Making the World Cup appear larger than reality, FIFA World Cup 2002 spares no expense by created a realistically dramatic atmosphere, with everything from the first goal of the game to the toilet paper streamers flying from the stands of one of 8 different stadiums around Japan and Korea. Filled to the brim with lively fans, these accurate recreations of the real stadiums feature numerous eye candy tricks such as laser light animations on the field, audience camera flashes, and splendidly designed proportions to reality. Heated events during a match include nice video shots, such as goals or referee decisions and intensify the mood by focusing on every aspect of the response including very entertaining jigs performed by teams or a player that just scored a goal.
Although FIFA World Cup 2002 visually appears simply like a slight update on an already powerful game, the audio and music has taken an altogether different approach. Instead of the now standard techno rhythms and pop-like beats FIFA World Cup 2002 opts for orchestral quality. Surprisingly, this strange addition gives the World Cup that extra sense of elegance and brilliance goes along with the actual game. The soundtrack's mood directly relates to the situation in the game. Goals are brassy and brilliant, as the celebration seems jubilant, while there is an equal amount of suspense driven vibe. In addition, the crowd roars echo through out the stadiums as EA Sports FIFA favorites, Andy Gray and John Motsen, supply their voices as commentator. Personally, I felt Andy's comments less inspiring and lagging than Motsen's quick and to the point presentation.