FIFA 94

Lore & Background

The game was released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console in December 1993 and ported to numerous other systems in 1994. It simulates international matches using an isometric viewpoint, unlike contemporary football games that used a bird's-eye or top-down view. The game features 48 national teams plus an EA All Stars team, with fictional player names. A notable oversight allows easy goals by standing in front of the opponent's goalkeeper when he holds the ball.

In Their Own Story

The CRT hums its low, steady note. A carpeted living room, late afternoon light slicing through venetian blinds and landing in stripes across the television screen. The title card flickers—FIFA 94, the familiar crest, the licensed logos scrolling past. Two friends, controllers in hand, settle into their chairs. One picks a European club; the other counters with a national side. The kick-off whistle is a simple digital chirp. The little pixelated players scatter across the green, and for an hour the only sound in the room is the click of buttons, the occasional shout, and the soft thud of a header that just misses the crossbar. Outside, the world moves on. In here, the match is the whole world, and the scoreline at full-time is the only verdict that matters.

Reader's Guide

Players control one of eleven footballers at a time, with the ability to switch players on command. Up to four human players can play simultaneously, either on the same team or opposing teams. Four modes are available: Exhibition (single match), Tournament (group stage followed by knockout), Playoffs (knockout only), and League (eight-team double round-robin).

Did You Know?

• The game sold 400,000 copies in the last two weeks of December 1993 in the United Kingdom, becoming the fifth best-selling home video game of 1993 there.
• The 3DO version added multiple camera views and more detailed graphics than other versions.
• The game's working title was EA Soccer, and it was developed by a team of ten developers at EA's Canadian studios.
• The FIFA license did not include any team names, logos, player names, likenesses, or stadia.