While World Cup ‘98 improved player animations five-fold over Road to the World Cup, FIFA ‘99 is even better. Not only are there more movement animations, the players simply look more solid, more there, than the collection of polygons in previous games. This is shown by the movement of the ball, as well. In many games, even in EA Sports’ own Madden ‘99, the physics model seems to cheat in order to complete a pass. When the football comes close enough to the receiver, the ball changes direction in mid-air and makes a bee line into the catcher’s hands. Not so in FIFA ‘99. When the passed ball is deflected far from a forward’s reach, he lunges his head or foot toward it. I couldn’t believe it at first, and blamed it on the small size of the players and ball during normal play. But after making an exceptional goal after a corner kick, I saved the instant replay. In the replay, my forward threw his foot out parallel to the ground and tipped the ball in with his foot, with the ball and player moving fluidly and realistically. It’s these believable acrobatics that make FIFA ‘99 mesmerizing to play and watch.

One of the few criticisms I had of World Cup ‘98 was the relative dearth of teams available compared to previous titles. For obvious reasons, World Cup ‘98 only contained teams that competed in the World Cup tournament and some other national favorites. FIFA ‘99 has those, and returns all the international league teams, from Manchester United to Barcelona. It also allows a "European Dream League," wished for by European fans, that pits the best teams in Europe against each other. The only set missing were the teams of the American Major League Soccer, so it’s impossible to play the teams back here at home.

As with all EA Sports games, the style and packaging is top-notch. The sounds and special effects are great, with realistic snow and rain. The commentary is more diverse than in previous titles, but it still seemed repetitive between the play-by-play and color commentators.

The last big improvement is in player control. More accurate passes and dribbles are possible, and there are many special moves to make. Luckily, though, an extra set of fingers aren’t necessary to win the game even on more difficult levels. Retrieving the ball near a touchline doesn’t result in a throw-in or kick anymore, either. Thanks to FIFA ‘99’s "bounding logic," your player now sees the line, and allows more precise control to keep the ball in bounds.

My only frustration was a minor one. The computer tends to play a more man-to-man defense, and it makes tackles quickly and with maddening accuracy. I had to change tactics to stay away from one-on-one confrontations as much as possible, which makes FIFA ‘99 a little less true to real-life soccer play.

That said, FIFA ‘99 is fast-paced and fun. After goals, the player celebrations are amusing to watch, especially when the defeated goalie throws an occasional temper tantrum. Any sports fan, even one with another EA Sports soccer title, would be happy to have FIFA ‘99.