FIFA 06 Review

We'll admit to being fans of the FIFA series when so many pull up a face as though they've been kicked in the nuts with the mere mention of its name. Admittedly it's never been able to match Konami's superlative series when it comes to replicating the natural grace, steady build-up play or frenetic end-to-end action of the beautiful game, but there can be no denying that with last year's release they got back on track after some seriously woeful adaptations.

So it's a little surprising to find things have gone disastrously wrong with FIFA 06, and we're not entirely sure why. Perhaps the lack of a playable build at E3 in any shape or form was a dead give-away, leaving a behind-closed-doors demonstration of FIFA on the 360 as the sole appearance of the biggest brand in videogames; perhaps it's talk of a completely new development team behind the game; perhaps it's the fact that long-time FIFA mentor Bruce McMillan left the employment of EA recently after overseeing the series since its conception â⑬â?? somehow, somewhere FIFA has gone disastrously wrong.

One major indicator right from the start is the lack of this year's major new feature; each annual update in the FIFA series traditionally introduces a new concept be it the First Touch Control from FIFA 2005 or the ill-fated debut of dotted through-balls in FIFA 2002. This year EA has made very few announcements regarding features to be found in FIFA 06, largely relying on the two ugliest men in football to champion the game's cause. It's easy to see why; although the game may feature a similar level of beauty to the two protagonists, it certainly lacks their skill when it comes to taking it on to the pitch.

Initially it appears that EA have been happy to just release last year's version albeit with an unneeded visual lick of plaint and this season's player/team data; further play however reveals that the game actually takes a step backwards in many areas.

Don't ask us how but by some means FIFA 06 features absolutely ludicrous levels of AI, both from opponents and your own team-mates. FIFA's never really been noted for its sophisticated AI, however this year's version is something else; your own teammates obviously don't know the definition of a run into space, forcing the player to take â⑬œtotal controlâ⑬? simply because there's no other option â⑬â?? this may have been the tagline for FIFA 06 but there's no way this was what EA was thinking. Pressing an opponent with a ball often results in a hilarious situation whereby he'll dribble the ball back into his own area and occasionally into the box; there's one thing passing back to keep possession but this is unbelievable, seriously we haven't seen such a comical recreation of football in years.

One of the few introductions is for the player to bring the ball under close control, shielding it away from opponents. The implementation however is extremely shallow, requiring the sole use of one button and emphasising the sensation that the ball is stuck to the player's foot whilst skating along on ice!

Chuck in the fact that knock-down and flicks happen too often, too cheaply and you'll find the FIFA series has returned to its pinball origins that attracted all of the criticism the first time around â⑬â?? this is nothing like the real thing, coming across as a videogame adaptation of the sport, whacking up the tempo to unbelievable levels in an attempt to raise the excitement.

Had the core gameplay been half-decent (had it just been FIFA 2005) we would have been more inclined to check out the 15-year Managerial mode that builds heavily upon its predecessors and talked about its online enhancements; but because the actual game is such a terrible recreation, you'll find no urge whatsoever to even justify the cost of the game by playing these modes extensively, even playing against human opposition is no major enhancement!

In an ill-fated attempt to look â⑬œnext-genâ⑬? FIFA 05 features some sort of over-saturated style (read poor bloom lighting effect), with the typically detailed FIFA character models sporting a weird glow around them that just doesn't look right. Often framerate issues became apparent within the Xbox version, only for a split-second but enough to notice and detract your attention. Aside from these, a handful of new animations tied into the close control system and first touch control is about it, resulting in game that's virtually identical to FIFA 2005 but somehow actually worse â⑬â?? a good description for the rest of the game.

Long-standing FIFA fans (presumably you'll have to be to gain any satisfaction from this) will no doubt enjoy the retro look back at the series, whilst Playstation2 owners benefit from the inclusion of the SEGA MegaDrive title FIFA 94 â⑬â?? providing some value for money on nostalgic factor alone.

Oh EA what have you done; we we're getting to enjoy FIFA once again and now this. We're never ones to severely criticise an average game, however FIFA 06 beggars belief.

If you want a football game this season wait a and get Pro Evolution Soccer 5 instead.