By
Michael Palisano
EA's latest soccer title features a
number of enhancements that increase the overall realism and authenticity
of the experience. The game's control system is intuitive and allows for
greater flexibility and control on the pitch. This makes dribbling,
passing and shooting easy to perform. The visuals have also undergone a
transformation, with more detailed character models and elaborate cinemas
that lets you feel like you're on the pitch. While the series has set the
mark for soccer in the past, FIFA Soccer 06 adds an enhanced online Lounge
mode, which makes it simpler to set up matches and online tournaments.
Other changes include a deeper management mode and more elaborate
customization features. This is a solidly produced sports title, read our
review and find out why FIFA Soccer 06 remains on top.
Soccer's
growing popularity over the past few years here in America shows the sport
has definitely established a firm foothold on the continent. While many
factors are probably responsible for this, EA's FIFA Soccer series has
definitely brought the beauty and nuance of the sport to American video
game consoles over the past decade. A constantly improving graphics
engine, coupled with intuitive controls and accessible play have become
the series' trademark, and this year's installment continues that trend.
With an impressive list of features and additions, FIFA Soccer 06 on the
PS2 offers soccer fans one of the most comprehensive simulations of the
sport to date. Including the official license means the game features more
than 20 major world-wide leagues and teams such as MLS, the English
Premiere League, and more than 10,000 real-world players along with
completely updated statistics. In order to keep things authentic, each
team is ranked in a number of areas, such as defense, offense and, style,
allowing you to set up matches. The advanced AI means that each team plays
as they do in real-life with actual tactics and playing styles recreated
effectively. In addition, players can increase their team's chemistry by
keeping them together over a few seasons. This makes the gameplay
intuitive and exciting, since the teams you face don't always respond to
your moves in the same way, making things less predictable. One major
addition that FIFA 06 includes this time around is the playing style,
which affects how much individuality your team and players brings to the
game. This aspect increases the longer the teams stay together. Another
key to success is creating a team dynamic where the players are both
cohesive and effective will take plenty of time and practice, but it makes
your club all the more dangerous on the pitch. In addition, the FIFA Retro
mode allows you to compete against or as a number of classic rosters
featuring legendary players. There are several retro squads and classic
player bios that you can unlock throughout the game, giving you added
motivation to keep playing and mastering the nuances of FIFA Soccer 06.
Players have many options to choose from
and can select to place their team in a friendly match, compete against
league opponents, enter a tournament, or choose to play international
matches using national teams. Players can also choose to go behind the
scenes and manage their teams over a period of many years. The game allows
you to play against the computer using AI opponents, against a friend and
challenge others online in the extensive FIFA Lounge mode. Players can
also choose to practice their moves, change players in their team by
trading, drafting, and buying players. You can also set different
formations, strategies, and playing styles between matches, giving you
maximum control over the field of play. The standard action modes are
typically fantastic, but FIFA 06's manager mode has also undergone an
extensive revision. These changes allow you to get in deeper, and have
more control over your club than ever before. In addition to signing
players, you can now seek out sponsors, investigate the market for player
transfers, manage your coaching staff, assign budgets, choose which
formations your club will use in order to help build the ultimate squad on
the field. This Team Management mode covers 15 seasons, allowing you
plenty of flexibility to create your dream club with plenty of
flexibility, with plenty of depth. In addition to the standard roster of
real-life players, FIFA Soccer 06 allows you to create your own player in
the edit screen. Here, you can set up the player's moves, abilities and
change their visual appearance, to make them appear exactly as you'd want
them to. You can then use these players in an actual match against
opponents. FIFA 06 allows you to control virtually every aspect of your
team both on and off the field with a simple interface of menus that's
easy to navigate. This attention to detail creates one of the most
comprehensive, realistic soccer titles in the series to date, offering an
impressive number of options for you to choose from.
With
so many options and configurations art your disposal, it would be easy to
overlook the action on the field, but EA hasn't ignored the game
mechanics. This time, the controls offer the most flexibility and control
to date, allowing you to have a much greater amount of control on the
ball. This intuitive control system offers a significant amount of
improvement in a few key areas, such as trapping and shielding the ball,
that give FIFA 06 a much-needed dose of realism. Different players have
unique styles, and the game allows you to set your own play by letting you
select from four different configuration with both analog and digital
control offered. There are two sets of controls in the game, either
offense or defense. When you are attacking, the controls allow you to
dribble the ball downfield towards the goal, and either pass or shoot the
ball. The controls make it easy to set up your shots on goal, allowing you
to change the angle and pitch before you release the ball. The game also
lets you change your tactics by passing the ball, kicking it downfield or
switching your running position. During each match, its important to watch
your players' indicators for signs of weakness and fatigue, so you can
quickly substitute them for a fresher players. When playing defense, you
have a number of options to keep the ball away from your net. You can
choose to tackle an opposing player and try and knock the ball out from
under them. However, FIFA 06 seems a bit stricter with these attacks, and
they usually result in a yellow card. A better strategy seems to be to
take the ball from the front and try to block attackers. As your last line
of defense, your goalie is all that stands between an attacker and the
goal, your mission here is to guide the goalkeeper to the right position
to deflect any shots. FIFA 06 builds on the excellent interface that made
the previous titles so appealing, while adding increased nuance and
control to create an intuitive interface that gives the player an
incredible amount of control over the onscreen action.
FIFA Soccer 06 looks just as good as it
plays, with excellent character models that animate beautifully. Each
player is rendered realistically with smooth lifelike movement and action
that makes the players appear lifelike, improving on last year's edition
significantly. When the action switches from on field to close-up for the
replay shots, the players' facial expressions and movements effectively
convey their emotions and reactions to the onscreen action. The game's
pacing and momentum accurately replicates the feel of real professional
soccer as well, with the fast yet subtle nuances of the sports brought to
life vividly. The crowd reactions and chants are quite effective, giving
gamers a real sense of the passion and ferocity that occurs in the stands
during each match. Players also have an extensive selection of in-game
music to choose from, which fits the mood perfectly. FIFA 2006's
play-by-play commentary is also excellent, explaining the action and
conveying the action on the field with two expert announcers. As you'd
expect from EA, the production values are superb, with simple yet
beautifully designed menus that are easy to navigate, slick between game
animations and clips. This year's edition also features and array of DVD-style
extras including film highlights from some of the international leagues'
previous seasons. The game also includes a brief video retrospective
outlining the history of the FIFA Soccer series. Tying into this "now
and then" theme, FIFA 06 also includes a complete playable version of
the original FIFA 94 title, a landmark from the 16-bit days that set the
stage for EA's long-standing dominance of the sport.
Looking
at the complete picture, FIFA Soccer 06 remains the best-looking and
playing soccer title on the market today. Its extensive licenses mean you
can play as the actual players and teams without having to make due with
generic substitutes. The game itself has been tweaked, with its intuitive
controls offering both flexibility and depth. Its extensive selection game
modes makes FIFA 06 an excellent choice for both casual and hardcore
soccer fans, who either want to play a quick match or go deeper into the
team management modes. The gameplay itself remains solid with
sophisticated AI that accurately mimics the tactics, style, and approaches
of each team in the database. Players will also notice improved ball
handling and enhanced online modes that add more realism and depth to an
already solid engine. Add in a ton of extra features and bonus items, and
you have an incredibly deep, authentic soccer title that accurately
captures the feel and competitive passion of professional soccer. Far from
resting on previous accomplishments, FIFA Soccer 06 improves on the
previous games in a number of key areas, making it another superb
installment for this franchise.
