After last year's debacle, I was really wondering how this year's game would play out. Would we still be playing ping-pong and working the pitch from end to end with one player? Well, in a word: no.
On the Amateur (read: beginner) level, you pretty much have your way with your opponent. I find it very difficult to lose a game on this level. When you step up to the Professional level however, it literally is a whole different ball game. The computer's marking of the player with the ball is extremely tough to shake off. You'll really be using all the buttons on your gamepad to attempt lobs and through ball passes to your fellow teammates. You cannot just run the length of the field—I strongly recommend you turn the radar on, especially if you are playing the game at a low resolution because you really need to see who is surrounding you on the pitch.
While I still find that the best method of attack on the higher levels is to run down the wing, cross the ball in and hope for an open man to perform a header or bicycle kick on goal, you really have to work at it and you also need to remember that by running down the wing you may have players open behind you or in the center and a pass may be in order.
The referee, while not actually waving a foul off, does play an integral part of the game, giving the attacking team the advantage when fouled and not just automatically blowing the whistle. This is a very important part of soccer and I'm glad it is implemented correctly.
The gist of what I'm saying is that this is a thinking man's action soccer game. You cannot expect to win the game by just running up and down the field.
Things that make soccer “The Beautiful Game” are all included in FIFA 2001—players off the ball are actually reacting to the game around them—they make runs, try to get open, and follow the ball in the air or on the ground. When a ball crosses the goal line, players signal for a goal or corner kick and try to sway the referee's decision, just like a real game. If you're in trouble you can boot the ball off of your opponent and hope it deflects over the touchline for a throw-in. You can do cheeky backheels! I can't stop being giddy over those little touches.
Control in the game is virtually unchanged from previous versions, and that isn't a bad thing. What is a bad thing is that you're stuck with it—you can't customize your controls. You don't like having sprint as button Y on your SideWinder gamepad? Tough. The game also seems to have a “feature” of saving your button presses to your disadvantage. Let's say you are a defender trying to knock the guy with the ball off. You continually press the “c” button on your SideWinder. Once you have knocked him off the ball, you take possession, but for whatever reason, the computer still reads your multiple “c” presses from a few seconds ago. When you're on offense, the “c” button shoots the ball, so instead of dribbling downfield, you now boot the ball to your opponent's goalkeeper. I hate that!