Fox Football 06 E3 2005 Hands On

Fox Football 06 is Sorrent's fourth offering in the mobile football arena, and this year it has made quite a few changes to its standard football fare. Although we only took a brief look at the gameplay, a brief look was all that was needed to tell that Sorrent has made some significant changes for the better. The major change is that Fox Football 06 now strives to emulate arcade football, like the Blitz series, instead of attempting to simulate full-blown console football games. Gameplay now consists of more dynamic moves among and between the players, such as diving passes, flaming passes, and speed boosts. This seems to work well for the game and facilitates a level of simplicity and speed that was missing from previous iterations.

The two gameplay modes still consist of an exhibition and a 16-game season, but now included are instant replays, fumbles, interceptions, and special teams. Kicking off is easy to maneuver since it's composed entirely of determining power and direction via sliding meters. In fact, the whole game is fairly easy to operate despite having a rich playbook of more than 200 moves between the defense and offense. This is due in part to the way plays are grouped together so that you'll find all short formations in the same place and can easily select from them.

Another overhaul to Fox Football 06 is the menu system, which features a sleeker-looking HUD that looks like something you'd see on a Fox Sports-broadcasted football game. Included in the HUD is a tips meter, which gives players help with calling plays, should they need it. Almost all of the graphics are improved from the previous games, particularly the animations, which seem smoother than their predecessors'. Fox Football 06 is slated for release in mid-August of this year just in time for football season.