Top 1 Xbox 360 Site

EA celebrates its new exclusive FIFA World Cup interactive entertainment partnership with the release of FIFA 06, a game that immerses players into the emotional intensity of the next-generation football. Utilizing the power of the Xbox 360, fans are able to revel in the world’ most sophisticated representation of football ever. Experience a newly enhanced gameplay engine that delivers extremely responsive controls and greater level of depth. New physics and animations mean that players will now react more realistically to every tackle, shot or pass of the ball. For the first time you’l see and feel the joy, anguish and pain of 90 minutes of soccer in a videogame. Through the power of high-definition technology you’ll see how the detail of the players is accurately recreated in fine detail. The power of the Xbox 360 truly brings to life 80,000 chanting fans in a stadium and immerses you in the emotional intensity of FIFA World Cup football.

Genre: Sports

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Canada

Online Play:

Local Play:

November 16, 2005 –
Before the gushing begins about how fun the next generation of FIFA is to play, it must be said that FIFA 06: Road To FIFA World Cup is a major disappointment. No, that doesn’t mean this Xbox 360 launch title is not a good game, but with a scant selection of game modes and only international teams included, it begs the question: Why isn’t this game better?

EA started work on its next-generation soccer title more than two years ago. In that time on current-generation consoles, EA added a stylish 15-year career mode and the FIFA Lounge, an excellent multiplayer experience. EA procured more licenses than ever before to feature more than 21 professional club leagues and more than 10,000 real players.

So in two years of planning, the only ideas EA came up with to take its solid soccer franchise to the next generation were to update the graphics and animations. Oh, there’s a new loading system so you can kick the ball around while matches load. Sorry EA, but that’s not enough. That’s like saying the ability to play Pac-Man makes Ridge Racer a better racing game.

The lack of game modes really hurts.When you power up this game and browse the game modes, you have three choices: the self-explanatory Tournament and Practice modes, and the Road to FIFA World Cup mode in which you take an international team through qualifying rounds and minitournaments to the main event that will take place in Germany in 2006. That’s it. This is the Xbox 360, not the Sega Genesis. Where are the club teams, the FIFA Lounge, the career mode or manager mode? Improved graphics are a given on this high-powered system, so why only 72 international teams and 1,700 players? Even worse, Xbox 360 editor and maple syrup connoisseur Charles Onyett nearly fainted when he discovered that Canada was omitted from the selection of squads. Heck, EA Canada even developed the game. What’s the deal, eh?

What EA did with FIFA 06: RTFWC is par for the course this year as it stripped out multiple features from all of its 360 launch titles. When jumping to the next generation of consoles, there isn’t really any excuse why the best features of current-gen games, like Freestyle Superstars in NBA Live 06, for example, don’t make the jump as well. And there sure as shooting ain’t no reason why NBA Live 06 and FIFA 06: RTFWC don’t have franchise modes included, which is a standard in sports videogames.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next