FIFA 99
Cover athlete: Dennis Bergkamp (World), Kasey Keller (USA), Fabien Barthez (France), Hidetoshi Nakata (Japan); Olaf Thon (Germany); Rui Costa (Portugal); Christian Vieri (Italy); Ahn Jung-hwan (South Korea); Fernando Morientes (Spain); Jason Kreis (USA beta)
Title song: “The Rockafeller Skank (Remix)” by Fatboy Slim
Released for: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Nintendo 64
Release date: November 30, 1998
While the indoor mode was no longer featured, the gameplay’s fluidity and responsiveness was increased. The increasing number of websites dedicated to the game and a larger number of leagues (the Malaysian league was removed, and on its stead came two new leagues: the Belgian First Division and the Portuguese Primeira Liga; this came to be a problem when the owners of the rights to the Primeira Liga tried to pull the game from the shelves locally). Graphically, it is a major improvement over FIFA ’98, with the inclusion of basic facial animations and different players’ heights as well as certain other cosmetic features such as improved kits and emblems, although they are unlicensed. Gamers may also create their own custom cups and leagues and select the teams they wish to participate.
FIFA 99 also features an elite league called the “European Dream League” in which 20 top teams from across Europe battle it out in a league format. It was also the first game to feature a block containing teams which did not pertain to any of the main leagues (back then, it was known as “Rest of Europe” since all teams were European, the vast majority of them featured either in the 1998–99 season of the Cup Winners’ Cup, UEFA Cup or Champions League).
