GameCube

FIFA Soccer 07

Although it's not obvious to begin with, FIFA 07 is a huge step in the right direction for the series, with nearly every new addition adding positively to the game as a whole. Although still not quite as refined or smooth as Pro Evo, FIFA 07 is certainly kicking at the heels of its great competitor. Although likely to be the last instalment of the FIFA franchise on current generation consoles, EA can be happy with the fact that they have certainly saved the best for last, while giving next-gen FIFA titles the perfect foundation with which to keep the pressure on Pro Evo and push the series towards even bigger and better things.

FIFA 07 is an excellent game. Is it completely new? No. Is it revolutionary in some way? No. But EA has taken the core FIFA game and improved it to create the best FIFA footballer to date. If you are a soccer game fan, you simply can't miss this title.

Zugegeben, Electronic Arts hat mit FIFA 07 mal wieder einen tollen und in einigen Aspekten verbesserten Nachfolger geliefert. Aber will ich mir jedes Jahr ein neues Fußballspiel kaufen, das nur einige, wenige Verbesserungen bietet? Ich persönlich hätte kein Problem damit, auch einmal länger auf das nächste FIFA-Update zu warten, wenn ich dafür einen wirklichen Meilenstein des Genres bekäme.

FIFA 07 is a fun, fast-paced game of soccer and EA's finest effort to date. While the effort to imitate the best elements of Winning Eleven is obvious, EA does its own fair share of innovation with some great long-pall passing and jostling. With solid visuals and sound and a dearth of gamemodes, FIFA 07 is one of the best sports games of the year. Still, the gameplay needs a bit tightening up before it can overtake the competition.

Almost a year to the day since the release of FIFA 06, EA Sports has released that game's inevitable sequel, FIFA 07 for the GameCube. Last year's game could only be described as the best FIFA game to date; so the question, of course, is whether or not EA Canada has improved upon that game in any meaningful way. Not all of the changes that have been implemented since last year's game have been for the better, but there are more than enough improvements here to make FIFA 07 worth a look.

With all the predictability of England going to penalties in the quarter finals of a tournament, here comes EA with another annual FIFA update. Thankfully, EA has managed to do something the England football squad never did, and that is improve on their last performance. And here’s a shock result for the Pro Evo fans: the gap between FIFA and Pro Evo has gotten a whole lot smaller with this latest outing.

FIFA 07 is simply the finest iteration of the franchise ever created. Not only does it look great, sound great and have an atmosphere unlike any football game ever created, but it doesn’t play half bad either. Gameplay has always been the stumbling block of the FIFA franchise. Every version sees something else focused on, be it long balls, first touch, running off the ball, shooting, ball physics or something totally irrelevant and tedious that nobody cares about like custom crowd chanting. However, this year it would seem that EA have splashed the development talent and gone all out to create a football game that is finally worthy of the most beautiful of all games.

So, time for the big question. Is FIFA 07 the new king of football? To put it bluntly, no - but it's damn close. It's something I've thought long and hard about, but when the question is asked, PES still reigns supreme. FIFA 07 most definitely beats PES in a few areas, most notably in presentation and the brilliant first-touch control, but it's still not PES. While PES ambles along though, FIFA is making huge strides, so while in the end this might not be "the season," Pro Evolution Soccer's fall from the top might not be too far away. Still, FIFA 07 is a great game in its own right, and the best alternative players have had to PES in years.

Les équipes d'Electronic Arts ont les moyens financiers mais ont-ils la motivation et la connaissance nécessaires pour faire de cette série une référence du genre sur consoles ? Peut-être pas. En tout cas, cette année plus que jamais, FIFA reste fidèle à lui-même, dans les bons comme dans les mauvais côtés. Les fans aimeront mais devront tout de même réfléchir avant d'investir dans un opus trop similaire à son aîné, surtout si l'on se contente d'un usage solo puisqu'il n'y a pas de Ligues Interactives sur GameCube.