FIFA Soccer 07
And I really can't understand sports gaming. I always figured sports gaming was for people who wouldn't even go into their backyards to play the real thing. But sports games are so popular, I figured I'd give one a try. And FIFA seemed a good way to introduce myself. After all, soccer is one of the simpler sports, as far as rules go, so I thought it would be a good way to ease myself into sports gaming.
Graphics:
FIFA has three levels of graphics. The first are the menus. I found them to be overcrowded and less than intuitive. Less is more, but not at EA. Next we have cinematic cutscenes. Personally, I thought these looked pretty wretched. The players looked slick and rubbery, like they were assembled on ta production line next to Barbie. Perhaps the sheen was meant to be sweat, but no one sweats enough to look like a plastic doll. Their movements are often jerky and unrealistic.
On the other hand, the in-game graphics are spectacular, especially on an HDTV. The characters move very realistically, and you can even make out the lines on the ball itself. The field is verdant and green, and in all it's a pleasure to take in. The crowd seems fairly generic, but if you're paying attention to the crowd, you're not playing the game (although I think some people could probably beat me without once looking at the screen).
Audio:
The audio is also very impressive. EA went to great lengths to make the whole thing look and sound like an ESPN broadcast, and they succeed with flying colors. Even before you start a game, you can listen to EA Radio, which I presume is live sports coverage. It could be all on the disc, but I think people would notice the same five news pieces over and over.
In the game you get two commentators, both British, both very professional-sounding. Not being very knowledgable about soccer, I couldn't tell whether or not their comments were accurate (except for when they said my team made a bad decision, those I could agree with wholeheartedly), but they sure sound good. Play enough and you'll start to hear comments repeated, but they can only record so many phrases.
As for the game itself, you get the roar of the crowd, the trampling of feet, the roll of the ball, it's all there. I was consistently impressed by the audio in FIFA 07.
Conclusion:
I had a hard time coming up with a recommendation for this game. I don't really feel qualified to tell hardcore sports fans how this game is. I know I wouldn't want someone who's never watched a movie before to tell me what they think of my favorite films. Considering the wealth of options in this game, I can only assume a soccer fanatic would love it to death, even with its gameplay problems. In the end, however, I have to go with my personal and wholly subjective experience with the game, and I didn't like it one bit. I guess I'll just never understand sports. Rent It.