Reviewed: May 28, 2006
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Electronic Arts

Developer
EA Canada

Released: April 24, 2006
Genre: Sports
Players: 1-4
ESRB: Everyone

8
8
8
8
8.1

Supported Features

2006 FIFA World Cup does an impressive job of making amends while offering one of the most complete soccer games out there, at least one with a heavy focus on the actual World Cup and the qualifying rounds leading up to it. Not only do you get the 32 teams that actually went to Germany, you also get the 95 other teams that were “trying” to get there.

The game also does a great job of capturing all of the atmosphere and cultural nuances of the teams and their countries, not only in menus and splash screens, but in the stadiums and overall presentation. Simply put, this is one of the better soccer games out there this year.

The core soccer game is vastly improved over last year and is quickly catching up to Konami’s Winning Eleven franchise, which is arguably, still the best soccer game out there. The new analog control mode is practically a duplicate of the WE scheme, so Konami players will slip right into the gameplay.

One thing WE players might find lacking is the overall lack of moves, but FIFA still has plenty of tricks up its sleeve and you can have a really deep and engaging game of soccer. Ultimately, fewer moves means a streamlined control scheme and a game that is easier to play and accessible to the masses. WE has almost always been for experts.

One of the most noteworthy changes is the use of the shot button, which now controls the trajectory of the kick rather than the power. The actual power behind the kick is now determined by the position of the ball, which might seem odd at first, but the game handles is quite well.

The difficulty has been revamped considerably. Previous FIFA games were arguably “too easy” so EA made Road to the World Cup freakishly hard, but 2006 FIFA World Cup finds a comfortable middle ground with several skill levels to suit novices and veteran players alike.

One interesting and new twist to the gameplay is the implementation of Star Players. Those who follow soccer will recognize the names instantly and likely know exactly how to use these players to their ultimate advantage. While soccer is certainly a team effort, a few key players can ultimately decide the game when used properly, especially if you can combine the efforts of multiple star players.

Another cool feature is the revised penalty shot. Now the goalies and even the fans can intimidate the kicker causing your controller to vibrate and the accuracy mark on the shot meter to flucuate.

For long-term soccer fans, you will find a fantastic Global Challenge mode that captures 40 classic World Cup events and allows you to replay them or possibly change history. It’s very similar to the ESPN classic fights in Fight Night Round 3 and just as cool. The only problem with these historic games is that you must play the teams with modern-day players rather than the original players. Obviously, this is a licensing issue since there is no governing association for the licensing of players like they have in the MLB or NFL.

Those looking to exploit the online potential of Xbox Live will fall in love with the FIFA Lounge, the hub of all things online. This is the lobby where you can organize your ranked and unranked matches for up to eight players. It’s extremely easy to use and setting up games and getting players to join in was a snap. Some of the larger games might experience some lag, but if most of your gamers have solid connections FIFA should run really smooth.

Along with the increase in speed are a multitude of new animations to give this game a lot more variety in overall shot and passing animations as well as transitional frames to keep everything smooth and flowing together more naturally than ever before. Again, not to be drawing comparisons, but FIFA is quickly catching up to Winning Eleven.

As with any soccer game, my only complaint lies in the distant camera views that keep you from truly appreciating all the subtle details that go into the player models and animations. But that is just the curse of the sport. You have to see a large section of the field and the players on it to play a competitive game. There are plenty of alternate camera angles including some close-up and cinematic angles, but they are hardly playable.

The replays and post-shot animations are where FIFA really shines. Here you can see fantastic details including true emotional expressions on the players’ faces. There are all sorts of goal celebration animations from players and the crowd. This is as close as you can come to being at the World Cup without buying a plane ticket to Germany.

Technically, the game looks best on the Xbox 360 and you can tell this is where the designers focused their artistic efforts. The box claims only 480p support but the mandate from Microsoft is that all games must support at least 720p, so I am guessing that is a misprint. Either way, the game looked stunning in widescreen, progressive scan on my HDTV.

When you combine that with thunderous stadium noise that nearly forced me to lower the volume on my sub-woofer, you have a truly engaging soccer experience. The roars and cheers of the crowd are fantastic and perfectly cued to the action, whether it is a critical pass or a tide-turning goal. Hopefully, the designers can work in the “momentum” feature from NCAA into FIFA next year. I’d like to see this aspect of the game represented in gameplay.

And finally, we cannot overlook the soundtrack, as much as I, and anyone else who has already played this game would like. While I can respect the choice of including all sorts of international music in what is admittedly a very international sport, many of the tracks are just plain annoying. Thankfully, the music is confined to the menus and load screens, so you don’t have to deal with it during the gameplay.

The solo gameplay will keep most soccer fans occupied for weeks and possibly even months to come, while the local multiplayer and online game modes will hold your interest until FIFA 08 charges out from the locker rooms next year.

I do feel sorry for 360 gamers who must endure the steep $60 sticker shock while everyone else gets to play for half that. If EA really wanted to apologize for RTFWC they would give owners of that title a break on the price. For those looking to add the 1000 gamer points to their score, there are only five Achievements and you will get them all without even trying if you simply finish the game. You will have to win the World Cup though.

2006 FIFA World Cup manages to capture all of that magic and recreate the pageantry of the World Cup better than any World Cup game before it. And while EA might be accused of borrowing all of Konami’s best ideas from Winning Eleven…oh well. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and Konami has their work cut out for them if they want to compete in 2008.