|
FIFA.
Poke as many jokes as you like at the series that it was a game
of run and gun soccer, where you could score every three minutes, but
that doesn’t erase the fact that it was a very easy game to get into.
Anyone could pick up the control, start playing, and have fun
right quick. Now, there is a much steeper learning curve for getting into
the swing of things. It
also feels like the AI reflects these changes to the controls.
Players now need to pass the ball around a lot because if one
tries to run it in or hold onto it for too long, they can kiss it
goodbye as a defender runs off with it.
Now it’s all about little touch passes and fakes to quickly
feed the ball down the pitch. It
takes a while to get used to this, and once players get it down cold
they can start scoring like crazy, but it wouldn’t be surprising if
this turns into a turn off for many as it is such a drastic move away
from the gameplay comfort zone many long time FIFA fans have been in for
the last few years.
One
interesting thing discovered while playing this year's edition of the
game is that it is a lot harder to strip computer controlled players of
the ball than in previous games. Sliding tackles tend to earn
cards a lot more now, leaving players with little choice but to dog
their opponent and try and lightly manhandle the ball away.
Both
the visuals and audio this year are not a huge leap over that of the
last couple of FIFAs. There
may be some cleaned up areas here and there, but it’s nothing major,
and will likely go unnoticed by most.
Thankfully since it is FIFA we're talking about here, this translates
into another year of pretty visuals for the game.
As far as audio is concerned, it’s serviceable, but the
announcers need work. Their speech is still somewhat halted, and can come across as
very robotic at times.

Despite
these issues, the overall experience in FIFA 06 is reasonably enjoyable.
It takes some getting used to compared to previous installments,
but those with some patience can get some enjoyment out of the game.
There’s still a lot of fun to be had with this game, it just
takes time to get there. Once players get used to a more subtle approach to gameplay,
and can tap the ball around the field, they’ll feel right at home with
this game. There’s a very
nice practice mode in the game that is perfect for this.
Spend a few hours here just getting accustomed to how FIFA 06
works, and you’ll be off to the races.
Some of the added controls are actually quite helpful, like the
ability to call out tactical plays on the fly with the directional pad. This works out extremely well in those moments when the
defense looks like they’re going to pose a problem and you need to
make some play changes on the fly.
That
in mind, FIFA 06 is still a recommended title.
You need to work a little more to figure out the game, but once
that little epiphany happens, you’re golden.
Whether or not one has the patience to get to that point is
another thing all together, though.
Mr.
Nash
(November
30, 2005)
Search
for Related Topics:
...More
Playstation 2 Game Reviews...
...More
Sports Game Reviews...
...More
Reviews of Games Developed/Published by Electronic Arts... |