World Tour Soccer 06 - Playstation Portable (PSP) Reviews


	Platform PSP Genre Sports Publisher SCEA Developer SCEE ESRB "E" (Everyone) Released June 27, 2006

- Fast and easy to play - Arcade-style challenge points and modes

- No sim or career modes - Very average graphics

Review: World Tour Soccer 2005 (PS2) Review: Super Mario Strikers (GC) Review: FIFA Soccer 06 (360)
Newsletter
Be notified of site updates. Sign-up for the Newsletter sent out twice weekly. Enter E-Mail Address Below: Subscribe \| Unsubscribe

World Tour Soccer 06

Score: 7.5 / 10

No matter how hard it tries, Sony’s attempts at soccer games have never quite garnered the same respect as Electronic Arts’ FIFA or Konami’s Winning Eleven. That being said, they still pump out some decent titles. As one might expect, World Tour Soccer 06 for the PSP won’t convert fans who’ve already worn out their portables with competing soccer titles, but it’s actually a nice starting point for more casual soccer fans, and somehow ends up better than the PS2 version.

The biggest difference from your standard soccer game is the arcade-style score at the top of the screen. Every time you make a successful pass, attempt a shot, or otherwise do anything stylish, you’ll get points. Lose possession, cause fouls or otherwise screw up, and you’ll lose points. It’s an interesting system, since it essentially rewards every move you pull off, proving you’re not sloppy, and it

Advertisement

- Sports Game Reviews
- Games Published by Sony

keeps you playing aggressively. At the end of each match, you’re graded on your score, and given various medals based on your accomplishment, even if you actually lost the actual game.

There are also a few different match styles. In All Rounder, you need to pass the ball to everyone on your team before you’re allowed to score a goal, and in Totally Outnumbered, you’re forced to play with less

Advertisement

players. Pass Clock and Shot Clock are just as they sound, and force you into making moves based on a timer. It drastically alters the way you play when you need to make a shot within ten seconds or else you lose possession. As annoying as these are at first, it keeps the games fresh and unique, at least more so than your standard soccer game, and more than makes up for the lack of the FIFA license.

The gameplay is fast and friendly, with X acting as a pass, Circle acting as a long pass, and Square shooting. As one might expect, the analog nub still doesn’t provide precise control, but the movement is loose enough that it’s never much of a problem. The graphics are merely adequate, with player models that tend to look a bit ugly during close-ups, but the lack of detail keeps the game moving along at a steady frame rate. It also helps the load times - other than a thirty second or so wait when first beginning, you can play through the rest of the match entirely uninterrupted. There’s also support for four player gaming, both online and ad-hoc, in addition to a game-sharing mode, although the downloaded demo unfortunately only works in single player mode.

Although it lacks the depth of other portable soccer games, and the AI may be a bit too wussy for veterans, World Tour Soccer 06 is a great choice for less serious games due to its easy pick up and play nature. The lack of a simulation mode hurts the longevity, but the various modes keeps things fresh every time you turn on your PSP.

- Kurt Kalata

(August 2, 2006)