Mini Review
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http://www.totalvideogames.com/arti...7_-_Hands_On_Preview_11371_6383_0_0_10_0.htm)
EA must be hoping that Xbox 360 owners can't get enough of the beautiful game we call footie, with the fourth EA Sports football title to be released on the system since its launch 15 months ago. Returning from a break in the action last season, EA Sports are making a Champions League comeback as the real-world tournament draws into the climatic stages.
Making its way onto the Xbox 360, Playstation2, PSP and PC towards the end of the month, UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 is shaping up to offer a distinctly different experience on each; particularly the PS2 and PSP versions serve as a reminder of just how far the FIFA franchise has advanced on the next-generation, but once again seemingly at the cost of content.
On The Pitch
Presumably leaving the big-name changes until FIFA 08 later in the year, Champions League 2006-2007 is shaping up to play very closely to last year's World Cup efforts and FIFA 07. There's a hint that features such as the One Touch have been refined with further control, effortlessly chesting a pass onto another player, whilst the opposition AI appears to provide more a more realistic challenge. One area that appears to be noticeably improved is the collision detection between players tussling for the ball, which now seems to give the advantage to the player with the ball and reduces the erratic nature of last year's FIFA.
Further cosmetic touches see the appearance of physios to treat an injured player; close-up cameras to catch the emotion of a crucial free-kick; and surprisingly, it seems as though the commentary system has seen a few improvements, though the idle banter still seems a little too obscure at times and occasionally it still seems as though Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend are watching another match.
At the end of every match played in the handful of modes, your performance is evaluated based upon a range of criteria (goals, yellow/red cards, away fixture, etc...) and bonus multipliers for away fixtures and difficulty, are with the resulting points being used in the game's Ultimate Team mode.
I'll Trade Ronaldo For Ronaldinho
Realising that even FIFA fanatics would take to yet another spin-off like fans to rising Premiership ticket prices, Champions League 2006-2007 biggest introduction is the inclusion of the 'Ultimate Team' mode. Merging FIFA with Pokemon, the 'Ultimate Team' mode provides the challenge of picking a custom team from the bottom and bringing it glory by buying and swapping cards.
Players are classified by cards displaying their attributes and important information, along with a variety of others such as coaching staff, stadium, training, boots, balls, and gameplay bonuses. Grouped into Bronze, Silver and Gold packs, you'll begin the mode with a distinctly average set of players, purchasing new packs of cards with the points accumulated at the end of every match. Special cards that provide buffs during the actual match can be set to four different slots on the d-pad, bringing temporary benefits such as Increased Dribbling or Speed.
Taking into account nationalities and playing the players in their correct positions is important to building the Team Chemistry to provide an additional boost to the player's attributes, whilst having Physio cards in your deck will ensure that injuries are dealt with effectively. Further still certain cards, such as Stadiums, will provide a boost to the player's Morale. Adding a further challenge to the mode, you'll also have to contend with Player Contracts that count down based upon each appearance. Again it's all about having the right cards, with Contract Extension cards used to extend a player's contract by the stated amount of matches.
There's one thing you can be sure of when Trading Cards are involved and that's swapsies. When you find yourself with two David Beckham's the solution is to offer it as a trade via Xbox Live, or if you can't find a trade stick it in the EA Sports sticker album to try and collect the entire set for additional point bonuses.
To progress through the mode you must reach a certain amount of points within 30 games, which advances you to the next stage and unlocks the next tier of cards. Progressing through the Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers unlocks a Golden Ticket, allowing entry for your custom team into the Champions League. The mode is as fanciful as it sounds, but could provide the long-term challenge that FIFA games tend to lack. It's very much a fantasy, "videogame" mode that is far removed from realism and authenticity, but it does appear to work in a strange Pokemon kind of way.
Missing Content?
Following the next-generation version of FIFA 07, the Xbox 360 version appears to make sacrifices once again in terms of content. Despite making an appearance in the PC version, Henrik Larsson is nowhere to be found in the Manchester United squad for the Xbox 360 title or PS2/PSP. Presumably the only time Man Utd fans will see the prolific Swede in the red shirt, let's hope the omission is just a sign of the unfinished preview build.
Despite the shackles of the Champions League license, UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 contains all the top league teams from England, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and a handful of others, so West Ham fans dreaming of European glory can get a slice of the action - even if it does stretch the truth even further then the Pokemon styled action. Strangely there are some clubs such as PSV Eindhoven and CSKA Moscow that lack official licenses in the Xbox 360 version but don't in the PlayStation2, whilst the current-gen also offers a vastly expanded set of leagues to choose from.
Besides the Champions League (strangely without Man Utd and Arsenal in the PS2 version) and Ultimate Team modes, Champions League 2006-2007 offers a Challenge mode to recreate famous scenarios throughout the tournaments history. PS2 owners can also look forward to a Season mode, offering expanded management options and the ability to take it on the move with the PSP - just in case you can't get enough.
Timed perfectly to fuel the fix of FIFA addicts, the only question surrounding the forthcoming release of Champions League 2006-2007 is just how many games they've managed to squeeze on the Xbox 360 in such a short timeframe. Minor improvements to the game engine should make Champions League 2006-2007 the most enjoyable game to date before a presumed revolution in FIFA 08, whilst the Ultimate Team mode is shaping up to be a lot more fun then we initially considered.
