For years EA's FIFA franchise has played second fiddle to Konami's Winning Eleven franchise, at least in the eyes of true fans of simulation-soccer. But EA is no dummy and in recent years the FIFA franchise has done its best WE-imitation in terms of gameplay while also putting to use a record-number of licenses -- something Konami's title sorely lacks. In
FIFA 07 on the PSP, EA has put together its best playing soccer title to date, and, thanks to a few pleasant surprises, shifts from imitator to innovator.
On the pitch, FIFA 07 is fast-paced and exciting while still retaining somewhat of a simulation focus, a nice departure from the arcade products EA released in the past. On the World Class difficulty levels, the computer AI offers a decent challenge -- you should skip the lower difficulties as defenders and goalies have the combined IQs of a sack of doorknobs. Long ball passing stands out in particular as you can now drop the ball from midfield into the corners, letting speedy forwards race past the defense for a chance at a decent cross.
Passing in the air also succeeds because of the way players receive the ball. A small yellow marker indicates where the ball will land, and opponents will jostle for position, working to get a head on the ball. On offense that means sticking your butt right into a defender and pushing him backward or if he has position, trying to slide around him. On defense, you can push your opponent out of the way -- gambling on a whistle -- or you can let him push into you and, using a Judo-throw, slide in front. It's a great mini-battle that you will wage on almost every long ball in the game, and EA did a great job with it.
Passing in general is a treat as players make realistic runs and a perfectly-timed pass or combination will often result on a chance on goal. As for actually shooting on goal, that's a mixed bag.
Too often players in FIFA 07 miss point-blank shots -- don't even get them on goal. True, keepers do tend to make plenty of amazing saves in one-on-one situations, but you'll sometimes kick the ball wide of the net without any pressure on you at all and only meters from the goal. A better shot aiming system where you press shoot and then aim in the split-second before you release would have worked just fine. Because of this, there are just as many "Oh my God! Look at that goal!" moments as "Oh my God! How did he miss!" moments.
Also, midfield play is basically non-existent. 90 percent of gameplay is focused in the offensive zones. In the middle third of the pitch, players can basically run, passing once or twice, unimpeded before hitting a wall of defenders. These guys make more runs than Mark Foley to Trillion after sessions close (too early?). This isn't a big deal because goal-scoring is such a dynamic experience -- great physics off the post, goalies and defenders -- but it isn't real soccer. To improve the gameplay in FIFA 08, EA should really focus on shot aiming, midfield play and goalie AI.
Yes, even the world's best keepers make under-12 girls youth soccer mistakes in FIFA 07. It doesn't happen every game, but keepers will occasionally dive in the wrong direction, stay on the line even when the ball is mere feet away, or simply play out of position. Then again, you may think that keepers -- when not hampered by buggy AI -- are a bit too tough as they make outstanding save after outstanding save. In one-on-one situations, you really have to fake out the keeper to get the ball past him.
The PSP misses out on the right-analog trick stick, great for special and signature moves. Instead of tricks, you'll just have to dribble past the opponents. On the PSP, you can choose between FIFA and Winning Eleven controls. The D-Pad does well enough, but you'll want to go with the analog nub for increased control.
Visually, player models are a bit rough, but the animations are excellent and plentiful. You'll notice more dribble and trap animations than ever before, and the cutscenes are well directed with some recognizable faces in most of the stars around the world. In the sound department, the commentary is excellent, and the team takes a "less is more" approach, letting the action speak for itself. Rarely in sports games is commentary this satisfactory. The crowds are excellent, chanting team-specific cheers and reacting to the action with a passion only seen in the sport of soccer.
Off the pitch, FIFA 07 features more than 510 officially licensed teams and 27 leagues from a total of 20 countries. And yes, MLS is included, Freddy Adu fans. There are a number of tournaments and challenges to complete, a few minigames, and there's the excellent Manager Mode, the single finest franchise mode in videogame soccer. Manager includes scouting, sponsorship, a robust transfer market, player development, ticket pricing and even real newspapers specific to your team's country, like Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy. You can also play on the PS2 and transfer to the PSP for franchise-on-the-go.
THE VERDICT
FIFA 07 is a fun, fast-paced game of soccer and EA's finest effort to date. While the effort to imitate the best elements of Winning Eleven is obvious, EA does its own fair share of innovation with some great long-pall passing, jostling and PS2 connectivity. With solid visuals and sound and a dearth of gamemodes, FIFA 07 is one of the best sports games of the year and an excellent game of soccer on the go. Still, the gameplay must be tightened up before it can overtake the competition.
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