PlayStation 2

FIFA Soccer 06

FIFA 2006 is absolutely positively one of the best football games ever made and shows that EA is serious about competing with Pro Evo Soccer. PES5 will likely still be just ahead but EA is catching. The winner is the consumer as each development team pushes each other to bigger and better games. We can't wait to see what the two can pull out for next gen. Until then, FIFA 2006 remains one of the premiere console games, and we can't recommend 2006 to football fans enough.

EA Sports continues to refine the FIFA franchise in an attempt to finally topple the Winning Eleven series as the number one game in soccer fans' hearts. It's come close in previous years, with last year's game doing a remarkable job of getting so close as to be a matter of taste, rather than features -- but will it follow Madden as the definitive choice for the sport?

Since 1994, not a year has gone by without EA Sports releasing at least one new FIFA soccer game. And, predictably, 2005 is no exception. The isometric pitches and teams of identical players that graced EA Sports' earliest offerings have now been replaced by stadiums and players that can be difficult to distinguish from their real-life counterparts. And although there have been some ups and downs along the way, the series' gameplay has evolved at an equally impressive rate. FIFA 06 is particularly unusual in that it ditches some of the series' recent innovations in favor of tried-and-tested gameplay mechanics. However, it also adds plenty of new features that help make it the most realistic and accessible (and best) FIFA game to date.

One of the things that made me a fan of the FIFA series is that it's one of the easiest sports games to get into. It's not a weak game, but you don't have to be a soccer game pro (or be the sport's biggest fan) to get the most out of the game.

EA's other football franchise remains popular but isn't always the choice of the most serious soccer fans. For the 06 version, the developers at EA Canada have jammed every detail of every team and player into the game, making it the most thorough, most accurate representation of FIFA football we've seen yet. Knowing Thierry Henry's birthday, however is only so much fun. The challenge set before FIFA 06 this year and every other year is how well it can appeal to soccer fans who crave the gameplay depth and control found in Konami's Winning Eleven series.

Winning Eleven 7, released in early 2004, won the G4 TechTV Sports Game of the Year—quite an achievement for a soccer game. Even Europeans will concede that Winning Eleven is a magnificent football game, and EA needs to do something really special with future FIFA games if they plan to reclaim the top spot on the table.

Cette année promettait un choc de titan entre FIFA et PES, ce ne sera pas le cas puisque le premier nommé étant une franche déception. Si Konami se moque des licences, EA Sports se moque du gameplay en nous proposant encore et toujours la même façon répétitive de jouer. Au final, nous avons un bon jeu de foot mais qui est loin de tutoyer les sommets. La révolution n'aura donc pas lieu même si de petits efforts ont été faits mais l'évolution entre ce volet et son aîné est bien trop faible pour prétendre à une meilleure note.

The FIFA series has been constantly improving itself from the moment it was conceived. This newest one is without a doubt the best that I have played from the franchise, though I hate to say that it still isn't as good as Winning Eleven. If the online play had been nailed, the experience on the PS2 could have rivaled the Xbox, but as it stands Live outclasses this version in every way. The graphics and audio presentation is top notch though and there is so much to do with this game that it can be a daunting task to undertake.

This is one of the few years in FIFA's seemingly constant restructuring where one of its gameplay elements actually got stronger instead of being ignored or inexplicably dropped.

FIFA 06 adds little new to last years game, however if you're looking for a soccer game then this game will probably suit your needs, especially if you can't wait for Konami's upcoming PES5. A good game that doesn't add as much as it should have.

And it's this, combined with smart marketing and a plethora of licenses that will no doubt win over mainstream fans in FIFA's 15th year. But for skilled gamers looking for a more realistic and deep challenge it doesn't come within cooee of Pro Evolution Soccer's godliness. A decisive run up the midfield for sure, but robbed of the ball just before the penalty box.

Actually, I hate Football. In the past, you could have respect for these great football heroes, but that’s a time long gone by. I mean, just watch at these people trying to be a star! I turn on the television, sit down and what do I see? Some stupid arrogant snobs who think they are a so damn important. I get really mad because of their inappropriate sense of arrogance. So damn mad I just want to get those people against the wall.

If you hear the word football and you automatically think World Cup instead of Super Bowl, then this is definitely the right game for you. Anyone thinking of experimenting with the world’s most popular sport may want to try before you purchase FIFA ‘06. This is not the right game for everyone, but it is the right game for many of you. Fans of previous versions will be right at home. In the meantime there’s always EA’s other soccer title FIFA Street for some faster paced arcade style action.

Welcome to NLG Sports. From the NLG Sports studios in Baltimore, MD. I'm your, Mike Mullis. The same fact remains every year. Soccer apparently will never be a major sport in the United States. Indoor, outdoor, doesn't matter. I have been to see the Baltimore Blast MILS team many times, and the arena never draws over 4,000 people. And in the outdoor MLS, how many people can name more than three teams in the entire league? That's why Soccer isn't the popular sport that it is in Europe. We are an offensive minded society, and let's face it; Soccer is not an offensive game.

In terms of out-and-out throwaway, the new Manager Mode offers little in the way of real involvement beyond having the option to play up to 15 league seasons with a team of your choice. On paper it's a nice way of adding a Player Manager feel, with the ability to either play the game (as if it were a normal player versus CPU match), watch a quickfire text commentary, or skip straight to the result. Usefully, if things are going a bit pear-shaped you can choose to jump in and take over playing the game, although - annoyingly - you can't leave the CPU to simulate the game if you've had enough. Strangely, you can't simply act as a spectator; it's either control the match directly or not.

While soccer is growing in popularity in the US, it still isn’t anywhere near the level the sport has achieved throughout Europe, Central America, Africa, the Middle East and, well… pretty much everywhere else but America. Known globally as futbol, EA Sports’ latest foray into the only futbol title that John Madden’s never slapped his name on is a solid entry for the series. The new game features tons of teams from six areas around the globe, and you can play using any of them. So how does the game stack up? Let’s strike at the details.

FIFA has come a long way in the last twelve years, but most of its changes take a few iterations to refine. This is again the case with FIFA 06, a solid all-around improvement over last year’s game. Still, EA should focus on really nailing the online play missing in Winning Eleven and stop embarrassing the franchise with petty control tweaks. It’s the best FIFA to date, but still only the second best player on the pitch.

AS FAR AS THE global game is concerned there are two video game series that are hotly contesting the title to best represent the sport of football or, as we like to call it around our parts, soccer. The FIFA series and the Pro Evolution Soccer series are the two combatants. EA Sports brings its latest offering to the table with FIFA 06.