FIFA 06 – PSP – Review

Or so we thought.

FIFA 06 was intended to
be the same on all consoles. Key features like the tactics selection and the
2004-2005 Challenge mode have been brought to this version. Most of them work
really well. FIFA fans will instantly recognize the similarities in passing
and scoring mechanics. They’ll notice that the game utilizes precision in a
similar fashion, as well as the kick meter that added a new level of play to
the series when it was introduced.

Despite having a lot of
the same features, FIFA 06 is not the same as its next-gen siblings. I say
this primarily because of the camera, which is way too high. You can angle it
and zoom in on the players, but both changes are so subtle that you hardly
notice a difference.

In a world where the
characters were intricately detailed this would be fine. FIFA 06’s polygon
athletes remind me of Tony Hawk in his Game Boy Advance debut. It’s true that
he was made of polygons, but could you make out a face? Could you make out
individual details? All you could see was that he was performing a trick. He
was there to give players something to manipulate within the game world. It
worked in Tony Hawk’s case. That was a GBA game and up until that point the
system hadn’t seen anything like it. On PSP – the most powerful handheld
console on the market – it is an embarrassment.

I’ll pause for a moment
and take into account the limitations that plague all handhelds. I’ll consider
the size of the screen, and be sure to remember that powerful as Sony’s
portable PlayStation is, it’s still not as powerful as PlayStation 2.

After taking those things
into account I still can’t help but take issue with FIFA 06. When gamers say
FIFA 06 is the best soccer game for PlayStation 2, the lackluster competition
is undeniably part of the reason. Thus, when I (and anyone who plays this
version) say that FIFA 06 is not the best soccer game for PSP, it is partially
because I’ve experienced a game that is better in every conceivable way:
Sony’s own World Tour Soccer.

WTS’s camera is more
flexible, the players are more visible, and the faster arcade-style action is
more fun on a handheld.

Had Sony not released a
better soccer game that wouldn’t suddenly make FIFA 06 a must-buy. You’d still
have to overcome the puny gameplay, a feature that can’t be changed. The game
feels way too small. They’ve got this huge screen to work with and they waste
most of it on the arena, which is not much more than a green backdrop.

When the camera zooms in
close for a replay or whatever, that’s the only time the game shows any real
detail. That’s the only time you can see player faces, and the cardboard
cutout audience.

It’s also the only time
the game is shown off to the world. Check the back of the box – no standard
gameplay shots are shown.

Exclusive to the PSP
version is a juggling mini-game you have to kick the ball up into the air and
never let it touch the ground. You do this by pressing the corresponding
button (which is random) as the ball passes through the circular icon. Keep
the ball in the air long enough and you’ll go up a level; let the ball touch
the ground and you’ll lose one ball. You have five balls at the start of the
game, which amounts to five tries. Higher levels move quite a bit faster,
demanding quicker reflexes. Juggling is pretty responsive and beats the
typical scrolling icon mini-game, but at best it’s a better-than-nothing
time-killer.

I love the PS2 version
and cannot wait to see FIFA hit Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. But they’ve got a
lot of work ahead of them if they expect to make FIFA a hit on PSP. Similar
gameplay mechanics and passing/scoring physics are not enough. You’ve got to
go the extra mile, look at what your competition is doing, and do everything
in your power to top that. That’s what the console version did – it topped
what everyone else was doing, including EA’s own FIFA Street.

Gameplay: 6.9
Too hard to see
to enjoy. It’s funny that when critics say graphics are secondary, we mean as
long as they do not interfere with the gameplay. We’re assuming that
developers understand this. Like I said – if the camera was closer this game
would have been so much better. But no matter how close I zoomed in it still
wasn’t enough.

Graphics: 5
Most of the time
I can’t see the players very well, and when I can they don’t look too good.
The tiny animations would’ve been redeeming, but there again it’s a feature
that’s too small to stand out. Squint, hold the screen closer to your eyes, it
doesn’t matter. You’ll be disappointed by the visuals and go back to playing
World Tour Soccer.

Sound: 8.7
Almost identical
to the soundtracks featured in the console versions, this handheld variation
includes a couple of music videos, crystal clear sound, and the same great
music from Doves, Hard-Fi, Embrace, and more.

Difficulty: Medium
While not as good
as the console versions, FIFA 06 is challenging on PSP.

Concept: 6.5
The idea that
having a far away camera to show more of the action is great…on a 67-inch
plasma television. It’s not so great on a handheld game device.

Multiplayer: 6.9
Ad hoc and
infrastructure play modes available, letting you and up to three friends
battle to be the soccer champ.

Overall: 6.9
The version to
pass on. FIFA is usually the leader in soccer games and on PS2 there’s no
exception. The PSP version didn’t turn out as well, having characters and thus
gameplay that’s too small to enjoy.