Quick review of FIFA 2006: Road to FIFA World Cup for Xbox360
Let me first preface this quick review by saying that I love soccer — or ‘football’ as it really should be called. I played football growing up, it was my first sport, and I watch about an hour of week of various games/highlights etc. I also follow the world cup very closely, and will even purchase some football jerseys when I am travelling in a new city.
OK, with that disclaimer out of the way, let’s get in to the game.
The good: Stadium details are strong, uniforms look very real, and the FIFA franchise has always had the best commentary — and this version is no exception.
The bad: What happened to improving on prior efforts ? The gamepaly is a step backwards. The physics seem off — as if the ball is guessing where it should be, and the camera angles reveal all kinds of visual problems - ghosting and strange player models.
The ugly: I think the PS2 and Xbox versions were better, and visually on the same level. This game was rushed out, or simply neglected by the EA folks. Online play is also poorly setup, using their own EA lobby method instead of the superior microsoft default one.
Conclusion: Stay away from this title. Major step backwards, and a worrisome pattern with EA rushing out sports titles for Xbox360 — which in my mind includes Madden 2006.
Add comment February 9th, 2006