"Now this is more like a football game..."

INTRO

For several years Pro Evolution Soccer has been arguably the top football game. Now it looks like EA have finally made a game that could actually challenge the Pro Evo series. So why have I have decided to make this review a year after the game was released and in the same month that FIFA 07 is released? To show what a great game this is.

GAMEPLAY

In-Game:

The other games in this series had been much easier. Pass the ball around and when you get close to the goal let fly. Simple as that. Not any more. You have to pass the ball around better and think where you are going to go before you go there. You can't just run into the defence and expect to beat them all. That's just not possible, even on Amateur difficulty. Through balls are easier to pull off. Press the Y button to make a through ball to the nearest teammate. Handy if you are trying to attack quickly. The C stick is for tricks and other silky skills. Tap it in a direction and the player will do step overs. Tap it while you are sprinting ( R button ) and the player will dribble faster. The shooting bar is harder than ever to control. There is a new addition to this. In the shoot bar there is a 'sweet spot' and if you stop the shoot bar in the 'sweet spot' then the shot will be even more accurate than before. Goalkeepers are even harder to beat. They are also even more inept. They will fumble the ball sometimes and not hold onto a shot giving a nearby player the chance for a tap in. So if you're in a good spot have a shot.

Set pieces:

Free kicks are harder than before, with the crosshairs removed and the shoot bar even trickier to master. It really is difficult to score against a good keeper with a free kick. Corners used to be a chore with the old system. Now it's back to the good old kick-the-ball-into-the-box system. Aim at a player, charge up and release. Simple. Penalties are tricky. To be honest I never really understood how to save them. Just choose a direction to dive and hope that you are right. To score them you must either press and hold B or X. B shoots and X curls. Just try to aim for the top corner.

Practise Mode:

Yes, this mode is still here. I never really used it. Whenever I wanted to practise I would just play a friendly game. I sometimes used it for the fun setting that allows you to play just against the keeper. 11 of your players against 1 keeper. This helps your shooting. You can also use this mode to brush up on your set pieces.

Manager Mode:

This is my favourite part of the game. Manager Mode is longer than ever before with 15 seasons to test your managerial skills. This time you have more control over your club. You can buy players, sell players, change the number on a player's kit, scout for players, choose sponsers, change teams at the end of each season, stay with the same team at the end of each season, manage injuries, mange your player's fatigue, upgrade staff, choose ticket prices and more. This is a good mode to complete FIFA challenges ( see below ). When players retire FIFA 06 creates new players so that they don't run out of players.

FIFA challenges:

A new addition to the series is these series of challenges. They range from the usual ( win this tournament, win that league ) to the unusual ( score against a team in under 5 minutes, score a goal with your keeper ). Completing these challenges earn you points for spending in the Fan Shop. Challenges are split into different regions in the world.

Fan Shop:

You can spend points that you earn in the FIFA challenges here. When you buy something you unlock that thing for use in the game modes. You can buy things like new stadiums, new footballs, new team kits and 2 new teams.

SOUND

In-game:

The sounds are fantastic. When you score at home the fans cheer loudly but when you score away from home the fans don't cheer as loudly as they would. The commentary is great with commentators reacting to each thing on the pitch. Other things such as kicking the ball hard and hitting the post and bar are really realistic.

Playlist:

The playlist is quite good with popular artists and bands such as Oasis and not so popular artists.

GRAPHICS

The graphics are great with players faces really well duplicated to look like the real thing. This is really noticed with big teams such as Real Madrid and Manchester United. Not all players are like this though. Stadiums look really like the real thing with a large selection of stadiums from Manchester United's Old Trafford to Barcelona's Nou Camp.

DIFFICULTY

This game is quite easy to learn but difficult to master. The difficulty levels are Amateur, Semi-pro, Professional, World Class and Legendary. Legendary is unlocked by completing all the FIFA challenges in 2 different regions. I can beat any team on Professional level but I can only just manage a win on World Class.

Pros:

+Great gameplay
+Great graphics
+Great commentary
+Players look even more realistic
+Manager mode is even more in-depth
+Long lifespan with 15 season Manager mode and FIFA challenges
+Loads of teams and players from around 20 different countries
+Great sounds

Cons:

-Players are brushed off the ball to easily by defenders
-Midfield can become too crowded

CONCLUSION

FIFA 06 is a great game with gameplay even more enhanced. If there is a game to rival Pro Evolution Soccer's greatness, then this is it. Definitely 10/10.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/11/06