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Developer: EA Sports
Publisher: EA Sports
Genre: Sports
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 31 Oct 06
User Rating
7.5 (4 votes) -
- The beautiful game goes next-gen with stunning visuals, but sadly doesn't follow through with a less than solid gameplay and simplistic online play.
Overview
The World Cup may have come and gone, but that doesn't mean you have to stop playing the beautiful game. Today we are checking out the next "true" installment of EA's FIFA series for the Xbox 360, which is attempting to really give the absolute next generation soccer experience. Does EA have the right card up their sleeve? Read our full review of FIFA Soccer 07 for the Xbox 360 to find out!
Gameplay
For those who keep up with the soccer games, you will know that last year's FIFA Soccer 06 was a game that stood out as being a really fantastic game of soccer. It closed the gap between the FIFA franchise and the highly praised Winning Eleven franchise from Konami. In 2007, some may surprised to see that there has been quite a bit changed from last year's game, but the question is, is it all for the good?
Right from the start of FIFA Soccer 07, you will see that this isn't the same game with new graphics, as this time around EA has brought out a game that has been rebuilt from the inside out. The biggest change which you will experience firsthand in the menu screen (a lot like NBA Live franchise) is the new ball physics, which really does make this game feel a lot different from what we last remember it as. With the new ball physics comes a much more fresh feel to the game that really makes the action on screen feel a lot more fluid. The player motion feels so much more advanced then we have seen in the past.
However, being that this system has been recreated, that also comes with some shortcomings that really do hurt the game. Although passing in the game seems to work with relative consistency, taking shots on goal really seems like something that needed a lot more tweaking. One thing you will find a lot of in FIFA Soccer 07 is easy shots that are just totally missed for no real reason. You would think this wouldn't happen all that often however, FIFA Soccer 07 makes this an unfortunate consistent habit that at times can prove to be a rather large annoyance.
Overall the gameplay mechanics are absolutely a step in the right direction for the series, but you can see there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to work out the annoying kinks. With the shooting not being as consistent as you would like, there are going to be some who say it doesn't work. However I am here to say that the new mechanics really do add more realism to the experience, however there is just more time that needs to be put into it to really get all of benefits.
The game unfortunately does also have some other disappointing news for the true soccer fans that are pulling their hair with the limited amount of teams to choose from. The total number is 117 teams, a number that is much lower then we have gotten used to expecting from the series. However once again, the game makes up for the amount of team with a really great Manager mode that has a ton of depth, great team building RPG style elements and just an experience that if you get into could easily take you past the release of next year's game.
The online experience for FIFA Soccer 07 is still not as deep as what we have seen for other sports games on the 360. You do have the ability to do some cooperative play while you're online playing or can just jump into a quick match. The online play surprisingly held up well with the new physics engine, and the amount of slowdown was extremely minimal if at all. Overall FIFA Soccer 07 is a good solid soccer game that has some rough edges that hold it back from feeling like a great next generation experience.
Graphics
One of the best parts about FIFA Soccer 07 is the visual department, which is a lot more detailed then we saw in the previous FIFA title. The level of detail in the animation in the game has been the biggest upgrade in this game, which manages to really feel the most polished part of the game. The character models have received a bit of an upgrade as well with more detail and some better textures. And finally even the stadiums have had some nice work done to them that really translate into a very nice looking soccer game.
Fun Factor
As much as a lot of the FIFA formula is still intact in this game; especially that this is an offensive hungry experience. The problems the game faces are merely issues that probably could have either been worked out during development, or probably will be by next year's game. The game also is nowhere near as deep as we have seen it on the current generation console, which is a step in the wrong direction for those who have been in contact with those games.
Overall
It is not that FIFA Soccer 07 is a bad game by any stretch of the imagination; it is more actually the fact that FIFA Soccer 07 just doesn't feel as polished as I would have liked. The game still has some gameplay mechanic that really need some work and hopefully will get fixed by next year's game. For those wonder if FIFA Soccer 07 is worth a purchase I would highly recommend first renting it, to see if the new physics are enough for your personal enjoyment.
- Gameplay
7.0 - Graphics
8.0 - Fun Factor
7.0 - Overall
7.0
