FIFA Soccer
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PSP
| FIFA Soccer

Just as soccer supporters can be divided into different camps, so the footballing game player comes in three distinct flavours. First up are the diehard purists. For these sports-lovers no goal is higher than to recreate the ebb and flow of a real match. Hence, the die-hards' ticklist is a demanding one filled with comprehensive tactical options, an extensive range of passing options, which allow them to play to their chosen style, and a tough CPU challenge to ensure they'll appreciate every hard fought goalless draw.

The second group, who could perhaps be labelled the 'Sky-watchers', are less concerned with the accuracy of the sporting challenge and more with the presentation of the stadia, players and commentary team. For them it's important the squad of their adopted team are correctly named, that the Man U badge looks like it does on their replica shirt, the stadium's just like on the telly and that a familiar voice issues familiar hackneyed commentary.

Last but not least are the more casual supporters - let's call them 'the prawn sandwich eaters' - who simply want an easily accessible experience that while being recognisable as football, is not too tricky to pick up. What they're really after are the glorious moments of the game, the overhead kicks, outlandish volleys and last-minute equalisers, and, to be frank they're not overly concerned which colours they're performed in.

It's the last two groups who are going to be most excited about the first PSP version of the FIFA franchise.

A largely accurate port from the latest home console edition (FIFA 2005), this version amazingly manages to transport virtually all the players, teams and leagues of that edition onto the miniature UMD disc! Hence, before you even kick off you've got a whopping 350 fully licensed club teams to chose from (including all the English divisions and top leagues from around the world) allowing you to recreate anything from Barcelona vs Chelsea in the champions league to Millwall vs Brighton in the Coca-Cola Championship.

The opening menus are equally slick, mixing a wide variety of options with the latest chart-topping tunes and when it comes to kick off, EA's customary high presentation standards are if anything even more impressive on the pitch. The visuals really don't look too far off their PlayStation2 equivalent with recognisable miniature players running, passing and shooting to stimulate the cheers and jeers of the crowd as well as reaction from regular FIFA commentary team of John Motson and Ally McCoist. The controls feel responsive and intuitive too, with a range of easy-to master passes and sprints mixed up with more advanced options such as triggering a runner to look for space.

Even the staunchest diehard would struggle not to be caught up in the atmosphere for the first few games. However, as any premiership manager will tell you, the honeymoon period doesn't last and sure enough a few games in some sizeable cracks begin to appear.

Problem one is the control system itself. While the idea of using the analogue stick to control your players movements and manual passes seems OK initially, the awkward positioning of this pad means this can rapidly become uncomfortable. while EA might legitimately blame this on Sony's design, it has to take full responsibility for the decision not to allow you to use the more sensibly positioned d-pad instead or employ said d-pad for more advanced skill moves.

The second cause for concern is the amount of time it takes to actually do anything. Although slow-down during the matches is handled relatively well, it does nevertheless happen frequently. Maybe if EA had stripped out some of the polish you might be able to get through more than one supposedly six-minute game in a 30 minute train journey.

The most crucial flaw however lies with the gameplay itself. While the basics are easy to pick up and feel solid enough to encourage you to experiment with more advanced tactics, it becomes clear relatively early there really isn't that much scope for evolving your own style of play. FIFA has strong ideas about how it wants you to play and you're fighting an uphill battle if you try to go beyond this. Want to knock-it-long to a big striker? Don't bother. Want to concentrate around a midfield playmaker who slides curling passes into runners? Steven Gerrard need not apply!

Naturally, things do improve against human players who make unpredictable errors creating more space and it would be unfair to say that you couldn't enjoy the game when your expectations have been lowered.

Ultimately, although FIFA Soccer may impress more for its presentation and add-ons than its performance on the pitch, it does impress nonetheless and while not destined for top of the PSP footie league it will keep its fan satisfied.

FIFA 06 is on sale now.

FIFA Soccer

A promising squad but disappointing performances on the park mean it's the very definition of mid-table
Score
Chris James
Chris James
A footy game fanatic and experienced editor of numerous computing and game titles, bossman Chris is up for anything – including running Steel Media (the madman).