BIOS: Technology Means Business

Electronic Arts is the world’s largest interactive entertainment software company. It’s also at the forefront of sports games and the FIFA brand has been around for just about as long as anyone can remember. So what can the company do to improve on last year’s already excellent game? Well, EA’s top-selling European sports franchise features enhancements to the gameplay and management modes, making FIFA Soccer 06 (£24.99) a more complete football experience that will appeal to seasoned fans and newcomers alike.

FIFA Soccer 06 delivers more customisation options, a relatively deep Manager mode, and pure authenticity - there’s no poor imitations here, and every team is faithfully created with proper clubs, player names, and stadiums. The characters have also been modelled on their real-life counterparts and look cheeringly realistic. In fact, there’s 21 licensed leagues and 10000 world-class players from 500-plus teams.

Intuitive gameplay enables you to command every move of your player with better accuracy and passing, shooting, and tackling is now more responsive, enabling you to trap, shield, and dribble much better. The free kick system is one such area that has been revamped for FIFA Soccer 06.

Stop the power bar in the blue area when shooting for the most accuracy. Push forward on the right analogue stick to increase the trajectory of the shot. Pull back on the analogue stick to decrease the trajectory. Lofted shots with a higher trajectory have a slower velocity and are easier to stop. A lower trajectory will have increased speed and be harder for the goalkeeper to stop but will be less likely to clear the defensive wall. The improved control system also allows for better one-two passes.

In addition to general play you can control the overarching strategy of the game, dictating the pace and performance of your players as you execute strategic decisions on the fly using the tactical play button configurations. 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 defence.

And in the all-new Manager Mode you can sign sponsors, scour the transfer market and buy players to build the perfect squad over a 15-year career. You take full control of club budgets, manage coaching staff and decide on tactical formations. It’s no Championship Manager, but the new mode definitely adds an extra element to the game and helps to extend its shelf-life.

My FIFA now gives you the tools to create a star-player and customise every aspect of FIFA 06 to fit your individual playing style and preferences - including controller settings, camera mode and screen resolutions. And the all-new Create-A-Player lets you design a star from scratch, customising everything from his passing ability to his appearance and body-type. You can then take it one step further and use My FIFA and Team Management to set each aspect of the game to fit your individual playing style and preferences.

EA hasn’t forgotten about online play, allowing you to play against up to two other players or even enter the FIFA Interactive World Cup to challenge soccer fans from all around the world. If you only like to play amongst your friends, you can still play offline with up to 8 players in the FIFA Lounge match up system. You can setup competitions via Match Central then take on your friends. If you rank high enough you’ll be granted special rewards you can use to gain the competitive edge in your next match.

FIFA Soccer 06 is difficult to fault. It plays really well and the graphics (especially the stadiums and player animations) rarely fail to impress when running at their best quality settings. The sound of a stadium full of fans chanting is also a real treat, and it really helps set the atmosphere ahead of an important match. The in-game music is also outstanding, featuring 39 songs from countries around the world.

The tracks were selected for their up-beat tempo and include an eclectic mix of songs from international sensations Oasis (UK), Jamiroquai (UK), Röyksopp (Norway), Carlinhos Brown (Brazil), Subsonica (Italy), Boy (Canada), Kinky (Mexico) and Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley (Jamaica) among others. There’s no music while you’re playing, but the songs help to make customising the game and navigating the huge amount of features slightly less of a chore.

The isometric pitches and teams of identical players that graced EA’s earliest sports offerings have now been replaced by stadiums and players that can be difficult to distinguish from their real-life counterparts. There are also plenty of new features and a manager mode that help make it the most realistic, accessible and best FIFA game to date. The in-game commentary is almost flawless and the music tracks that accompany the game’s menu systems are excellent. The only real ‘flaws’ are that the goalkeepers are extremely slow to come off their lines and the frame rate can sometimes become a little jittery, especially if you hoof the ball from one end of the pitch to the other. [8.5]

[Best FIFA Soccer 06 Pricing UK]
[Best FIFA Soccer 06 Pricing US]

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