FIFA 07 hits all the right buttons
Gamers tend to fit into two categories when it comes to choosing a football title, those who love the Pro Evolution series and those who swear by the FIFA titles. We’ve always been on the Pro Evo side of the fence as we love how Konami have managed to create the technical intricacies of the beautiful game; the gameplay flows and when we score a goal we feel exhilerated, such is the level of realism. The FIFA series to us, despite the fact that it offers an authentic experience in terms of the licences they’ve secured with all the top clubs, has consistently chosen style over substance, and although it’s still a decent game of football, we feel it hasn’t quite managed to match the superb gameplay of Konami’s soccer title.
When our copy of FIFA 2007 popped through the letter box we were expecting much of the same from EA, but we were in for a surprise.
The arcade style gameplay of the FIFA series has been given an overhaul. When we picked up a copy of 2006 FIFA World Cup in the summer we played it to review it, put it straight in our cabinet, and never played it again. It was identical to many of the FIFA games and they just don’t appeal to us. We’ve been hoping that FIFA would close the gap with Pro Evolution and make us think about which game we should buy. With FIFA 07, EA have finally changed things, the games not without its faults but ever since our copy arrived we’ve been hooked by the new gameplay style, the flow of the matches and the game modes on offer; the FIFA series has finally got us all excited.
Let’s get the statistics out the way first. FIFA 07 has once again secured the licences for the world’s top leagues (over 20 nations), and although they still insist calling the FA cup, the English Cup, it offers the most authentic experience in terms of the licences they’ve secured. From the painstakingly designed stadiums to the fine details of our on the pitch heroes, FIFA 07 once again captures the overall visual experience of a football match and throws in some authentic chants from our favourite clubs, whilst finally convincing us by achieving the most important aspect of a football title, great gameplay.