While the indoor mode was no longer featured, the gameplay's fluidity and responsiveness was increased. The increasing number ofwebsites dedicated to the game and a larger number of leagues (theMalaysian League was removed, and on its stead came two new leagues: theBelgian First Division and the PortuguesePrimeira 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 overFIFA '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 theCup Winners' Cup,UEFA Cup orChampions League).
The game received favorable reviews on all platforms according to thereview aggregation websiteGameRankings.[4][5][6]Computer Games Strategy Plus gave the PC version four-and-a-half stars out of five, calling it "one of the best sports games you can buy."[31] In Japan, where the PlayStation version was ported and published byElectronic Arts Square under the nameFIFA 99: Europa League Soccer (FIFA99 ヨーロッパリーグ・サッカー,FIFA 99 Yōroppa Rīgu Sakkā) on 26 August 1999,Famitsu gave it a score of 29 out of 40.[12]
The game was a bestseller in the UK, replacingTomb Raider III.[32] In February 1999, the PlayStation version received a "Platinum" sales award from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD),[33] indicating sales of at least 200,000 units across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.[34] The PC version took "Gold", for 100,000 sales, at the same time.[33] At the 1999 Milia festival inCannes, it took home a "Gold" prize for revenues above €50 million in the European Union during 1998.[35] The PC version won the "Best Sports" award inPC PowerPlay's Game of the Year 1999 Awards.[36] It also won the award for "PC Sports Game of the Year" atAIAS'2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards,[37] the Best Sports Game award at the 1998CNET Gamecenter Awards,[38] the "Best Sports" award (along withFIFA: Road to World Cup 98 andWorld Cup 98, collectively) atComputer Gaming World's 1999 Premier Awards,[39] and the "Sports Game of the Year" award atGameSpot's Best & Worst of 1998 Awards,[40] and was nominated for the "Best Sports Game of the Year" award atIGN's Best of 1998 Awards, which ultimately went toNFL Blitz.[41]
^Zimring, Jason (December 1998)."FIFA 99 – Playstation Review".GameRevolution. CraveOnline.Archived from the original on 5 February 2004. Retrieved26 April 2021.
^"VUD Sales Awards".Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (in German). Paderborn. November 2000. Archived fromthe original on 10 January 2003. Retrieved15 August 2019.
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