FIFA 06
Foot? Check. Ball? Check. Occasional scoring? Check.
Tags: FIFA 06 Categories: Reviews, Xbox Reviews
Posted by Mark "MadMup" Zwolanek on Nov 2nd, 2005
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA 06 (title page) | 1 - 2 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Sports | No | ||
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Americans, as a rule, don’t have much patience for soccer. “Too boring,” is the common complaint. “Nothing ever happens.” Since the rest of the world calls the sport “futbol,” Americans tend to compare it to American football, and the two sports couldn’t be more different. Comparing it to hockey makes a bit more sense: both sports are about controlling the ball (or puck), passing well, and setting up scoring opportunities. Goalies in both sports have huge responsibilities. And … both sports tend to be low-scoring. Strategy, rather than action, is the rule of the day.
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EA’s FIFA series has always done a good job of capturing the feel of soccer. As systems have improved since the days of the Sega Genesis, so have the graphics and complexities of the series. This year’s edition continues the trend, looking fabulous and fleshing out enough details to keep soccer fans busy for quite some time. It features more than 21 leagues and 10,000 international players, with a 15-year career mode and plenty of other features.
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The Xbox controller allows for complete control over almost every function on the field. Aside from expected controls that allow you to move the ball handler, teammates can be manipulated into give-and-go passing, and different play styles can be immediately called by using the digital pad. The right analog stick will perform juke moves and your team will be where you want them to be when you want them to be.
The Career Mode is in-depth, letting the player make decisions about player hiring, management styles, scouting, and even what to tell the press and the board of directors when they’re unhappy with the team’s performance. Decisions affect the team’s morale which affects how unified the team is, which affects how well they play as a team.
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The game looks great. Indoor fields and outdoor fields look different, the lights during night games cast realistic shadows, and games during rain produce splashes as the players run. Little touches like players craning to look at the ball as it flies overhead add realism to the game, making it that much more immersive.
The game’s biggest flaw is hard to miss. Even though the AI-controlled teammates are right where they’re told to be, that seems to be about all they’re good for. Not once do they seem to make a difference on defense, never making a play for the ball, never completing a tackle, never really doing anything. They’re like ham sandwiches at a bar mitzvah: nice to look at, but pretty much useless.
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The other glaring problem is the way the game randomly decides to switch what team member is being controlled. Though there is a button to manually switch to the player nearest the ball, the player marker will randomly jump to a different player at the worst times.
Overall, it’s a decent game. The learning curve is a bit steep, and it could have used some sort of training to help players get the hang of the player controls, but it plays like real soccer. There is online support as well, of course, so once players have gotten the hang of the controls, they can test their abilities against the world at large.
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Want a good-looking soccer game? Want an officially-licensed FIFA game? This here’s your game. Want smart teammates? Get a friend to play along.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ 21+ leagues, 10,000+ international players + Great-looking + In-depth career mode |
7.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- AI-controlled teammates are dumber than a box of hammers - Player marker jumps around unbidden - Steep learning curve |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| A solid game, but not a fantastic game. | |
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Tags: FIFA 06
Posted by Mark "MadMup" Zwolanek on Nov 2nd, 2005 and is filed under Reviews, Xbox Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
