In this post, football means soccer to anyone who thinks this is about American Football.
Fifa 07, which is available on most consoles, is a video game that lets you play football matches, that are very similar to the real thing. As well as that, you have the opportunity to create a player, and inject them into the game, letting them play for your favourite club. There is also a Manager Mode, in which you can manage your favourite teams, do transfers, renew the players contacts and find new undiscovered talent. (It is similar to
itsagoal.com, except you actually play the matches, and there aren't as many things to do, like training, and stuff like that). There are online game modes, in which you can play other people across the globe!
After the brilliant Fifa 06 was released, EA had a lot to do to improve the game even more. There have been a few things added, some improvements, others, well, not so good. Firstly, a new kind of shot has been added. They had the normal shot, then the chip shot, and now the Fitnesse Shot! Basically, while holding L2 when shooting, the player reduces power, but increases accuracy. Unfortunately, I have found this ineffective, so it is not much to talk about.
The table colours, and the general graphics have been updated. The game runs smoother, but there have been a few stutters, and jumps whilst I have been playing, and something else strange has happened. When playing, the game suddenly freezes, and my PS2 emits this strange buzzing noise. It is very creepy, and has happened twice to me, but it might just be my old PS2.
Manager Mode has been majorly updated, with more things to do, like finding new talent, in the youth academy, player growth (when a player gets better after a playing a match), financial predictions, and real money (euros, dollars or pounds) for the first time! In general gampeplay - this applies to manager mode too - substitutions are needed more often, not just for injuries, as players gradually tire throughout games. In addition, there is something new which is really useful. A yellow dot appears on the ground, wherever the ball will bounce for the first time. This is very useful, meaning that you can move your players to the right place, if the ball is off, or very high up the screen.
Like on the Nintendo DS, version, Fifa 07 allows you to create a club. This would be good, but unlike on the DS, it is impossible to have a team of created players, as there are only sixteen slots for created, so if you want a dream team, they would have to be at least a few of the best players on the game, who still fail in comparison to the mighty created players (who's stats are all maxed out, if you want them to be)! But, you can use your club in Manager Mode, and decide how much money they can start with.
There are some bad bits though as well, the new corner system is probably degraded from it's predecessor, as well as the goal kick system. The game also uses the same dreadful direct free-kick system, and I have never ever received an indirect one. Finally, I have noticed that it is now possible for your team to do handballs too, even though that isn't a benefit, I just thought I'd put it in there. :)
So here we go, Fifa 07, the sequel to Fifa 06.
Is it better? Yes, but only just, not as much as an improvement as I would have liked, the yellow dot where the ball bounced won it for me.
Who is this game best for? Well, apparently, the Pro-Evolution Soccer games are the best, but I am a long time Fifa fan, so I would buy it. Anyway, as long as you like football, this game is good for you. There is no particular age range.
What's the rating then? I would give it 8 out of 10, a good score, making it a good game, but there is still room for improvement. Still well worth buying!
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