Released in 2005, this was the first FIFA game for a 7th Generation console. FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup World Cup mode only includes UEFA qualification groups for the 2006 World Cup. The game is an officially licensed product of the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals held in Germany. It's an awfully weird imbalance between being able to see the tattoo on the back of David Beckham's neck and seeing him chug along the field during a replay, or seeing Thierry Henry in slow-mo, and you know it's not to highlight any particularly great play.Decem(EU)Novem(NA) FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup is a video game developed by EA Sports and DICE for the Xbox 360. During replays on the pitch, the frame rate dips to the sorts of levels that older gamers will remember from watching reel-to-reel health and safety films in grade school. The level of detail is astounding, but the frame rate is as underwhelming as they come.
While the graphics look good, it doesn't take long to dig deeper past the visuals and realize that this emperor is butt-naked, and it's kinda chilly outside. During my Out of the Box article, when the disc still smelled of plastic and chemicals from being open a matter of two hours, I'd assumed that the frame rate was isolated and wasn't indicative of the overall product. It's when FIFA gets in motion that things get a little sloppy. Plus, they had to make up for the fact that there are no GM, Season, or FIFA Lounge modes, but unlike NBA Live, at least EA Canada can cop the "It's a World Cup game, so it's just national teams" excuse.
I personally kept playing in the hall well after my game had loaded just for the hell of it. It keeps players involved in the action instead of staring at a loading screen for a minute. After picking settings for a game, the action returns to the five-man squad as they pass the ball around and attempt to score on their keeper. Now, they pick a favorite teamÂ…and get to see five members of the squad as soon as the game loads up as they scrimmage in what appears to be an arena/hall of fame. On current-gen FIFA, players load up the game and pick a favorite team the first time they play. It really looks like a next-generation game, although the lighting is a little oversaturated during player close-ups. The graphics are extremely detailed, as all of the acne, bad skin, and aesthetically displeasing elements of the world's finest soccer players (ahem, Wayne Rooney and Ronaldinho) are captured in exceptional fidelity, no small feat when one realizes that EA Canada didn't have the luxury of being able to run facial scans on every player the way that the Madden team in Florida does. Make no mistake, FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup is utterly gorgeousÂ…in some spots. After a while, though, it loses its flavor and becomes a grind. When you first pop it in, it's extremely flavorful and pleasant. Underneath the beautiful graphics that have left so many people transfixed is, at its core, a very simple game that, metaphorically speaking, resembles chewing gum. This year's next-gen installment is no exception.
Any EA soccer title, from FIFA: World Cup Soccer 2002 to last year's Euro 2004 tends to lose the elements of gameplay that give the regular editions so much replay value. With every special edition soccer game comes a certain degree of cost. The developers of FIFA 06 have made to qualms about it: this title isn't as in depth in regard to modes as the current-gen games.