"Though it may be the biggest sport over in Europe soccer has still not made the impact here in the states many thought it would. On the other hand finding a soccer video game may be easier and gamers may have more of a choice than that of any other sports genre out there. EA has had a strong grip on that niche market for quite a time now so no one should be surprised they are the first publishers to release a soccer title on the Xbox 360."
Overall: where do I begin? I won't bore you with all the detail on game modes, etc b/cs its not worth it - this game stunk! I was extremely disppaontted in EA b/cs as the previous reviewer put it: they put something together last minute and then laughed all the way to the bank!!
You would think that EA had heard of the 360?? The WHOLE world knew this console was coming out - so why not start working on the FIFA game for the 360, say a year ahead of time? But no, they decided to wait until last minute and put out a crappy product. to take your money!
After great titles like FIFA 2004 and 2005, I was extremely disappointed in EA, but not suprised since they are a volume driven company that puts out many titles but no quality - a cash cow.
The 2 main things that are wrong with it are the gameplay and LIVE capability.
Gameplay: 1. LIVE stinks - either my copy is bad or you can never launch games "from the LIVE lobby". Basically you can only launch a "quick start" game (at randomn) not knowing at all who you'll play or at the sklill of your opponent. So the lobby feature does not work at all - you can not send a "game invite'challenge" to another player at all - you'll sit in the lobby for hours and never get to challenge/play anyone. Also, the leaderboards don't seem to work right, you can't track stats, etc - so basically the whole LIVE feature does not work well. This was one of the main reasons people have the 360 - bcs of its phenomenal LIVE capability
2. Overall Gameplay - sucks, horrible! Did you really htink people enjoy having every game go into penalties. That's basically what happens. I can understand how EA might of wanted to make it a bit more difficult to score, but it's basically impossble. Games are usually 1 or 2 score games and almost always go to penalties. I'm not a bad player at all if that's what your thinking - I was actually really good in 2004 and 2005, beating most of my opponents and scoring several goals - how can you win here (no matter what team you use) if every freakin game is tied and goes to penalties? Pretty annoying!
The look and feel of the game is cool, in terms of player movements, much like 2005, very "free" and "real life" like and they do a good job with immitating each players strenghts and weaknesses as we've seen before. Still has the use of the right analog stick to use "freestyle" type moves - but they certainly made it more difficult to master and score. Henry *France) can't score like he used to - and if he can't score when he's literally INCHES from the goal - then who can - Ronaldo, not! Ronaldinho - he's choked on me plenty of times as well.
On top of it all - it's THE ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP title and you CAN'T PLAY THE WORLD CUP!!! Frustarting.
So I guess you get my point in terms of gameplay: impossible to score, every game goes to penalties and you can't even play in the world cup!! Graphics: good graphics - certainly improved over previous versions. BUT - should have taken more advantage of the 360's capabilities. From a distance, the it lookslike your watching a soccer game on TV. But in the close ups/replays that are done - the players look WAY TOO much like dolls.
EA: go learn from Bungie and other game developes how to make good graphis for the 360 and actually put some effort into it. Sound: good sound and good soundtracks vith varied music from acorss the globe. not much you can do with a soccer game in terms of sorroundsound, etc but overall very good Suggestions: EA: stop thinking you guys are the best game developes out there and start putting some effort into your games - specially when in terms of LIVE and overall game play - complete disappointment. You better hope FIFA World CUP 2006 (to be realsed this week) is actually worth the $$$.
But then again, that's exactly why EA left us hanging with the current title - so we could not actually play the World Cup in it and have to spend another $59 to play the World Cup (all less than 6 months later).
Overall: FIFA 06 allows you to take an international team through a "season" in which you are invited to play "friendly" Matches, play qualification matches, and enter two ambiguous cup tournaments. You're main goal is to qualify for the world cup. Once that's done, you're season is over. Want to play the world cup? Tough, just take solace in the fact that you qualified and go to your local EB to preorder FIFA World Cup 06 from EA's money grubbing whores. This is a great soccer sim, but there is no excuse for its lack of depth. If I didn't know better, I'd think EA thought they could throw together a game based on a world famous sporting event, then laugh all the way to the bank. Gameplay: The gameplay is some of the best soccer simulation I've ever seen. If you were just playing against another human opponent, this would be the only soccer game you'd ever need. (Except for the limited team choices, that is.) It plays that well. The format, however, is boring. You play a bunch of meaningless matches, thrown in with world cup qualification. You can't play the world cup. You can, however, play in a league style tournament or a knockout tournament. The passing dribbling, shooting, is perfect. You really have to know what you're doing to score a goal and when you do, it is sooooo worth the effort. The headers are world class. Once you know what you're doing, you'll be taking the ball to the corner, crossing it, and finishing the opportunity with a world class header into the back of the net. If you look at the way the AI controls its team, it does an incredible job of simulating what an actual team would do. The only problem with the gameplay is the format. You should be able to use any club team, any international team, play a league or world cup qualifying schedule, and play the world cup tournament. All you can do is qualify for the cup. Graphics: The visuals are good, but not great. The HD makes the game look crisp and it looks stunning from a distance, but once you get up close and see the players faces, they look like wood. Visually, the game falls short of what the xbox 360 is capable. Sound: The sound is fine, brilliant in fact. When you score or miss an opportunity, the most noticeable thing soundwise is the crowd reaction. If you are playing away and score, the resulting cheer is much less than it would be at home. During a penalty shootout, when it gets tense, the roar of the crowd is deafening. At least they got the sound right... Suggestions: Next time you make a FIFA game, how about getting off your asses and putting some effort into it? Have all the teams and leagues available. Have the option to qualify for the world cup, but then be able to actually play it. Have a deeper game in general.
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