FIFA Soccer 06

"The latest and probably last FIFA game of the current generation"

Introduction:

There are many different FIFA games over many different platforms, ranging from FIFA International Soccer from '93, to the first FIFA game of the new generation of gaming (at the time of this review anyway), FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup. This review however, is only about one of the many, many FIFA soccer games to grace the gaming market.

I have never been much of a FIFA fan myself, or a soccer fan for that matter, following a different football code (Australian Football League) my entire life. I played some of the FIFA game from time to time, but never took the liberty of purchasing one. However recently I have found myself to be quite a bit more interested in soccer and after playing FIFA 06 on a friend's XBOX, I saw the quality of the game on a console, and enjoyed the experience much more than I ever did playing it on a PC, as I mainly did before then.

It was then and there that I intended to buy this game for my GameCube, and a month or so later, I did. Now, enough with my life story. Read on to find how I felt about the first (team) sport console game I have owned since NBA for the SNES.

Gameplay:
Score: 9/10

Since FIFA was a soccer game I didn't really expect anything more than picking a side from one of the many leagues and getting started on a season long journey, having to worry about nothing more than formations, substitutions, injuries and the likes. I was surprised however, when I discovered that FIFA 06 was not quite like that. There is no Season Mode in 06 to take the title of the main mode in the game. Instead there is a Manager Mode.

Big whoop! All they changed was the name and maybe a few small things, right?

Wrong. In 06, Manager Mode is sort of like, let's say the story of the game. You're don't pick a team and stick with them to the end of a season, after which you can start fresh, all over again, with the same or another team. Instead, you create a manager and embark on a 15 year journey as a football manager. You can pick which team you want to play with each season, change at the end or stick with your current team, change formations, contracts lengths, ticket prices, deal with the media, etc, all vital in ensuring a strong team and position with both the board members and the fans. If you got this game wanting to only deal with playing game after game, then this probably isn't the soccer game for you.

At the start you'll be playing with some nobody teams. Don't expect to play with 5 star teams like Chelsea or Real Madrid right off the bat. You'll have to work you're way to that level. In theory you can pick a 4 star team on your first season with the club, but that probably isn't the smartest course of action for you to take.

Why, you ask? Well look at this way, depending on your status as a manager (begin at 1, and aim to work your way up to 10,late in your 15 year long expedition)you will be able to sign with some sponsors. If you're rank is only 1, as it will be at the start of your career, don't expect to be able to handle the salaries needed to work with a 4 star team. You just won't get anywhere near enough money from your sponsor, which is why you should start with a (preferably) 1 and a half to a 2 and a half star team. I'll suggest you stick to this team for a few seasons, win some matches, and depending on your success, not only will you team have improved a star or so, you'll also be a higher ranked manager, ready to tackle those 4 star teams (albeit, you might have to edit the players contracts, to stop yourself from saying bye-bye for losing to much money on your salary).

Now you might be wondering something along the lines as to: 'When can I play with some 4 and a half or some 5 star teams?' Well, to do that, you'll have to complete some of the FIFA Challenges and earn some Fan Shop points, which will not only allow you to buy nifty stuff, such as different colored soccer balls or new practice stadiums, save up 5000 points and you will be able to purchase Career Teams, which will allow you from the beginning of the next season, to sign with a quality team. w00t! w00t!

Well, I think it is about time to talk about the actual match gameplay. Well, obviously the mechanics of FIFA 06 is not going to be very different from recent FIFA games, except with a few additions here and there and a few extra moves.

So, basically you simple defend, pass, shoot and (hopefully) score. Get more goals and win! Draw in special matches and play extra time (2 extra 15 minute halves), no goals scored in extra time? Go to penalties, where a winner will be found.

Now, there is a large array of different kicking options, such as normal passing, through balls and lobs and the way to more advanced skills, such as lobbed one-two. These obviously require more complicated button sequences to be pulled off. Personally, being a noob to FIFA matches I usually use through balls or lobbed through balls, I'll sometimes cross, and when in range of goal, shoot. That's right, nothing very complicated at all. In fact, I've totally forsaken the use of A, (normal passing) using Y (through ball) instead, which I find to be more useful.

Now time to discuss the difficulty of this game.
*Cries because is pathetic at game*
Matches in FIFA 06 are very fun and enjoyable, although (for me at least) prove to be difficult on anything other than Amateur. Now, Semi Pro isn't that hard, but I find it very difficult to get anything past the goal keeper. Pro and Worldclass, for me at least, is nothing short of impossible. However, if you have more experience in FIFA games or if you commit more time to the game than I did, you should be just fine. My friend, for example, is perfectly able of beating a 5 star team on Worldclass, something I can only manage on Amateur, which I find to be quite easy.

Manager Mode in 06 is a very long, long mode. If you have other games to play, and only play one console game at a time like me, then I guess you're going to have some problems. Luckily you can Sim matches so you don't have to waste your time playing against 2 or 3 star teams when you a 5 star team at the top of the league ladder. I really think the FIFA team should have thought this through better, and added options to choose from (for example) 1, 5, 10 or 15 seasons to suit everyone's gaming needs. Because let's face it, not every gamer (especially the real casual ones that like to play games once in a while, or those hardcore games that have a whole heap of games that need winning) is going to want to wade through 15 long seasons, in the end, they'll probably end up simming more matches than winning, like I did. Luckily managing a team is very fun or else many people would have been bored from the constant simming.

Graphics/Sound:
Score (Graphics): 9/10
Score (Sound) : 10/10

I was very pleased with the graphics that I first saw on XBOX, being played on a huge projector screen, more than double my size. When I got the game for my Cube I can still say the graphics were great, although there was one large (or should I say small) problem. My 51cm TV was too small to fully enjoy the graphical nature of this game, having to squint to see where the ball was and not being able to tell the players apart. However that all changed when I recently purchased a brand new 107cm HDTV, allowing me to use the old 68cm TV for my gaming needs. This fixed that problem and I could more readily see the nice graphics and was stunned at how detailed and unique each player was, compared to the painfully ugly AFL games that have been tormenting the Aussie gamer since EA stopped developing our national sports games. The cutscences here and there were very nice, and I fell in love with the instant replays cutscences. Overall the graphics in this will not disappoint.

The sound in this game is great. There is a large selection of music in the game, to keep your ears entertained while you are browsing the menus. But what really shines in this game in the almost flawless commentary in this game. After being plagued by choppy commentary in the AFL games I have played, this was a very refreshing and happily embraced feature of the game. At least when the commentators said the names of a player or the score in a match there tone of voice didn't change dramatically.

Overall both the graphics and sounds in this game are very well done by the developers.

Value:
Score: 10/10

If you're in the market for a sports game than FIFA 06 is certainly a title you should consider. It can last you a very, very long time and some fun multiplayer action. If you've gotten previous FIFA games though, and you didn't enjoy them much, then I wouldn't recommend you to buy this game, because even though I don't own any previous games, I've played them enough to tell that they are very similar. Be warned though, I wouldn't recommend over-dosing on this game, seeing as it is a sports game, you might get bored from the repetitiveness.

Tilt:
Score: 9/10

FIFA 06 is a very fun game to play, although it is only the matches that add to the enjoyment. Things like managing your team, trading, scouting and even changing player contracts is a very enjoyable (and offers some strategy) addition to this game. If you're looking for a sports game that will offer lots and lots of enjoyment then FIFA is the game for you. Just make sure not to rush, if you do the game will probably get repetitive and stale.

Final Recommendation:

Summary:

Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 9
Sound: 10
Value: 10
Tilt: 9
Overall (GFAQs format): 9
Overall (AVG): 9.3

In conclusion this is a great sports game. However if you're looking for a game with a lot of football action and don't want to spend much time with managing a team then you might want to look into the more realistic Pro Evolution Soccer series. Although I find FIFA 06 to be a more fun game (seeing as it isn't so realistic) and expect most people that aren't hardcore soccer fans to feel the same.

Overall, FIFA is a great soccer game that can be enjoyed by almost anyone who doesn't mind playing sports game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/21/05