2006 FIFA World Cup (Xbox 360)

2006 FIFA World Cup looks markedly better on the Xbox 360

With World Cup excitement almost reaching fever pitch, only to be lessened somewhat by the injury of England's star player, the release of EA's FIFA World Cup 2006 on every platform means that everyone can have a shot at World Cup glory. We looked at the current-gen versions recently, which turned out to be rather fun, but the Xbox 360 version is the game with most to play for. The previous FIFA title on the 360 wasn't exactly brilliant, so has EA given 360 owners something to cheer about?

The first thing you'll notice is some very slick presentation. The game's front-end has been designed with more style than that seen in the other versions, and it's more functional to boot. I might be a stickler for simplicity, but a menu item that says 'Options' is far better than the strangely named menu listing that appears in the other versions of the game. It's worth noting that the much talked about feature that let you play while the game loaded is absent from FIFA World Cup 2006, but considering it was a pretty superfluous extra in the previous 360 game, it's not a big loss. The 3D earth that can be seen behind the menu also looks impressive, and while it's nothing more than window dressing, it makes for a great first impression.

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EA Sports is no stranger to the licensed World Cup video game and a new FIFA title is released each and every year, so if anyone was to create the ultimate video game to mark the occasion, EA would probably be top of the list. The FIFA games have had their critics, but even die-hard Pro Evolution Soccer fans can't argue that the series has made good strides in recent years, even surpassing the great PES in many ways. FIFA games now even come with an alternative PES-like control scheme for anyone who doesn't want to learn a new set of controls.

... if you're determined to hate the FIFA series it's highly unlikely that you'll enjoy FIFA World Cup.

With that being said, if you're determined to hate the FIFA series it's highly unlikely that you'll enjoy FIFA World Cup. While increased control over players' movements, a first touch system and player run commands make for a game that has more ideas up its sleeve than Pro Evo, the game still doesn't feel quite right. The new shooting system that uses a power meter for height, judging strength on the player's skill and position when striking the ball, is a step in the right direction, but prolonged play reveals a game that simply isn't as in-depth or as rewarding as Konami's series. Comparisons to Pro Evolution Soccer aside, The Xbox 360 version, while playing significantly better than Road to World Cup, doesn't quite match the current-gen versions in terms of ball physics and flow.

Compared to last year's FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup for the Xbox 360, 2006 FIFA World Cup is crammed full with game modes. You don't get any club teams or the lengthy single-player modes that the yearly FIFA games include, but as a celebration of the World Cup there's plenty to enjoy. The World Cup mode is the obvious first choice, which lets you start from the beginning and guide your team through qualification, or lets you jump straight in to the finals. This is all presented with the typical EA flair, with well designed menus and a feeling that you're not simply playing in a run of the mill organised tournament.

Gameplay feels slightly off the slickness seen in the other versions of the game

Aside from the World Cup mode and numerous quick play options, the other major game mode is the Global Challenge. The idea here is to take part in famous matches and achieve a certain result, perhaps rewriting history along the way. It certainly adds some value to the package, but it's not presented that well. The major negative is the lack of real players from the era the matches were played in. Beckham, Owen, Gerrard and co certainly weren't playing for England in the 1990 World Cup, and it ruins the authenticity.

In an attempt to reward you for almost everything you do in the game, you're given points for certain achievements in games. Whether it's simply winning a game by a single goal or going a whole match without being given a yellow card, points are added to your total which can then be used to buy items from the store. These include classic players, new footballs, classic team kits and new game settings. Each objective achieved is recorded in your profile, and creates something to continue playing for, long after you've won the World Cup. Sadly, the effort put into the rewards seems to have had a detrimental effect on Xbox 360 specific achievements. The game's 1000 gamerscore points are dished out through a meagre five achievements, which is a real disappointment.

Online play is available, but sadly seems to suffer from the same lag problems that blighted the current-gen versions of the game. Even when playing against an opponent who had the same strong green connection bars next to their name, in-game performance was extremely poor, with juddering every few seconds. Games were still playable, but it's a far cry from the online experience that I'd hoped for.

Visually the Xbox 360 version is head and shoulders above EA's current-gen and PC offerings, with highly detailed player models and stunning stadiums. While players often have the same monster-like appearance that they had in the previous 360 FIFA game, they also look strikingly realistic at times. The overall appearance of players isn't quite as polished, with physiques not reflecting real-life appearances all that accurately, but hopefully this is an area that will be worked on in future FIFA titles. Unlike Road to the FIFA World Cup that was released at the Xbox 360's launch, the frame rate holds pretty steady, and the grass appears to have been cut. While the long grass in EA's debut 360 FIFA title looked a little silly, it did impress visually, and it leaves behind a rather unimpressive looking surface to play on.

Players can look stunning, but occasionally rather like Frankenstein's Monster

The expected EA Trax are of course here, but there's a decent mix of tunes, with a few being very catchy - quite why a woman is worried about leaving her man with the Chelsea football team is another matter. Crowds go bananas at times, and your nation's national anthem is played in the traditional manner, bringing a real sense of life to proceedings. Commentary once again fails to match the presentation levels exhibited in other areas of the game, with the duo's comments often having little to do with what's happening on the pitch.

2006 FIFA World Cup is a perfectly playable football title that happens to include a fair amount of content for a game based on a single tournament. Gameplay still lags behind the mighty Pro Evolution Soccer in a few areas, but the 'first touch' and 'off the ball' systems continue to impress. Presentation is great as expected, making this the perfect title to celebrate the World Cup with, even if it's not the perfect footy game. If the Xbox 360 is your only gaming system, then this is also the best game of football you're going to get for a few months, but you'll have to decide if you want better visuals or the slightly superior playing current-gen version.