They call it a friendly, a game that has no international point implications when it comes to World Cup standings. One might think of it as a practice game against a real opponent that is trying to win, in a real stadium with real officials and rabid fans.  

Prior to entering the North American qualifiers, the U.S. (with a team ranking of 70) draws a qualifier against England (with a ranking of 80). Ok, with just an outside chance of actually winning the game, the goal is to control the ball, work the field and look for gaps in the defense.

It works marginally well, with the U.S. getting the first shot on goal (albeit wide of the mark), but by half, the English team is holding to a 1-0 lead.

Some suspect control lapses result in a few blown chances and England walks off the pitch with that 1-0 win.

There are a few things that seem to be a constant in the world of FIFA and international teams – one of those is that there is a big difference in talent and skill between the teams rated in the top 10 worldwide and those from #20 on down.

But thanks to EA Sports and the 360 version of 2006 FIFA World Cup, the playing field is slightly more level, with much of what happens falling on the skill of the player rather than on the AI to make a lot of adjustments and allow the player a chance to win.

Why? Well, take for example, that after scrolling through all the menus featured, there was no option to adjust the difficulty level. What that translates to is a game that puts the pressure all on the player to perform, to skill up or just to go home … wait, the player is likely already home … Ok, head back to the practice field.

Also, do not look for the character creation option available on other platforms. That is absent in the 360 version as well although the game does have a robust multiplayer mode with up to four players able to compete on the same machine and full Xbox Live support.

You want game options? FIFA World Cup has it. Modes include Play Now, FIFA World Cup (the qualifiers and the tourney); Game Modes breaks down into the new Global Challenge (which recreates 40 classic moments in World Cup history using modern teams, which allows gamers to earn rewards to unlock legendary players and classic gear), Penalty Shootout (you can really learn to direct shots with this mode) and Practice; Team Management (tactics) and My FIFA World Cup (profile management).

Of course, there are objectives to achieve in each match and points won can be spent in the store to unlock skills, uniforms (kits), balls, classic players

Graphically this game is amazing. The ball skills used by the players is top notch, qualifying as both flashy and productive within the confines of the game. The stadiums look terrific and the crowds are even very well done. One of the easy highlights of the game is the play-by-play announcing of Clive Tyldsley and Andy Townsend. Not only is the commentary spot on, but it is fun and should not fail to elicit many smiles with the observations and frank comments. Because the game has 127 teams, you are also treated to 127 national anthems, plus 35 eclectic unreleased tracks.

The shooting mechanics have undergone some upgrades, allowing button-pressure sensitive touches, and players can use the left analog stick for direction and the right stick for handling skills. However, some of the AI still needs to be adjusted for the next iteration of the game. Players would often surrender the ball and then blatantly stop moving. Athletes at this level of play do not stop and stand on the field, especially when the ball is within a 10-yard radius. The game also has an odd way of selecting the player closest to the ball. In the majority of instances, when the opposition stole the ball from a player on a run, instead of selecting that player as the nearest defender, the game would pick up a player that was no where near the ball. And through passes are very highly directional sensitive – either that or the players executing them are color blind and obstinate, choosing the wrong jersey to pass to a direction off the angle of the left analog stick’s pressure. The overall control scheme will need to be tweaked for the next version of FIFA soccer on this platform. At times the players either didn’t adhere to the input commands or the were not received.  

But taken overall, 2006 FIFA World Cup is a very entertaining and challenging game, bringing the pageantry and enthusiasm of the world’s biggest sporting event to life. Gamers would have to be made of stone emotionally to not feel the intensity and excitement of the game as it is represented here. Score this game as a gooooooooooaaaaaaaalllllllll!

Gameplay: 8.0
The controls can be a little frustrating at times, especially when an opposing player wins the ball from one of your players and the AI jumps to a defensive player that is 15 yards away, giving the one with the ball room to move. There are load times as well, but once in a game, it flows very well.

Graphics: 8.0
The cutscenes are wonderful and the in-game animations can be a little hit or miss. Still the way the game captures the skill of the game is very nicely done. There were a few incidental clipping problems but those were rare at best.

Sound: 8.7
Clive Tyldsley and Andy Townsend provide sterling commentary, the music has a nice international flavor and the crowds add excitement. About the only drawback is the repetition that seems to be part of the sports genre in general.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
There does not appear to be an option to set the difficulty level in this game, likely meaning that the AI will adjust to player skills. Does it always seem to work? No.

Concept: 8.0
A deeper manager/player mode would have been nice, but that seems to be a complaint of many sports titles moving into the 360. Still, when it comes to capturing the flair and flavor of the international game, this title does a solid job.

Multiplayer: 8.3
From ranked matches to unranked matches, this game has the ability to put players into a game through Xbox Live that will meet their skill level.

Overall: 8.3
The team management mode is a little light and there is no way to create a player to put into the action, but the look and feel of the game is very solid. This game captures the excitement of the sport and while there are few minor issues, it is still a lot of fun to play and offers a lot of challenge.