Review: 2006 FIFA World Cup game

With every major film and sporting licence pretty much under its control, an official Electronic Arts (EA) title for the upcoming footie spectacle in Germany was as inevitable as a deluge of falsified sick notes during the actual tournament.

2006 FIFA World Cup is the latest offering using the EA FIFA template, which is releasing a game to rival Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 5 (PES).

The face-off between the two companies could be close to the proportions of that between England and Germany. Could this be the year when FIFA finally claims the title of greatest football game in the world?

So you’re excited now; even optimistic that this could be special? Well, sorry, but here comes the gaming world’s equivalent of Ronaldinho’s cross or Maradona’s Hand of God, where all the fine early work goes to waste.

For like England losing a key player through metatarsal problems mere weeks before a major tournament, playing this latest FIFA incarnation involves a massive dose of déjà vu, with a flawed footballing system that’s simply not as good as its main rival.

It may be edging closer to PES, but unfortunately it’s still got many miles to go. EA has tried to ape its rival’s every trick, but it ultimately feels like a shallow, rushed-out clone of Konami’s fine offering.

The one aspect where it trounces PES, though, is with penalty kicks, which create real drama in the inevitable spot-kick shoot-outs.

We suspect that your joypad may join Rooney’s toe on the casualty list, for as a simulation of the beautiful game, this is another frustrating affair.

And daft features like allowing you to buy boots and snazzy kits might appeal to kids, but it seems rather odd to those of us who are obsessed with players, tactics and total football, not which brand of hair gel Beckham uses.

However, that’s not to say it isn’t atmospheric and quite entertaining in a ‘play it before the tournament starts and get excited about England’s chances’ sort of way.
It looks and sounds fantastic, and the classic EA marketing trick of licensing players and official tournament stadiums undoubtedly lifts the game from lacklustre sports simulation to relatively absorbing pre-tournament warm-up event.

And should your home nation be one of the unlucky ones that never made it, there’s the option to rewrite history by playing the qualifiers with one of the myriad other countries that were battling for a place in Germany.

It’s unlikely to have much appeal from 10 July onwards, but get a few friends round before it all kicks off, and you’ll find 2006 FIFA World Cup offers a fun few hours.

Don’t expect longevity in a game like this ­- that would hamper the inevitable sequel in about… ooh… four years.

EA has also launched a 2006 FIFA World Cup demo

PEGI Age Rating: 3+

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