FIFA 06 (DS) Review
Soccer on handheld systems has never been anything to write home about. The Gameboy versions of FIFA while trying to recreate console versions they didnt do a very good job of it Now with the added power and features the Nintendo DS its given the developers more to work with and while not being perfect is much better then any before it. So how does the DS change soccer on-the-go for the better?
Before we get to graphics and sound lets talk about gameplay. The controls for FIFA06 are pretty much the standard that we have seen over the years, however with the touch screen some extra features have been added to that can affect the game. The main function of the bottom screen is display the map and thus taking it off the top screen allowing more action to be seen, however along the right hand side of the screen there is three buttons on screen. The two top ones tell whole team to start moving from one end the field to the other giving them a good kick up the pants, the other button then changes all the buttons on there to give you an option of what tactics your team can choose to use. While these dont affect your overall layout of the players you can setup before the match it can allow you change a different method of play if it doesnt seem to be working out for you. However I did notice when choosing the different plays that it didnt seem to really move the plays or change the way they played. Maybe I am just stupid and cant see it.
There is plenty of game modes on offer in FIFA06, There is very extensive season and tournaments, a career mode and of course Exhibition mode which in 06 has been dubbed Kick Off While being able to get into the game right away (apart from 4 seconds of loading screen) is all well and good there is no option to select which stadium and/or weather conditions. These options are either hidden really well and I couldnt find it and I just missed it completely. But now that youve got the DS to work with why not let people choose the weather, the rain and snow effects look great although it doesnt affect much how the game is played out.
Also included is a range of challenges from real scenarios you have to meet. These can included scoring a certain amount of goals in a time period, fighting back from behind, and shootout challenges.
Now youve got all your normal inclusions as per any FIFA game but exclusively for the DS is My Club which allows you to create own team and control or create all aspects of it, now its as involved as one of those Soccer Managers but still a good addition. Within My Team you are able to design you own emblem for your team select which uniform they are going to wear at home and away matches. You can also create the banner which will be showed in the Stadium with the supporters.
While there is an abundance of Single player modes, EA havent forgotten about Multiplayer featuring support for both Multi-Card link up and Single-Card link ups. This is EAs first title with single card link up with both the Maddens and Tiger Woods Missing out. Now you wont get the full experience with Single Card with the commentary missing however since you should be close proximity to the person your playing the game is loud enough to here theirs. Also only 2 Players can play Single-Card but up to 4 can play with Multi Card.
As mentioned previously the Gameboy FIFA titles never had the graphics either, however since there is more power under the DSs bonnet, the developers have been able to make their own custom 3D engine to run the game on, No more 2D or sprites. The game looks very similar to early N64 titles and runs at 30fps. However the frame rate is not locked in and sometimes (mostly on Single Card multiplayer) it can stutter a little, that being said its not a lot and its only for a second or so. However the upside of the frame rate not being locked it that when there is not much to render on the screen it increases, its definitely something they can look fixing at for next year but doesnt cause any problems as it is.
The player models, look really great but its once you get in the reply mode and zoom in you can see that they are not perfect however they are animated well so in turn it doesnt really matter and I am sure it will get better next year.
The presentation of this game is on par with its console cousins sharing the same look and feel however the developers have made all the icons on screen touchable and your able to do it with you thumb so you dont need to swap between the stylus and press the buttons mid game.
Sound effects have also gotten a boost with full commentary now complimenting the game as well as proper sound of an audience cheering. During the menus there is also a portion of the soundtrack that is featured on the console versions. There is a variety of tracks and it may not be for everyone but at least it is their.
So final verdict time. FIFA06 is a great game and a great soccer game, while it doesnt use the DS to the fullest its much much better then the Gameboy Advance offering. The only problem is that its about the same price as the console versions so its probably going to get overlooked for the console (or PSP) versions. There is a few niggles with the game however if you do decide to pick this up you wont be disappointed.
