27.10.2005

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 The isometric pitches and teams of identical players that graced EA Sports' earliest offerings have now been replaced by stadiums and players that can be difficult to distinguish from their real-life counterparts.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.You're sure to find something in the fan shop that's to your liking.The first time you play FIFA 06, you'll be prompted to let the game know which of its 500-plus teams is your favorite, and then, before you know what's going on, you'll be challenged to a match against a formidable "Classic XI" squad that counts such men as Zico and Eric Cantona among its players. Winning that match will award you your first 1,000 points to spend at the fan shop on such unlockables as classic player profiles, all-star teams, different-colored balls, alternate team uniforms, extra player celebrations, new stadiums, and season highlights footage from last year's German, English, French, and Italian leagues. To stand a chance of winning that match, you'll need a good grasp of FIFA 06's control scheme, which--although there have been some improvements made since last year--certainly won't be a problem if you're a fan of the series.If you're not a fan of the FIFA series but are taking the time to read this review, it's probably because you're a Winning Eleven devotee, in which case you'll be pleased to know that the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of FIFA 06 let you opt for an alternate control scheme that's straight out of Konami's soccer franchise. The PC game also features customizable controls, although it's impossible to re-create Winning Eleven's controls perfectly.Once you've decided which button you want to use for shooting and which you want to use for long passes, you can start familiarizing yourself with some of FIFA 06's new controls, which include using the D pad or left analog stick to change offensive and defensive tactics on the fly, as well as using a single button to perform a dummy move (either to yourself or to a teammate) whenever a pass is headed your way. There are eight different tactical changes and team mentalities you can switch on and off on the fly, including counter attack wing play, box overload, offside trap, and zone defense. Like many of FIFA 06's new features, these aren't really explained in the instruction manual but are instead covered comprehensively via easy-to-follow help screens in-game.Other changes you'll find on the pitch in FIFA 06 include much simpler (almost to the point of being retro) control systems for set pieces, much-improved commentary and TV-style presentation, and the all-new playing-style feature, which affects your team's performance based on how well your players feel the match is going. This doesn't necessarily mean that your team will become stronger if it's winning, though, because your players' morale is influenced by recent action on the pitch rather than by everything that's happened since the kickoff, as well as by whether you're playing the match at home or away.The goalkeepers are well-behaved for the most part, though a little lazy.The boost your team will get from stringing together a few good moves against a team it's losing to is definitely noticeable, and you'll find the opposite is true if you're in charge of a winning team that's struggling to retain its lead. Individual players can also be affected by events on the pitch, and if you notice that one of your players is feeling particularly down, it's invariably a good idea to replace him with one of your substitutes--none of whom enjoys sitting out match after match on the bench.On the pitch, FIFA 06 is undoubtedly the best game in the series to date, but it's not without its flaws. The goalkeepers, for example, are extremely slow to come off their lines--even when the ball has been hoofed from the other end of the field and there are no other players with a hope in hell of reaching it before they do. This is actually a good thing when it's your keeper, because you can bring him off his line manually, and you don't have to worry about him going on a walkabout of his own volition. The keepers on CPU-controlled teams, though, appear to be largely unaware of the "keeper charge" button, although they do become more proactive as you move up through the game's four difficulty levels. FIFA 06's other main flaw, which is more of an issue on the PS2 than on any other platform, is that the whole game can slow down quite dramatically when a large number of players is onscreen simultaneously. The drops in the frame rate aren't so bad that the game is rendered unplayable, but they're certainly noticeable enough to be worthy of mention. If you're playing FIFA 06 solo, one of the first gameplay options you'll want to check out (perhaps after playing a couple of practice matches) will undoubtedly be manager mode, which lets you take charge of a team anywhere in the world so you can play through a career spanning no fewer than 15 years. You won't be able to assume control of whichever team you want from the outset, because most of the top teams seem to be happy with their current managers, but there are plenty of jobs to choose from that will make for great stepping stones en route to the management position of your dreams (if it isn't available on day one).Need better backroom staff? Throw money at them.Once you've taken a job as a manager, you'll receive your first e-mail informing you of the board's expectations for the season, and you'll be introduced to FIFA 06's simplistic backroom staff system. As a manager in FIFA 06, you'll have eight staff members working under you, including a negotiator, a scout, a stadium manager, and coaches specializing in fitness, goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and strikers. Each member of your staff has an effectiveness rating of between 1 and 10 that can be upgraded simply by spending money on him. Money isn't always easy to come by in FIFA 06, though, so you'll almost certainly want to keep some funds available for the transfer market and for sending your scout in search of young, unsigned player talent from time to time.One of the easiest ways to make money for your team, of course, is to sign a lucrative sponsorship deal, of which you'll have plenty to choose from before guiding your team through its first match. You'll choose your sponsor based on the various amounts of cash offered to you in the form of match funding and as bonuses for different competitions. Opting for the sponsor that's offering you the most money seems like the obvious thing to do, and you actually can't go far wrong if you do so. However, it's worth noting that the sponsors offering smaller figures generally have less-strict qualifying requirements for their handouts. So while one sponsor might offer you a fortune for winning the league, for example, another might offer you a more modest sum that you can get your hands on simply by finishing in the top half of the table. The other ways you'll earn money in FIFA 06 are by doing well in competitions and by charging fans to come and watch your team in action. And before every home game you can choose to set a low, medium, or high ticket price--bearing in mind that you won't endear yourself to fans by charging them an arm and a leg to get through the turnstiles.Fan support is one of three considerations you'll have to bear in mind every time you make a decision as a manager, along with team chemistry and your job security. You're scored on each of these considerations with a number between 1 and 100, and letting any one of them fall too low can have disastrous results. For the most part, you can keep everyone happy by simply winning matches, but you'll also be presented with random managerial decisions to make, from time to time, that invariably have an immediate effect on the parties concerned. Typical managerial decisions include dealing with problems in the dressing room or answering an interview question for a local newspaper. And although the "correct" answers are usually obvious, some of the situations you'll find yourself in are really quite tricky. Some of the random events in FIFA 06 unfortunately don't give you an opportunity to provide any input whatsoever, so don't be surprised if you find yourself falling out of favor with your fans and superiors after a squabble with a rival manager outside your stadium once in a while.Lose the support of your fans or directors and you could find yourself out of a job.FIFA 06's manager mode is easy to get to grips with and is undoubtedly the best way to play the game if you're on your own. A little more depth during transfer negotiations, in addition to more feedback from your directors, fans, and players, would have been nice, but the simple fact that you can now search every league in the game for players you might like to sign--according to their positions and ratings--makes this a dramatic improvement over last year's career mode.When you're not playing FIFA 06 solo, and especially if you're in a room with no more than seven of your friends, you'll definitely want to take advantage of the all-new lounge mode, which, despite what it says on the packaging, is not a feature of the PC version of the game. If you're playing FIFA 06 on the PS2 or Xbox, lounge mode is the perfect way to enjoy the game with your friends, not only because it'll keep track of all your results throughout the session (and subsequent sessions, if you choose to save your progress), but also because it incorporates some quite ingenious features designed to level the playing field when players are mismatched.These "cheap shots" are essentially power-ups for your team (or power-downs for the opposition) that you'll be awarded according to your standing in the lounge mode league table. There are 20 different cheap shots in total, including such devious prematch plays as issuing yellow cards to a bunch of opposing players, setting your opposition's fatigue level to 50 percent before the game even gets under way, and benching a rival's star player. Some of the cheap shots can even be activated in the middle of a match, such as instantly fatiguing an opponent or, if things really aren't going your way, restarting the game completely. The weaker players in your lounge group will invariably end up with more cheap shots in their arsenals than those of you with mad FIFA skills, and they'll have the option to store them for as long as they like and can play up to three in a single match, which really turns the tables in their favor. It's an innovative and unusual handicapping system for sure, but it's one that works extremely well, even if there are only two of you in the lounge at the time.FIFA 06 is great solo, but really comes into its own when played with friends.The other gameplay mode you'll want to check out, if you're properly equipped to do so, is online play, which is the one feature of FIFA 06 that varies quite considerably depending on which version you're playing. Quick match, tournament, and outdated lobby options (as well as an EA Nation membership requirement) are featured--regardless of your hardware choice--but that's really where the similarities end. The Xbox version of FIFA 06 boasts the best online play at this point, not only because it's the easiest to get started and the majority of players have microphone headsets, but also because it's the only one that doesn't require a $2 subscription fee to play.Not that the PlayStation 2 and PC versions of FIFA 06 actually require $2 from you. No, not at all. You can instead choose to have a well-known soccer Web site "pay the subscription for you" in return for an e-mail address that can be used to contact you about "offers and promotions." Given the cost of purchasing a copy of FIFA 06, the request for an additional subscription fee or e-mail address seems like something of a slap in the face from EA. It bears mentioning that EA has once again made the Xbox Live service rather unwieldy and tougher to use as well, thanks to its insistence on using its outdated online service conventions. However, it's still the best online option available amid the different platforms, regardless of such butchery.Based on our experiences to date, the PS2 version of FIFA 06 simply doesn't like to be played online. After using the game's clumsy lobby system to locate an opponent with an acceptable ping (nobody ever seems to use the quick match option), you'll have an opportunity to tinker with your team selection, and then, if you're lucky, you'll get to play a game without too much lag. More often than not, though, you'll find that the frame rate sucks and that there's a short delay between you pressing a button and your player actually doing what he's told. If you're even more unlucky, which we apparently were during our testing of the game, you won't get to play against some of your opponents at all but will instead have an opportunity to check out FIFA 06's less-than-glamorous "connection failed" screen.FIFA 06 is the best FIFA yet, period.The PC version of FIFA 06 uses the same EA Nation online infrastructure as other EA Sports PC games, meaning you can bet credits from your virtual wallet on the outcome of matches, choose an EA Sports-themed avatar for your profile, and use an entirely different, clumsy lobby system to search for opponents. With that said, the online play in the PC game performs well once you get a match started, though you won't be able to use any custom control setups against online opponents until the first FIFA 06 patch is released, because there's currently no way to save them.Regardless of its less-than-perfect online play, FIFA 06 is a game that no soccer fan should be without. The offline gameplay is difficult to fault, the graphics (especially the stadiums and player animations) rarely fail to impress, and the game's eclectic soundtrack (which boasts no fewer than 38 tracks from all over the world) never sounds out of place. The sound of a stadium full of fans chanting in FIFA 06 is also a real treat, and it really helps set the atmosphere ahead of an important match. To quote one of the game's many musical anthems, FIFA 06 "feels just like it should."

3.10.2005

Firstly I'd like to say I am a big fan of the FIFA series but also like the odd game of Pro Evo. I am not here to say which is better as I feel they are both decent games and is really up to the individuals needs. People who like pro evo are constantly putting the game down as being too easy but most wont have played the newest addition to the FIFA series. I feel there may be some Pro Evo fans who actually like this FIFA!I have to say that I was expecting a lot from this new FIFA and was a little let down when I first played it. It took me a few games to get the hang of the new style and noticed straight away that the game has a few really annoying faults.The graphics haven't changed much withregards to player likenesess and the commentary is a little annoying to start with but you soon get used to Andy Gray sounding like a chipmunk.The transfer's on the game are not up to date as the game was finished a week before the close of the transfer window. This isn't much of a problem as you can update the teams yourself, though a little annoying when you just want to pick up and play.I also found that there are a lot of players missing from the game which is very suprising as I've never had this problem before.Some of the missing players are well know too.Being an Everton fan they where the first team I wanted to update.Ferrari from Roma, Van Der Meyde from Inter and Nuno Valente from Porto where the only changes I needed to make.Ferrari is the only one in the game!Valente is a Portugal international player and is actually in the international side on FIFA 06 but he cannot be found in the Porto side!Then on to Van der Meyde, another World Class international player who is well known in Europe but again can't be found in the Inter side and the game doesn't even feature the Holland national side!!Looking around the Premiership there are a few regular players missing from some other sides, I wont list them as there are quite a few. The only way round this is to create them in the create player screen.I'm sure there are more things that people dont like but they are the major ones I have found.Maybe a glich too I noticed Birmingham dont have names on the back of their kits! weird.On the up side though there are quite a lot of new things.The gameplay is smoother in a strange sort of way and feels a lot different from previous incarnations.It's harder to tackle players now and often the slide tackle can end in a straight red. Frustrating at first but realistic.Shooting is also harder.Unlike the other FIFA games where it was possible to score from 30 or 40 yards out it is now harder to find space to get a decent shot off and often the keeper has is covered anyway. As it's harder to find space it's harder to score the same goal more than once.The corner and freekick system has also changed, the target arrow is back from earlier versions. The freekick no longer has a target or the ball in the lower corner for spin. Now you have to position the player using both analogue sticks to aim and although it's fairly easy to get the shot on taget you only score about 1 in 15 rather than 1 in 5 as in FIFA '05.The more in depth manager experience is ace, and it's recommended to start in a lower league, rather than as Celtic for the first season then a Premier Team in the second!!The game also has better stadiums, there are empty seats when playing a poor side! More skills which are easy to carry out, ability to edit current player's stats as well as a decent soundtrack.Anyway, it's a pretty decent game even with the annoying faults. I can see a lot of people disliking it as it may take a little more practice to master than before and some may not like the new system of play.I feel this is a step forward for the FIFA series and through it's errors they can only learn.I recomend trying before buying it as it may not appeal to every fan of other FIFA games, but it's worth the £30 as it'll deffo keep you occupied until the next gen consoles are released.

2.10.2005

I have a confession to make, I am a pro evo zealot (yes I play on 6 stars and have sworn my alliegance to burn all pro-fifa gamers). but after deciding i needed some footie action and not being able to wait for the october release i opted to buy fifa 06 having heard good things about it in games master magazine. i wasnt expecting much but it woulld tide me over until pro evo's release. well let me say this, i was blown away by the game!First off let me make on thing clear, gameplay wise its nowhere near pro evo, not even pro evo 3. but dont that put u off coz theres something about the way it plays that makes it, i dunno...'special'. it seems to capture the drama of the game.

16.2.2006

I have not owned a Fifa game for a good few years and since then I have been playing the Pro Evo series. I thought this time round I would make a change and 'cross over' to Fifa 06.My Initial reactions are that the licensed teams, players and stadia are excellent. The soundtrack is good and there are a nice mix of tracks and commentary snippets to listen to as you play around in the menu screens.I have only had the game a couple of weeks, but I do have some minor gripes about the gameplay itself, in particular the short passing and general shooting, which seems a little 'weak' in my opinion, maybe thats just me. It is challenging when you first play it and the first few games I played did end 0-0 or the odd 1-0 wins,

13.7.2006

I have long been a fan of PES but decided after a few years away from FIFA that I'd give it a go. I was very disappointed with the gameplay although with so many leagues and modes it feels like a management game and simulation rolled into one. With some work on the gameplay this could be far better than PES, the latest version of which has lost its way a bit. A few complaints I have about FIFA above all are :-- through the menus the default answer to "are you sure?" is "no", this makes for a lot slower manoeuvring through the game menus. Also the option to view the game stats is pointless as it goes to it anyway!- the general in game management is poor,

10.10.2005

I like so many people were eagerly awaiting the arrival of pro evolution soccer 5 rather than fifa, but thought i would give fifa a try in a shop and liked it!I was never a fifa fan, the previous games were either far too easy or far too hard, with stick like effects on the ball, and dodgy physics with playability, but now having played fifa and bought it... i can honestly say that it has improved 100x on it's predecessors, still some kinks to iron out, like stupid tackling, and the fact that most defenders can still catch up with defoe, owen, robben and the like who are pacey. Also the shooting is still not great, unlike in pro evo where if you shoot in a direction, the ball will go that way,

16.1.2006

First of all no other football game competes with fifa, and fifa 06 is bloody awesome. The problem with most people who play it is that they have no patients and after playing for a little bit decide the game is no good. I have to admit, when i started playing fifa 06 after thrashing every team 8-0 on world class in fifa 05, i expected it to be easy, but even on the easiest level at first, it was quite a challenge which i felt was great and much more realistic. After playing it for a solid couple of weeks i was already playing on world class and loving the game.Manager mode is awesome! With all new additions such as sponsors, scouting and player contract renewals,

27.3.2006

This is truly a leap forward for the FIFA franchise.Some thoughts on things that matter to me in these games:Strategy - you need to watch your players and carefully time when you initiate their run. They're always looking for space.Passing - Lovely triangular passing can frustrate opponents and draw players in to create space.Crossing - lobbing it into the box won't do... you need precision crossing and their are many different types.Shooting - Much more difficult/realistic than in previous FIFA's. Placement - in terms of the keeper and the shot - are now critical as are other factors such as the players direction... And they will sail past time after time...

13.11.2005

For me, this isn't between Fifa and Pro Evo/ Winning Eleven. This is between Fifa 2006 and Fifa 2005, because I'll never like/love/play Pro Evolution 5, no matter how much people say it is better.EA still has what it takes to make a footy game look good. Problem is, how well it plays still remains a huge setback for the Fifa games.Nevertheless, Fifa 2006 is, no doubt, the best Fifa till date - a vast improvement for last year's effort. If you're a Fifa fan and you're looking for a change from the rubbish that Fifa 2005 was, you'll love this game.Although - there's a setback - just like in every Fifa game that has been released on the PS2. The glitches and mistakes can be unbearable at times (for the PC version).

4.10.2005

For just 30 quid Fifa looked a great game to me. I had read all the reviews by PES fans who had never played the game commenting how bad it was but they have no evidence to back them up. My first impressions of Fifa were good, the game looked great, the soundtrack is the best yet and the authenticy is amazing.One of the only flaws in the game is the transfers which haveonly been updated to the 24th August but that doesn't really let it down at all. It is a lot more challenging than 05 which in my eyes is a good thing because 05 could get so repetitve being able to run straight through the defence and score.The all-new manager mode is great also. It is so much better than the career in 05 and anything that PES has to offer.

26.11.2005

Well i bought it a couple of months back (yes im writing the review now after playing the game to death)and my feelings were mixed. The gameplay is more or less the same and can get frustrating sometimes. Shooting is real annoying. You have to aim your shot into the sides of the net where the keeper MAY not get it as he will save it like 70percent of the times on one on ones. The easiest way to slip it into the net its scoring from a header in a corner situation or chipping the keeper on one on ones. Another point to make is that sometimes that you can find your opponents a little to overewhelming. An example is that say your 1-0 down to liverpool, they suddenly become basically impossible to get the ball off them.

8.11.2005

Fifa 06 is a damn good football game. It is by no means perfect, but a significant improvement on 05, and vastly superior to the glitch-ridden 04.Being a fan of a lower league club (Brentford since you ask), the ability to recreate the less glamourous fixtures that Pro Evo, however fantastic, does not allow is superb. There's something far more exciting about scraping a 1-0 victory away to Rochdale in the LDV Vans Trophy than constantly battling against the titans of European football.Gameplay has improved and although certain areas are still found lacking (scoring from headers, ridiculously difficult in 04, is now a little too easy) it is a pleasure to play.Brentford's squad info and player likenesses are pretty good,

9.10.2005

Right, this is a fantastic game, im not going to get involved with the whole fifa/PES debate because i never played a PES game.Good Point:1. Harder to score2. Build-up play is longer and makes the games more enjoyable3. Graphics as good as ever4. New Manager Mode is great and authentic5. Great Sound track6. Every Goal is a great goalBad Points:1. Free kicks and corners and now nearly impossible to do anything with.2. although the manager mode is still good, it wont be good for the younger generation of player who dont understand that kind of thing or for those people who just like to be able to selected the squad and go play.3. Players reaction time isnt great4.

15.11.2005

I was originally going to wait until the magical date of december 25th to get this game but after my friend let me play against him i soon realised that i must buy it.It has vast improvements in both gameplay and graphics over that previous games and is far superior to Pro Evo.The previous two annual editions of fifa were dodgy in some parts but were slightly better than pro evo purely because of the graphics and name lisencing.this game, however, beats it hands down.the gameplay, which is the only thing going for pro evo, is now miles better in fifa which includes a highly detailed and manager friendly career mode. the graphics are improved and the names are still right.The only complaint is that the stats for all the players are slightly biased.

17.10.2005

What can i say? having played most of the previous fifa titles, i am glad to see an improvement in terms of realism and gameplay. The graphics and commentary have been slightly tweaked to give you a better feel to the matches and there are plenty of options and challenges to keep the solo player interested. The passing and crossing seems to be a lot more accurate in this edition and the set pieces seem an awful lot more realistic. Don't get me wrong, the shooting seems a little difficult at first, but it is still possible to score some amazing goals after a little practice. Having played this game for most of the weekend with a couple of mates, I am glad to say that I made the right decision when i bought it.

FIFA 06 (PS2) - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail