A Modest Attempt on PSP

The FIFA series is a yearly soccer game released by EA Sports. Although on par with the Winning Eleven Series, FIFA attempted to pull away by producing UMB games for the new Playstation Portable (PSP).

Immediately after I received my PSP I began to think of the hot titles I needed to get. Being a huge soccer fan, I quickly purchased FIFA 2006 for my portable entertainment system. With the hype and promise of a full game on such a small disk, I got excited. The possibility of one of my favorites series traveling with me wherever I go was enticing. However, I quickly began to realize the game's flaws.

As most of the disks on PSP, FIFA 2006 had limited features. Not familiar with PSP games, I had assumed I would receive an identical copy of the game released for Playstation 2 and XBox. Instead, not much was packed on it. From my previous experience with the titles on Playstation 2, I had grown to love the coach mode. With this, I was able to be a coach and move from team to team while bringing them to elite status. Unfortunately, this feature was not available on the PSP version, and I was left with season mode. This one year option allowed me to choose any team (unlike the coach mode where you were required to begin with a bad squad) and play with them for one season. A multi-year option was NOT available, thus requiring you to repeat your experience and hope for better, or try your luck with another club.

Another feature I was disappointed with was juggling. In an attempt to shadow the famous mini games of the Madden football series, FIFA introduced a mini game where you can pick any player and juggle....just juggle. How entertaining is that? Predictably, this feature left me bored after only one round. I would not recommend any of you waste your time with this option.

Although it seems as if I am completely disappointed with the game, that is far from true. The FIFA game made a smooth transition from the larger consoles to PSP, which caught me by surprise. Even compared to other PSP titles, FIFA 2006 blows me away with graphics. Also available are a wide variety of camera angles. After being lucky enough to score (the difficulty levels are quite challenging for someone who has not yet completely mastered the console), you are presented with various clips of your goal from different angles. This lasts long enough so you can run around the room showing off to all your friends...The announcers, although their voices get annoying at times, almost never seem to be repetitive with what they say. All in all, the in-game features meet my high expectations.

One thing people should not expect is a game similar to its counterpart on other consoles. You must understand that PSP, although it has incredible memory capacity, cannot incorporate every small detail into its gameplay. Additionally, with the small and limited amount of buttons, you cannot experience every in-game move that you can on PS2 or XBox. That said, EA does an excellent job of moving as much as they could on to such a small disk.

FIFA 2006 is nothing to brag about, however it is not anything to avoid either. With it's $49.99 pricetag (like all other EA titles), it is far from a "must buy". However, if you have a store credit or gift card lying around, I recommend using it on this title. If you can put up with an occasional stoppage in gameplay and, contrary to what the box might say, NO INFASTRUCTURE FEATURE, you will be given a fun game capable of many other things. Hopefully, next year EA will be able to fix these things and I look forward to a stronger title.