycle kicks and diving headers.

New Game Modes

• UEFA Euro 2004 - Choose any one of the 51 European nations and play through the Euro 2004 tournament. Select your squad from a pool of the best 40 players each country has to offer. Attempt to qualify for the Euro 2004 finals through the qualifying round and playoffs. Arrange and play friendly matches against other nations. View a detailed scouting report on the opposing team before every match. Multiplayer supports 1 – 4 users.
• Home and Away - New mode that supports the 2 leg format. Play two matches back to back, in each of the team's home stadiums. Play with the "Away Goals" rule on or off.
• Fantasy - Create a custom dream team and play a match against another custom team. Select players from any of the 51 European teams to create the ultimate team.
• Situation - Create a custom game situation. Create challenging situations by customizing the teams, score, half, time remaining, yellow cards and red cards and enter the match at that exact point.
• Tournament - Create a custom tournament. Select from three different formats (League, Knockout and League + Knockout). Choose the size of the tournament (4, 8, 16, 32) and set up the rules including 1 or 2 legs, "Away Goals" rule and "Extra Time" format. Multiplayer supports 1 – 4 users.

UEFA National Teams

¹ Generic Kits

² Generic Names

Stadiums

Host Stadiums

• Aveiro Municipal
• Braga Municipal
• Coimbra Municipal
• Estádio Algarve
• D. Afonso Henriques
• Dr. Magalhães Pessoa
• Estádio José de Alvalade
• Estádio da Luz
• Estádio Dragão
• Estádio Bessa

Other European Stadiums

• Old Trafford
• San Siro
• Stadio delle Alpi
• Westfalenstadion
• Mestalla
• Anfield
• Parc des Princes
• Amsterdam Arena
• Félix Bollaert
• Hamburg Arena

Generic Stadiums

• Open Square Style
• Oval Style
• Euro 1
• Euro 2
• European Training³
• Portuguese Training³

³ Exclusive for "Practice" mode

Soundtrack

The developers specifically chose rock-based tracks due to the genre's big resurgence in Europe at the time.^[3]

Reception

Reception
Review scores Publication Score PC PS2 Xbox GamePro 3.5/5 3.5/5 GameSpot 8.5/10[4] 8.3/10[5] 8.4/10[6] GameSpy [7] GameZone 8.2/10[8] IGN 8/10[9] Official PlayStation Magazine (UK) 4.5/5 Official Xbox Magazine (UK) 8.4/10 PC Gamer (UK) 75/100 PC Gamer (US) 80/100 Aggregate scores GameRankings 75.13%[10] 76.40%[11] 72.93%[12] Metacritic 76/100[13] 76/100[14] 74/100[15]

UEFA Euro 2004 received generally positive reviews from critics, with GameSpot favoring its gameplay and options in comparison to FIFA 2004 and praising the PC version in particular for the improved visuals and online multiplayer.^[4] IGN particularly praised the sound of the game, stating that "the commentary is spot-on and not often repetitive, as we've come to expect. What's really impressive, however, is the crowd noise. Country-specific chants are a nice touch, and the din of the crowd overall is synched well with the action on the field."^[9]

However, the PlayStation 2 version was criticized for its inferior graphics, frame rate issues, and lack of online multiplayer when compared to the Xbox and PC versions respectively.^[5]

Sales

UEFA Euro 2004 was a commercial success, selling over one million units during the first month after release.^[16]

References

External links

• Official website
• UEFA Euro 2004 at EA.com