EA’s 2006 FIFA World Cup shouldn't be confused with their FIFA 06 Road to the World Cup game. That's their yearly game that includes seasons, franchises, hundreds of leagues and teams, etc. This version doesn't have regular teams like Real Madrid or Manchester United, but only the national teams. Of course there's still a ton of teams included, every team that participated in World Cup qualifying as a matter of fact. This game here is all World Cup, all the time. And that's a good thing.

There's a good amount of unlockables (different balls, old jerseys, old players) to give you small goals to accomplish on your way to winning the world cup.

Gameplay

This controls took some getting used to, and luckily they include a few totally different control schemes. I liked the "new analog" setting, but only because it puts the shot and pass buttons where I feel they should be. I heard that EA is moving closer and closer to copying Winning Eleven's controls but for me they struck a pretty good balance. Some of the more advanced moves are just too difficult to pull off in a pinch, but the passing and shooting game is solid, and that's what counts. Just plan on screwing up for the first hour or two until you really get used to the specifics.

One of the newer changes I really love is that the shot button no longer controls shot power, but rather shot height. The longer you hold the button down, the higher the shot goes. Shot power is determined by your players position to the net, whether he's running or standing still and other factors like that. This way if your guy is facing away from the net and tried to spin around and get an awkward kick on net, it won't have crazy power just cause you held down the button. It emphasizes taking the smart shot, not just the available one.

My only complaint here is a technical one. I don't use the default control scheme, and there's no way I can find to save the setting I want as the default. So everytime I start the game or switch game modes, I need to switch control schemes. Unless I forget then I'm slide tackling when I'm trying to change players. It's beyond frustrating.

Is it fun?

They really nailed the pagentry of the worlds biggest sporting event. All stadiums are recreated here, and players all look like their real life counterparts. Where the game really shines in the realism department though is the sound. If you have a surround sound system do yourself a favor, get this game and crank it up. The crowd chants, screams, and generally makes all the right noise at just the right time. It really gets your blood going to make a long pass to an open man, and charge hard at the net while the crowd just goes nuts in anticipation. If you've ever watched International soccer on television you know how much the crowd gets into it. Confetti rains down when you score, and flags can always be seen in the stands.

Like actual soccer, scoring doesn't come easily (at least not on the semi-hard difficulty). So when you get one into the back of the net, you really feel like you accomplished something. A quick fist-pump to celebrate is hard to deny yourself after such a perfect cross pass.

Is it worth the time & money?

If you're looking for a full fledged soccer game, you'll probably want to look elsewhere. Without a long season mode, this isn't a game you'll be playing a year from now. The qualifying and tournament is great, but how many teams can you take through it? Every team that tried to qualify for the cup is in here, but since it's the same path to glory every time you play though, it gets repetitive. It just isn't deep enough. There are challenge scenarios (start a goal down with 15 mins left, maintain lead, etc) that recreate classic matches, but they're just a diversion. Same with the small amount of unlockables. There's 8 player games available via Xbox Live but I'd get my ass handed to me so I've thus stayed away. But I imagine it's cool to the talented footy players among us.

With World Cup fever infecting everyone (except us Americans), this is the game to satisfy (since EA has exclusive rights to the Word Cup). Controls are complex but not to the point of frustration, and if you have a good sound system you'll feel like you're there. The game is $60 on the Xbox 360 and $40 for the other systems, so you'll have to decide if it's worth the extra 20 bucks (I did). HDTV owners beware though, the game will play in widescreen but the box says it runs in 480p, not 720p or 1080i on the Xbox 360, though that may be a misprint.

8 out of 10

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