Pros: Jaw dropping graphics, Incredible animation, Great options and gameplay
Cons: Ball handling physics could use work

I'm a bit dissapointed a game so deep and visually stunning has come to the PS2 so early in it's life. Previously, after playing the other PS2 games, it seemed my beloved DC would provide more than enough competition. However, after witnessing FIFA 2001, it is clear that the graphical disparity between the two systems will only become wider, and solid internet play will be Sega's only salvation. I write this review not as a fan of soccer games, but a fan of good games. In fact, this is the first FIFA game I have ever played, and the first soccer game I have experienced since the excellent Worldwide Soccer series on the Saturn. FIFA 2001 is an excellent game in every aspect, and those who judge it to be anything less are probably the same people who were expecting the PS2 to push 70 million polygons.

Graphics:11/10-Honestly, this is the most realistic looking sports game I have ever seen. Nothing has come this close to reproducing the look of a real life televised game. Imagine a graphical style similar to Virtua Tennis, only in a soccer game. The players, field, and stadium are done in a very similar style, though considering the fact that soccer has a much larger field, and 22 characters instead of 2, the fact that the player models are actually more detailed than virtua tennis is staggering. The colors are vibrant and beautiful, and the game runs at 60 FPS with an incredibly minimal amount of slowdown (a few times per game for less than half a second depending on camera angle). The crowd and stadiums are huge and ambitiously done, the crowd is well animated and even waves flags supporting the home team. Seeing the entire crowd and stadium laid out before you while doing a corner kick is awe inspiring. There are only 3 flaws that take away from the graphical splendor: the crowd is blurry when viewd from close up(which is rare), the nets look bad in replays, and the rain effects just plain suck. However, please note that to take advantage of these graphics, you will want to have a pretty good display system. I think most people not raving about the graphics is due to their having an inadequate setup to display this game well. Try a wega running in 16:9 enhanced mode with a monster component video cable and you will be stunned. And by the way, jaggies aren't to be found except for in the rain effects and the usual places found in DC sports games (sidelines, scoreboards, ect.)

Gameplay: 9/10- This is where some may disagree with me. I am a newcomer to the FIFA series, so veterans should keep that in mind. As far as I am concerned, the game plays nearly perfect. With the ball, you can execute a sprint, shot/clear, pass, and lob using the main buttons. With different combinations of the L/R buttons, you can do more advanced moves like a thru pass, 360 spin, kickflip, hurdle, juke, and sheild the ball with your body. The combination of sprinting by defenders while using moves is well executes, and the animation flows so well that you'll be tricked into thinking you're watching a game on TV(that is if anyone even cares about real soccer). My only complaint with the ball handling is that you don't have enough ability to fake an opponent without using the special L/R moves, I would have liked to see more quick directional changes using heel kicks, and maybe jukes executed by tapping the analog stick. Overall, a solid effort. Defense plays well too, as you can sprint, and execute tackles of 3 varying strengths, as well as choose to apply extra pressure to the ball handler. I haven't tried controlling the goalie, that's usually a way for me to lose quick in soccer games. However, the fact that there are only 3 difficulty levels takes away from the fun a bit. It sucks when you can score at will on one level, but bumping up the difficulty makes it almost impossible to score.

Sound: 10/10- Seriously, what do you expect here? A soccer game is supposed to sound like soccer, and this one does. The commentary is pretty good, on par with what I've heard in any other sports games, plus I'm a sucker for English commentators. The accents crack me up. There is also a nice selection of songs that plays during replays and some menus. There isn't anything else to expect from a soccer game in the sound department.

Extras: 10/10- I don't know too much about real soccer, but I do know that there is a TON of leagues, a TON of teams, and a TON of real players...so many that I seriously doubt I will see them all. There are tons of options in season and cup modes, rest assured that if you want to do something, you probably can. The other options are good too, including gameplay speed and 16:9 enhanced mode(drool). You can even adjust the zoom and height on each of the several camera angles. I don't think you can turn off fouls completely(dang), but you can turn off cards and drastically reduce the frequency of fouls. You also have a lot of freedom in selecting formations and strategy. There is a LOT more than I expected, but then again, I haven't played the other FIFA's so maybe I don't know anything.

In conclusion, if you like sports and managed to snag a PS2, go buy this game right now, and give it the best TV setup possible. I don't see how anyone could be dissapointed, unless they played the past FIFA's and were expecting more than a major graphical upgrade and significant gameplay upgrade.