2006 FIFA World Cup is THE game to start the festivities a couple months early.
"As entertaining and fulfilling as the tournament is expected to be."
EA Sports has been the publisher of possibly the most known professional soccer game to date for quite some time now, and with each yearly release, the FIFA engine has been improved little-by-little. And EA Sports continues to produce another strong installment on its beloved franchise with 2006 FIFA World Cup, a new spin on FIFA '06's engine and the successor of 2004 FIFA World Cup.
Gameplay
Anybody familiar with the FIFA 06 style of play will be no stranger to the similar style of 2006FWC. Saying this, the engine still is an improvement over the one released earlier this year. Many little tweaks have been added to make movement of the ball much faster, direct, and smoother.
Aside from that, the most major change is the pressure system when shooting. If your player is under a lot of pressure from defensemen, or if their view of the net is slim, there is a good change that they'll send the ball skyrocketing over the net. Strange that they didn't make the controller rumble at times of pressure, as often or not when you do roof the ball you'll be thinking "Hey! What the hell? GLITCH!".
Though this does mean that opening up space and looking for pass channels has become utterly important, giving an even more competitive edge in the tournament.
Features
So what can you actually do in the game of 2006's main event?
Obviously, the World Cup is the prime feature. Not only can you play in the final event, but you can also qualify from the five divisions of the world, and substitute teams that didn't qualify to mix and match your own World Cup 2006.
Aside from that, you have your typical Play Now!, Penalty Shoot-out, Practice Mode, and an all-new Global Challenge mode. In Global Challenge, you are thrown into tense scenarios of past world cups and are given objectives to complete. Usually these scenarios drop you in the place of a team that is trailing by a couple goals, and it is your duty to lead their spectacular come-back.
It's a pretty cool mode, but none-the-less as challenging as the name implies.
Content/Value
Over 107 national teams from all around the world are housed onto the disc. On top of that, winning games in WC mode gets you points, which are used at the store to purchase classic players, kits, balls, boots, and even more misc. unlockables. This is definitely the most content-full World Cup game to date.
Graphics
Hasn't changed much since 06, but judging that the Gamecube only has so much power, it isn't able to compete with next-gen. Nevertheless, the polygons are crisp and clean, and the renders are more colourful than ever before. Though since the camera will be pulled back for best-view of the field, the detailed graphics won't be as noticable during the game. That being said, the replays still look magnificent.
Sound
Not much to say about the game's sound. In game, the chants and crowd roars really immerse you into the game. But in between games, the soundtrack just seems themeless. Quite an odd combination of EA Trax from around the world, but nothing to really stop you from enjoying the game.
Conclusion
We're all eager for the games to start this June. Since we can't speed up the months, let's speed up the wait for competitive soccer. 2006 FIFA World Cup is an amazing addition to any soccer-fan's collection, and being stuffed with unlockable modes and bonus material, it's really any world cup fanatic's dream. If you haven't already bought FIFA 06, get this updated version instead, and lift the virtual World Cup above your head as you wait for summer to come.