Every four years an event happens that unites the world in a common goal. No, not the Olympics, as that happens every two years. The goal is winning soccer’s World Cup. Hooligans from all over the world flock to stadiums by the hundreds of thousands to cheer for their home nation. It’s a spectacle of balls, grass, kicking, flags, and fun. America may not be known for its soccer, but those that can find pleasure in the savage ballet that is European Football(American Soccer) will find a lot to love in 2006 FIFA World Cup, even if we don’t call the sport by its proper name. Not too long ago, EA released a completely mediocre soccer game with the FIFA title in it for the Xbox 360, but this latest game could not be further from that lackadaisical effort. Every facet of 2006 FIFA World Cup has been improved: The graphics are fantastic, the stadiums and players are all rendered beautifully, the gameplay has been tweaked to new, dizzying heights, and the action has been sped up to a near perfect pace.
The only glaring omission from this title is any type of franchise or season mode. This game is basically exactly what it says in the title: The World Cup tournament. It has some historical games that you can play, and you can practice or go online in ranked and unranked matches, but the guts of the game is the tournament. Every country you can imagine is represented with its full World Cup roster intact. If you want to try and get The Ivory Coast to the championship match, it is possible with World Cup 2006. The depth of the teams available is thrilling.
The whole game plays faster than FIFA 2006, as here EA has managed to set the perfect pace for soccer. Plays in the box are exciting and tense, and mid-field play is equally well done. The moves your players can do are not as plentiful as in Winning Eleven, the other notable representative of video game soccer, but this game caters more to the casual soccer fan, not the raving loony soccer maniac. Stealing the ball, for example, is all a matter of position. Moving close to the ball carrier will initiate some bumping, and hopefully knock the ball away. It is cleverly simple, but very deep in its execution.
The Xbox 360 is not the only system to see 2006 FIFA World Cup either, as the game has also found a home on the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and original Xbox. Besides the changes in online play and weaker graphics, the core gameplay remains the same, and the overall game is a solid addition to any sports lover’s library. The biggest difference between the games is the price tag. The next-gen offering demands a $60, while over version come in at half of that. Ultimately it comes down to the question of how flashy visuals and extra achievements me to you. Either way, if you consider yourself a soccer fan, you should probably be out buying this right now. Remember, the World Cup only happens every four years.
Score: 88%
