FIFA Soccer 07

Aug 7, 2006

EA's team, be it the programmers themselves or the marketing department, love to give new gameplay elements names that range from realistic to overly cutesy. There was the implementation of Freestyle Control, which effectively meant that virtually every EA title released between late 2002 and the end of 2003 had some sort of right-analog implementation in the mix. It started with NBA Live 2003, then spread to FIFA 2003, and so on, and so on. FIFA 2004 debuted online play (for PS2; Xbox owners would have to wait a year, and GameCube owners... well, you know the score) and Off the Ball controls, which meant that players could set up new moves. Then FIFA got First Touch, which allowed players to react to the ball as they would in real life upon encountering it. Henry would certainly take a pass differently than Bergkamp.

In last year's game, it seemed that EA Canada effectively gutted the engine, rid themselves of Off the Ball and revamped the game, including new elements like an exceptionally detailed franchise mode -- at least, the most detailed anyone in North America was going to get -- and new controls that felt closer to their rival series, Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer/Winning Eleven. The revamp worked to fairly successful results as the game's handling was seriously improved. So, where does that leave FIFA Soccer 07?

Slippery. There isn't a cute catchphrase that we heard at EA's press event last month regarding FIFA 07's newest feature, which involves dribbling and ball handling, but it's slippery. That's actually a good thing. Anyone who's ever played soccer in real life knows that handling the ball is easier said than done. It takes some real coordination. In last year's game, EA Canada gutted out a lot of the old gameplay to make way for new elements, like the Pro Evo-inspired controls. This year, they've completely revamped everything about the ball itself.

In every way, the physics of the ball have now been dramatically altered. We're not just saying that to gush or make it sound like FIFA's megaton revelation. But players who charge ahead with the sprint button are going to be in for a very rude awakening if they don't handle the ball gently. Previous FIFA games felt a little like NBA Live in the way that ball carriers could dribble up and down the pitch. That has now changed.

Rather than stay tethered to the player, the ball moves completely on its own, which means that the player is now at its mercy. Sloppy dribbling will be far more costly than in past games, judging by both how we played and how we saw others playing it. The game's Vancouver-based producers also indicated that, thanks to their physics engine, even ball shapes and sizes can affect the player handling, which sounds as though it reflects the complaints by World Cup goalkeepers in Germany regarding the ball types used during the tournament.

But it's not just about keeping the ball on the straight and narrow. Other offensive elements have also been seriously revamped. In addition to chip shots, EA Canada has also implemented Finesse shooting. Sounding a bit reminiscent to First Touch in FIFA 2005, the new shot system correlates to the ball handler. As a result, Ronaldinho should handle the ball slightly differently than his Barça teammate Lionel Messi. It allows for a stronger degree of control on the shot, rather than the wilder guessing game that takes years for soccer gamers to learn and hone. It means that there's a new kicking style in the mix, since a left-footed shooter will have better odds depending on how he nails the attempt. Ball spin will now also be altered thanks to finesse. And, even more than before, sprinting shots will affect the ability to hit a goal with finesse, especially with the newer, funkier physics engine in the mix.

The air game is also getting an overhaul. Considering how often long balls sail across the field, it's been a fairly generic experience for the player to secure the ball, either offensively or defensively. That's changed now. From what we've been told, there are three levels of air jockeying in order for the player to gain or maintain possession. We just know that we got the ball on almost every air ball pass we made. Hopefully we'll find out even more about the collision levels when we get to play future builds, which, if there was any minus to the experience, it was that we only got one good game in, since we played it at an EA press day with over a hundred journalists on site.

As for the rest of the game, Manager Mode is back after its debut last year. Since most North Americans either don't know about FIFA Manager or don't care (after all, we're just now getting NFL Head Coach for the first time over here), it seems that we're getting our second taste of how sweet a soccer franchise mode can be. As with before, it's all about managing the funds, scouting fresh talent, cultivating them and running sims.

Unfortunately however, one of the most promising features of FIFA Soccer 07 won't be available on the 'Cube. The interactive leagues, which enable players to follow their favorite club throughout the season, is only going to be available on PS2 and Xbox. Of course, after several years, GameCube owners are probably used to getting the short end of the stick when it comes to EA's sports titles. At this point in the console's life span, all one can do is shrug.

Visually, we've probably seen the best that FIFA will get on current-gen. That's not to say that it's a terrible-looking game, but it's still being worked on. In its current state, it's not stellar, but we're sure that the EA Canada team is polishing it up, especially considering that we don't know the degree of completion of our demo. Other than that, it appears that the introductory cinematic, debuted in 2006 FIFA World Cup -- with scenes of each squad lined up on the pitch juxtaposed with quick cuts of intense action -- is back.

Well, it seems that year after year, EA Canada steps their game up and does their best to rival Konami's beloved footy title, although it doesn't have much bearing on US 'Cube owners, since FIFA has been their only option for the life of the console. After playing the E3 build of PES 2007 on PS2 until our eyes bled and then spending a little time with EA's very tweaked new FIFA, it looks like the gap between the two series is starting to narrow even more. The new ball physics are going to add a completely new dimension to gameplay, with the air game getting tweaks, dribbling becoming tougher, and shooting becoming more personalized. So far, we enjoyed it. While the visuals still needed some more gestation and there are no interactive leagues on the GameCube version, it looks like it will be a more than competent update to last year's game and the World Cup game.