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
7
8
7
7.8

Supported Features

2006 FIFA World Cup does an impressive job of offering one of the most complete handheld 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 on any system.

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 127 classic World Cup events (there are only 40 on the console) 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 multiplayer features of their PSP will find support for local wireless up to four players and Internet support for one-on-one. Local multiplayer is quick, painless, and lag-free, but getting hooked up with online gameplay is annoying and there weren't that many people actually playing once I got into the lobby. The lobby is grouped by skill level which is a nice feature to keep everyone on a level playing field.

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, and it's even more pronounced on the smaller PSP screen. 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, but the slow-motion replays after almost every shot of major event in the game can really drag down the pace. Even so, this is where you can see finally see the details missing in the distant gameplay view. Unfortunately, these details pale in comparison to the console version and even worse, there are clipping issues with the backgrounds that cause flicker or even entire sections of the stadium to vanish. 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.

When you combine that with thunderous stadium noise that nearly forced me to remove my ear buds 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.

When it comes to soccer on the PSP it's either this or World Tour Soccer 06. Only 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 it puts it in the palm of your hand.