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FIFA 07 - Hands On |
by Coola
10/29/2006 |
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XBOX365 gets its hands on Electronic Art’s FIFA 07, a game where you don’t use your hands as often as you would like. The game is a blast for soccer fans, but what about the rest of us?
Electronic Art’s brings the next generation version of FIFA exclusive to the Xbox 360. There is also a demo is currently available up on the Xbox Live Marketplace if you haven’t tried it out yet.
I’m going to start off by saying, I’m not the biggest soccer fan in the world. I’m more into the American style football. And yea, that’s right, I called it soccer. So playing the next-generation FIFA 07 was quite the learning experience. I may not be a big fan of the sport but I’m a gamer. As such, my preview will be from my gamer side and not sport loving side.
FIFA 07 - Xbox 360
A little bit about the game:
Get caught up in the emotion of the beautiful game like never before with FIFA Soccer 07. From the sweet taste of victory to a heartbreaking defeat in the 90th minute, savor the absolute drama of every moment as your team battles its toughest rivals in authentic stadiums around the world. Whether you’re storming the pitch with a custom team in Manager mode or challenging friends in online Interactive Leagues, enhanced gameplay gives you even more control to win possession, turn defenders, and find the net. This is the season. This is FIFA Soccer 07.
• Soccer Evolution—Live out your soccer dreams through the most realistic interpretation of the sport—ever. An all-new game engine captures the entire soccer experience like never before, as players move, react, and perform with complete authenticity.
• Improved Gameplay—There’s now more in your offensive arsenal. Send a finesse shot bouncing, skidding, and spinning towards the goal as revolutionary ball physics put the finishing touches on every kick.
• Team Management—Track player performance dynamically and make tactical decisions to improve your team on a player-by-player basis. Out of position players or under-performing team members can be monitored, making changes in strategy more important than ever before.
• Enhanced Manager Mode—Walk the management tightrope and feel the pressure with true-to-life finances, player growth, and press reaction.
• Dominate the FIFA Lounge—Play against up to three friends in evenly matched games as a new handicapping system levels the playing field in your pursuit to capture ultimate bragging rights.
• 24/7 Connectivity—Get up-to-the-minute new information on your favorite club from the world’s major leagues. Complete updates, results and stats are delivered via a comprehensive, integrated online feature set.
• Complete Authenticity—Experience the drama of authentic soccer with six leagues, 117 clubs, and 37 national teams—all in authentic detail.
The moment I first picked up the controller to try the game out, I honestly didn’t know if I was going to find the game fun. I mean, I’ve seen the sport occasionally, its not my cup of tea and I hardly know the rules of it. Talk about intimidating. But as soon as you boot FIFA 07 up, you’re automatically put in the shoes of famed soccer star Ronaldinho Gaucho in a shoot-out with a goalie. No worries, its just a free mode that lets you get acquainted with shooting and what not. You can also access the menu at any time. For me though, this was great because you can go one-on-one with the goalie as long as you want. This allowed me to get use to the control scheme and work on my kicking skillz0rs (which completely and utterly sucked the entire time I was playing.
The graphics in FIFA 07 are the best I’ve seen in the series and perhaps the soccer genre in general. Though you can’t enjoy them all the time, during the game its recommended you set the camera to a setting where you can see most of the field. By doing so, graphics on the player models aren’t so noticeable anymore.
Along with the great visuals comes the technology that was built from the ground up specifically for the game. I refer to the whole soccer ball phenomena in soccer games that makes it feel like the ball and the person are one instead of the opposite. However, in FIFA 07 they wanted to grab the feeling that the ball is independent of the player and not stuck to it like a magnet. This is what actually impressed me most about the game, just the way it feels when you’re moving the ball around. It really does feel like you’re controlling it and not a cheap gimmick of trickery that just makes you seem like you are. It also makes you feel more protective of it just because the ball is independent of you… kinda like real soccer!
Another thing I have to point out is the sheer physics that’s in FIFA 07. You wouldn’t think so, but the developers worked hard so that the ball bounces more accurately across the ground. How accurately you say? How about when the soccer ball comes in at an angle, hits the ground it maintains its speed right? But as it rolls along the blades of grass, the grass actually causes the ball to lose momentum. This is real-time physics people and something you probably wouldn’t notice just by playing the game.
Speaking of playing the game, the gameplay has taken a dramatic… 360. Well, to be more specific, that whole spinning move you were use to in previous FIFA games? Yea, that’s been kicked out the game. Pun intended. In its place are more intuitive moves that will allow you to break your opponents ankles. And no you can’t actually break their ankles, but I sure felt it a few times. Some of the moves EA showed off were insane. Like kicking it through your opponents legs an the most awkward of angles. It looked like something out of an And 1 Mixtape. They actually said that they’ve seen gamers pull moves they never thought possible, the engine is that rich to the point of unpredictability – a big selling point EA hammered home with us.
There is an online component to the game but we just didn’t have the time to go through and try it out. What we do know about it is that “you can play up to three friends in evenly matched games as a new handicapping system levels the playing field…” in addition to receiving up-to-the-minute information on your favorite club from the world’s major leagues.
FIFA 07 is too deep of a game for this preview, and that’s a good thing. It’s shaping up to being the best soccer game on the field. If you guys have any questions about the game, feel free to comment below and I’ll try to get them answered as best to my limited lil knowledge can do.
Look for FIFA 07 in stores on October 31, 2007.
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maiop
X365 Member
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are there still special moves in the game? when i played the demo, it was unclear.
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Posts: 9
Member: 4686
IP: i.am.a.member
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generalharrison
X365 Member
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Game looks solid and I haven't got a soccer game in a long time, I might have to pick this one up.
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Posts: 316
Member: 3859
IP: i.am.a.member
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I love video games, you love video games, why are we arguing?
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DeejayKnight005
Heckler
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I'd be glad to answer any extra questions as well.
I can't wait to play the burd online! :)
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Posts: 0
Member: None
IP: 24.110.131.153
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