XB FIFA Soccer 2006

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2 stars (Disappointed) - I read the other rave reviews of this game, and I am - Electronic Arts,xb,fifa,soccer,2006,electronic,arts,games,video,games,xbfifasoccer2006 04 october, 200,XB FIFA Soccer 2006
Software Developed byElectronic Arts

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Description :

XB FIFA Soccer 2006 review:
2 stars (Disappointed) - I read the other rave reviews of this game, and I am confused. I've owned this game for about two weeks now, and these are my observations. I am only going to compare this game to the previous versions, as I don't play any other computer/video game system FIFA games.

Several things annoy me about this game. For one, I have never had to play any of the previous versions of this franchise on the amateur level just to be competitive. Until this version. Players do not move well without the ball. I cannot permanently set a team strategy, such as defense or attack or wing play or long ball, you have to set them as the game is going along, and I never have any idea whether my players are doing what I have set or not.

In previous versions, the defense would take the ball away from you as soon as they made contact with you, but not in every case (such as with the better players against weaker teams). In this version, I can be Real Madrid playing Crystal Palace and my forwards will lose the ball as soon as any random defender touches them. Free kicks are more complicated than in previous versions. When I hit the control to tell players to run, in previous versions they would start moving up field. In this version, they barely move at all, and most times ignore my request for them to run.

The transfer central control is a joke. Even when I am good teams, I have to overspend to sign even average players, but more often than not, I cannot sign the players I want no matter how much money I throw at them and their current team (as you have to set a transfer fee and salary during negotiations).

Maybe I am missing something. Maybe there are controls I have yet to figure out. But as of right now, I prefer FIFA 05 to this game hands-down. As I said, I've never had to play any of the previous versions of this franchise on the amateur setting just to be competitive. It's disappointing, to say the least.
4 stars (Much improved) - This is by far the best EA has created in their FIFA series. The atmosphere, graphics, and user interface are much improved over last year's version, but there are still some areas that need improvement.



First, the positives:

The gameplay is pretty realistic. The defense is much harder to break down than in previous versions, which seems to keep the scoreline in check.



The players don't have superhuman ball control like in 2004, and are even less sure-footed than 2005, so you'll actually see even the best players take a bad touch more often.



As far as the graphics go, I believe they're pretty strong. EA could have definitely done better on some of the players' resemblances, but the overall look of the stadiums, game action, and atmosphere is much improved over previous versions.



The new commentary is a nice touch. Having played the last two releases of FIFA, hearing some new commentary and a new voice is a nice touch.



Career Mode is much better in most ways. Although you are still limited to a 15-year career, the team management, player contracts, sponsor deals, and scouting add some new challenges to the career-minded player.



The negatives:

AI on the defense is ridiculous at times. It's been hard to gain a lot of possession due to the fact that if you're pressuring a defender, he will dribble away from you. He'll just dribble back to the 18-yard line and then kick it out-of-bounds. The fact that the computer is happy with dribbling in their third of the field with little ambition to move forward is a bit annoying and unrealistic...especially when they are losing by just a single goal.



This is not so much of a negative, but a warning. In career mode, you need to be careful with your budgeting. After 2-and-a-half seasons with Fiorentina, I was fired with a 17-1-0 record, while also still being alive in both the Italian Cup and Champions League. Performance on the field didn't matter when the money started drifting into negative numbers.



Finally, it's very difficult to build a powerhouse like Chelsea did in real life. The amount that the sponsors give your team doesn't seem to foot the bill for a team with more than a couple high-quality players. Winning tournaments and fulfilling sponsor agreements will provide you with the means to purchase good players, but the weekly salaries of these players might find you in a precarious position (see previous warning). It's also difficult to recruit these players, as many of the teams that I have tried to purchase players from, like Milan for instance, will tell you that they don't have enough players for an outright purchase. This can be frustrating since EA makes you start with a sub-par team.



Regardless, I have to give this game four stars for its attempts, successes, and improvement in realistic gameplay. Although there are a few flaws in the gameplay, it's still the best that EA has put out to date. EA's ability to provide up-to-date rosters, true-to-life stadium environments and kits, and solid graphics definitely help make it fun to play. I'd recommend it for any soccer fan who has stayed loyal to the EA series. You'll definitely enjoy the improvements.
4 stars (Finally got it right...almost.) - I've been an avid FIFA fan since it came out. In fact 99% of my gaming is spent on the most recent version of FIFA. FIFA 2006 is by far the best version yet. Game play has been touched up to give a better handle on the game. Players movements on both sides of the pitch seem to be more accurate to reality. Additionally refs handing out cards and calling hand ball seem to be more on par with the numbers you may see in a real match. As far as game play this game has made up for unrealistic versions of the past. Added features to '06 are also improved. I appreciate the 'loan' feature in the transfers section, as well as the sponsors, leader board, and other fine tuning the creaters have done. Chants and pitches are great. The extras seems a great improvement as well (more 3rd kits available this time around). HOWEVER, they still have missed two or three key elements. One, in manager mode you still can not choose all teams from the onset. This has been my biggest frustration. Being a Manchester United fan for almost 20 years, it frustrates me that I can not take on the club in Manager mode from the beginning--sure you can get there in a season or two, but then some players have retired, such as Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs. Allow all teams to be choosen from in the Manager mode. Second, allow player to set up the starting 11 in the CPUs team before the game begins. Sure some folks may weaken a team, but I'd like the option of setting up the CPUs team from starting 11 to the bench. Third, allow person in Manager mode to have a say in CPU transfers. Again some folks may use this to weaken teams but others will utilize this option to make the Manager Mode more difficult.

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