I love the
FIFA franchise. It’s a love that goes beyond my obvious affection for the
sport as an Englishman and sports fan. While the Winning Eleven game on
the Xbox was magnificent I seem to always turn my attention to EA Sports soccer
game. Yet in the year of the Xbox 360, this year’s edition might very well be
the best soccer game you’ll play on your original Xbox. Welcome to FIFA 06,
soccer fans.
Last year’s game
was nothing short of amazing but this year the franchise feels somehow whole …
complete in ways that Madden NFL fans can relate to when Madden NFL 06
was released not too long ago. For starters there are new gameplay features,
an interesting Manager Mode and a FIFA 06 Lounge that brings competition games
fun enough to share with friends offline. The result is a soccer game that
outshines past efforts. You will notice, straight off the bat, that even the
game’s overall presentation is different.
You will still
find all of your favorite teams available whether you’re an avid follower of
Argentina’s Boca Juniors or the UK’s Manchester United or any of the game’s
various international teams (there are more than 21 licensed leagues). From here
the game starts an exhibition match against a Classic XI team (featuring the
likes of legend Eric Cantona among others). It’s quite baffling, really, and you
won’t know if this is some kind of tutorial (no instruction is given) but it
does give you a feel of the new controls and winning the match means you’ll earn
points you can use to purchase neat features in the game’s new Fan Shop
(including unlocking a World XI team).
For whatever
reason this sudden match up will introduce you to the game’s solid controls that
feel less like last year’s game. While that might seem like bad news it really
isn’t. For one thing dribbling feels more loose and everything from attacking to
taking a direct free kick has become less strict and more simplified. As a
result the game’s flow is a lot more smooth and thus has all the appearances of
a televised match (minus the lengthy player injury time-outs). New to the game
is the Tactics and Mentality feature that allows you to make tactical
adjustments to your team’s attacking and defensive tactics easily. It also
allows you see your team’s mentality (neutral or defensive). It’s a nice touch,
really but the best feature is the ability to assign a player to mark a player
on the opposing team. This way you’ll have a player assigned to the opposing
team’s star player or talented scorer (like Mexico’s Blanco or Argentina’s
Ortega).
When you’re
comfortable enough with the game’s accessible and wonderfully handled controls,
you might want to start your career in the game’s Manager Mode. It is here that
you begin your 15-year career starting off as a low-level employee for your
favorite team’s franchise and work your way up to manager. It isn’t until you’ve
become manager that things get interesting for you. It is here that you attempt
to take your club to new heights while attempting to satisfy the board and your
team’s sponsors. Your tasks range from hiring your staff to keeping an eye on
rising stars you might want to sign and how this affects your team’s overall
morale. It’s a deep mode, indeed, and one that soccer fans will be happy to jump
into.
Also new to the
series is the FIFA 06 Lounge mode that is composed of a series of competitions
fit for up to eight players offline. You can customize the rules to your liking
and it is a mode you might want to share with a group of soccer fans. There’s
also an online component and it’s quite possible the best Xbox Live soccer
experience you’ll have this year. My only major complaint is the $2 subscription
fee to EA. While $2 might not seem costly, to me this is an unnecessary
annoyance. EA Sports already has our money so why ask for more just to create a
new profile to play online?
FIFA 06
is also a game
that looks gorgeous on the Xbox. The player models have improved greatly over
the years but somehow they’ve gotten a lot better this year. Just looking at the
player’s faces will convince you that the overall visuals have improved. The
stadiums look amazing from afar as well as up close and the game’s televised
feel is still as good as last year’s game.
One of the many
things I’ve admired about the franchise is its accuracy when it comes to the
stadium sounds and its televised feel. Once again you’ll find the fans chanting,
cheering loudly and singing accurate and specific regional songs that pump their
countrymen on. As much as I found the commentary team of Motson and McCoist to
be wonderful, the new commentary handled by Clive Tydsley and Andy Gray is
spectacular. They do a much better job of calling the plays and making witty and
informative remarks during the match so here’s hoping we get to hear them again
in the next FIFA game. This year’s EA Trax hold a better variety of world
music. Trust me when I say you won’t be angry by the fact that the game doesn’t
support the Custom Soundtrack feature.
We have seen
some great soccer games from this franchise before but none of them has even
come close to the brilliance that is FIFA 06. The features that worked
well before have been strengthened and the new features just add more to the
overall package so if you’re a soccer fan or just love a great sports game then
this is the game you’ll want to own. If this is the last FIFA game you’ll
find on the original Xbox (there’s more FIFA fun to be had on the Xbox 360,
count on it) then the series has ended things with a bang.
|
Review Scoring Details for FIFA 06 |
Gameplay: 9.2
Control-wise
the game feels a lot better than last year’s game and the new Tactics and
Mentality feature just adds more style to a game that already plays great.
Manager Mode is not only in-depth but it will also be a mode soccer fans will
love sinking their teeth into for months to come.
Graphics: 9.0
The Xbox gets
the best-looking version of the game and with character models that move and
look more natural to the point that if you squint you’d swear you were watching
a soccer match. Even the stadiums look impressive and the animated cutscenes
have more variety to them. This is a great overall look for the franchise.
Sound: 9.0
The stadiums
not only look more alive but they also sound alive with fans cheering and
chanting and singing appropriate team songs. The game’s new commentators are a
nice change from the past commentary team of past FIFA games. The eclectic
collection of world music is great.
Difficulty:
Medium
The opposing
team is still as smart as ever, although the goalkeepers of practically every
team can occasionally be too slow to react. Aside from poor goalkeeping, though,
this is quite a challenging game.
Concept: 9.5
With a better
overall presentation (there are pictures of the CD cover art for all musical
artists and there are great multimedia video clips) this a soccer fan’s dream
come true. FIFA 06 Lounge is a great addition and Manager Mode alone is worth
the game’s price. Xbox Live multiplayer is great despite the unnecessary $2
subscription fee.
Multiplayer:
9.0
Welcome to the
FIFA game you will be playing a lot online thanks to a smooth framerate
and all your favorite teams available from the start. You can play the game with
a group of friends thanks to some truly fun Lounge game mode.
Overall: 9.3
Soccer fans
rejoice! FIFA 06 is, by far, the best soccer game EA Sports has ever
produced for the Xbox and we have seen some truly great games from this
franchise. Yet with new gameplay features that feel more satisfying than last
year’s gem, this game feels like a more complete package worth owning if you
love the sport.
