In the past, EA’s World Cup games only offered you the option of playing in the tournament, but this year they’ve been kind enough to provide us with the qualifying rounds of the tournament, as well as teams representing the majority of nations that attempted to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany (127 in total). This means you can relive Australia’s tough trek through the Oceanic qualifying rounds and playoffs, or go through the easy way as the USA – or for a tougher challenge, try to take Fiji or the Solomon Islands through to the finals.
It's not easy being green
2006 FIFA World Cup is really no different to other games from the EA Sports FIFA franchise in terms of how it plays – it’s really just football-lite, with simplistic gameplay, little managerial and statistical depth, but offers up all of the glitz and glamour you’d expect from the biggest event in sports. World Cup does feel considerably tighter when compared to FIFA 06 – players don’t sit still for no reason when given a leading pass, the freestyle moves on the right stick seem to be a little smoother (and players that aren’t gifted have a tendency to botch their moves), and there’s not a wealth of unnecessary cut scenes and graphical features that add nothing to the experience. The managerial options that are available to the player have all been bound to the D-Pad, so you can make quick changes to your squad, formation and strategy without having to go to a menu – which is pretty handy considering the audience at which the game is directed.
The speed of play has been turned up for 2006 FIFA World Cup, perhaps to make games more exciting for the casual audience which EA hopes will snap up the title. It works surprisingly well in a multiplayer match, but the AI seems a step or two behind the ball when playing solo. That’s not to suggest that there’s a return to the World Cup ’98 score lines of 20-0, but players will find that they’re winning fairly comfortably on the default difficulty, even if the score line is only 2-0. The offensive AI does seem a little more effective in how they spread the ball around the field – they’ll occasionally catch you napping and make a fast break, but it rarely makes a difference (Schwarzer is pretty awesome, though). Goalies are generally quite a bit more nimble than you’d expect – shots that would be sure-fire goals in previous FIFA games are usually deflected. Ball physics seem to hail from Bizarro World once again – this is a factor that EA really need to nail down in future FIFA games, as it’s one of the main advantages that Pro Evolution Soccer has over EA’s series.
Ronaldinho is famous for his dribbling
Once you’ve won the World Cup, there’s a series of 40 challenges on offer, which come from past situations in the World Cup Qualifiers and the Finals. It’s a nice little bonus, considering previous World Cup games have been completely barren, but it’s not exactly a new idea. Of course, you’ve got to beat all 40 challenges to get the majority of the game’s Achievement Points (500 points for completing the lot, 50 for completing one, 150 for qualifying for the cup, 250 for winning the cup, and 50 for beating the host), so that tacks on another week to the life of the game. Online play is here as always, but limited options and generous portions of lag at key moments of the game make 2006 FIFA World Cup’s online experience an exercise in frustration.
If there’s one area you can’t fault the majority of the FIFA games on, it is presentation, and 2006 FIFA World Cup has quite possible the best presentation of any FIFA title to date. Each of the stadiums planned to be used in the 2006 Finals in Germany has been faithfully recreated, which you’d expect, but EA has taken the time to make sure that these stadiums are filled with life and are reflective of the spectacle that is the World Cup; balloons, streamers and ticker tape litter the sky throughout the matches. The majority of players have been made to represent their real life counterparts, and obviously, the extra horsepower of the 360 goes a long way here. The problem with that is that there’s an obvious divide between player’s appearances in cut scenes, their appearance when the camera is up close, and how they look during the course of play – there’s no real cohesion, and that takes away from the game a bit. The animation is reasonably good for the most part, but you’ll find upon closer inspection, especially replays, that player models aren’t actually colliding with the ball; which looks especially silly.
Toni is not to be confused with Fat Tony, despite their Italian heritage
Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend return to provide match commentary, and prove to be a very competent team. We would like to see EA make a bit more effort in evolving the commentary of their games, as the duo seem to repeat a lot of their lines, and situational observation leaves a lot to be desired. Players will find that Tyldesley and Townsend’s comments will directly conflict – you’ll make a shot that just misses, Clive will mention how it’s just missed, and Andy will then make a canned response about how you were a mile out. It’s obviously not done on purpose, so it’s something that really needs to be sorted out. On the other hand, the crowd is sensational, getting heavily involved in the game, with chanting, stomping and screaming – it sounds really great, and adds an extra layer to that World Cup atmosphere. The selection of EA Trax is quite diverse, and should please those who do not generally appreciate EA’s taste in music.
When it’s all said and done, 2006 FIFA World Cup has all of the glitz and glamour of the tournament, but lacks the depth and lasting value that most gamers would expect from a football game. It’s pretty obvious that EA create their World Cup games to attract people who are caught up in the fever of the tournament – the game is faster, and sacrifices statistical and managerial depth for excitement and spectacle. If, come June, you’re into the cup and you need a quick soccer fix, seek this one out for a rental, but don’t expect long-term brilliance.
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