TechSmec.com

Review: FIFA 06 (PSP)

January 17th, 2006

Game: FIFA 06
Platform: PSP
Publisher: EA
Price: £29.99 (Amazon.co.uk)
Reviewer: Jay Neill (TechSmec.com staff)

The FIFA series of games needs no introduction. Anyone who has owned a football game has probably owned one of the previous versions, either on the PlayStation or the PC. Now we have a new platform in the shape of the PSP and it was only a matter of time before there was a version of FIFA that we could play on the handheld. The PSP was very poorly served for football games at its launch, with the much-maligned World Tour Soccer the only option. Just like waiting for a bus, two new footie games with big reputations have arrived at once and fans must now choose between Pro Evolution Soccer 5 and FIFA 06. We’ve been spending some time with FIFA 06, so read on for our verdict.

Firstly, portable devices are made for games like FIFA 06, which you can just pick up in a spare moment and play a quick game. For some reason it doesn’t seem quite so appealing to grind out another few levels of a platformer in a stolen moment on the train. There are a variety of game formats in FIFA 06, including standalone matches, where you can choose both teams, their kit, the weather, even the stadium. These will take about 15 minutes to complete on the default settings which feels just about right. If you’re in for the long haul then there are tournament and season modes to keep you busy, in which you work your way through an entire league season, or World Cup style competition. FIFA 06 is also blessed (or possibly cursed, depending on your point of view) with a ball-juggling mini-game. The object here is, predictably, to keep the ball in the air for as long as possible. You can choose a player to control, but this is mere eye candy. The ability to play keepy-uppy is entirely dependent on your ability to press the right key at the right time. As mini-games go its accessible, but not exactly thrilling. We’re more interested in the real guts of the game - playing football matches.

Is your eyesight up to scratch? It will need to be. There’s a lot of pitch packed into the PSP’s screen and the size of each player can’t be much more than 75 pixels high with the standard camera view. As a result there isn’t really anything to distinguish between players until you get closeups after a piece of noteworthy action. At this point you realise that the players are very well modelled and you can generally recognise most of the likenesses. For some reason Robert Pires is spot on, but Frank Lampard leaves a lot to be desired.

The controls are a little fiddly. The analog stick, which you use to control player movement, is a little unresponsive and in moments of pressure it’s all too easy to have you player heading in the wrong direction. Dribbling is made all but impossible and you finish each game with your left thumb throbbing from the punishment it takes. The passing and shooting controls are pretty standard and a good variety of moves can be put together without being a FIFA 06 expert. Once you master the basics there’s a wealth of special moves that can be attempted, but again, beware the punishement this will inflict on your fingers and thumbs, especially after a long duration match.

Player AI is getting better with every version of FIFA, but it’s still not perfect. Your teammates often do a good job of supporting you. They’ll go on runs with their arm aloft to get your attention, or track back quickly when the opposition breaks. Strangely, the opposition AI seems a little flakier. Your opponents will often, when faced with one of your defenders, turn around and run the other way back up the pitch. We’re not complaining though as this often leads to a mistake on their part if you press the player hard.

The commentary is better than average. In the UK version EA have managed to enlist the ’skills’ of ITVs Clyde Tyldesley and Sky’s Andy Gray. Readers familiar with the former’s style will know that he has to be the most scripted commentator in football, never one to miss the opportunity to unleash a 20 second pre-pared witticism. This may be his undoing in live commentary, but it does mean that you hardly notice that you’re listening to a computer commentate and not the real thing. Mr Gray sounds a lot less real than his virtual colleague and starts to repeat himself with alarming regularity. As much as we whinge about football game commentaries, there’s no doubt that they add something to the gameplay and FIFA 06’s isn’t really a bad attempt, despite the inevitable one second lag between a goal being scored and the commentary catching up.

At the time of writing we’ve played around 40-50 matches and the game is still difficult to master, even on the easy settings. Scoring is hard enough to give you a real thrill and we’ve yet to come across a ‘killer’ move that guarantees a goal, the point at which interest generally wanes in football games. FIFA 06 is a solid title and one that deserves a look by fans of the series and casual football fans alike, but it doesn’t reignite the genre.

Graphics

The PSP’s small screen isn’t ideal for displaying the vast areas of pitch necessary to make the game playable, but the odd close-up shows the players to be well modelled. The stadia are nothing short of excellent - shame about the 2 dimensional crowds though 7/10

Sound

Decent attempt at commentary and ambient sound. The crowd’s language-ambiguous chanting get annoying after a while though - 7/10

Gameplay

Bizarrely tiring on the thumbs to play after a while, but great fun while you still have the stamina - 7/10

Verdict

Although Pro Evolution Soccer 5 is a strong challenger, FIFA 06 is a good footie title on the PSP and deserves a playtest. If you’re not a fan of football gaming this one won’t change your mind though - 7/10

Entry Filed under: PSP Reviews