UEFA Champions League 2006-2007
Score: 70% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: EA Games Developer: EA Sports Media: UMD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Sports/ Sports (Soccer)/ Simulation
Graphics & Sound: When is enough enough? There are a host of soccer games on the market now and unless you've got the scrilla to buy them all, you have a tough choice to make. It may come down to your preference for a realistic game with players and teams and locations you recognize. UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 certainly gives the Euroset a chance to see their favorite teams in action. Since UEFA is part of the larger FIFA and we already have a FIFA game, we again have to ask, "When is enough enough?" If there weren't a good-looking game in the fray, it would be an easy question to answer. We already have several strong entries in the form of the Winning Eleven and FIFA series. UEFA Champions suffers from a case of the smalls. The players are small and the full-field views accentuate the lack of detail. It wouldn't be bad if the close shots had more detail. Unfortunately, the player models are rough and jaggy and the action on the sidelines is washed out in a big way. There are options to customize player uniforms and choose between all the European teams. A nice range of music and in-game sound effects can be found in UEFA Champions, but is it enough to overcome a generally average package? I'll foreshadow the gameplay section and tell you that there isn't enough meat there to offset the lack of strong presentation.
Gameplay: The neat pieces of UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 are the multiplayer and the simulated coaching/team-management mode. The Treble competition mode links up with the PS2 in a way that lets you take a team on the road to keep increasing your stats until you can get home to synch with the console. Here there may be a bit of an edge for this game among the crowd. The online space wasn't as intuitive or smooth as it could have been, but the idea is right on target. I noticed lag or drop-out when I was initiating a match - could have been something in the network on my end - that didn't leave me impressed with online play. As with most titles in their early days of release, I didn't see a crowd in the lobby. That can easily change over time if the game is strong enough. Strengths aside, you'll find a very ordinary soccer game under the UEFA Champions wrapper. Match play across the UEFA lineup is easy to initiate offline and a Play Now mode keeps it simple if all you want to do is jump in with preselected teams. You can even randomize the selection to speed things up. All modes allow some exchange and modification of players and player gear. Colors and ball choices are nice window dressing, but the real game depends on skilled players. If you know a thing or two about soccer and these leagues, you will enjoy deeper modes like On The Pitch and The Treble. There is a log of benchmarks tied to historical rivalries and objectives given for competitions. The record you hold as you proceed through the game earns you credits to use for more of that window dressing. One major difference between playing a quick game and the more endurance oriented On The Pitch or Treble mode is that you can spend more time worrying about player injuries, rankings, and those unique team goals. Other little goodies like a quiz on the nuances of European "football," a practice mode for precision shooting, and several ways to get involved more as a coach or strategist are all part of the fun for soccer-heads out there that love the Euro scene. Multiplayer can be a wireless match against other players in proximity to you or true online play through the EA network. If you already have an EA account, you can get online immediately or you can quickly set up an account to play. Online play includes the basic match options plus some tricks that you can use like taunts against your opponents.
Difficulty: There's a muddy, slow-mo quality to this game that totally defeats the playability and gives the CPU opponents god-like skills against you. The occasional lucky break on your part may result in a conversion or (gasp!) a goal. Otherwise you get to watch the CPU slam shots from the top of the line that elude your goalie and then you get to watch a replay. The A.I. just doesn't feel balanced. The controls feel left behind when the action is going on and you start pressing buttons. The response to a shot or pass isn't swift and even a quick button press to adjust the focus of control seems to take too long. The balance from team to team barely registers against the overall flaws until you play another human. At that point in the game, you may find yourself playing with weaker or stronger players and using a team that doesn't have quite the right stuff. Coming away with a victory when the teams are unbalanced is impressive and you also have to factor in the player injuries or their choice of play tactics. The summary on this is that UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 can be enjoyed with a bunch of folks, but single-player is tiresome at best.
Game Mechanics: There are a lot of things going on in the control department for a game that revolves around kicking and running. Sometimes you kick harder and sometimes you run harder, right? Apparently soccer involves a whole lot more. Where UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 does have some distinction is in the control department. Sure, the overall feel of the game is muddy, but if you can get used to the feel of the game, you'll find lots of depth. Different schema for offense and defense lend more realism to UEFA Champions. As you move the ball down the field, you can drop major tricks on your opponent that involve shifting the direction of the ball without passing, circling or spinning with the ball, and doing tricky juggling moves. Other tactics for shooting and passing make for as many control options as your typical fighting game. It is a crying shame that UEFA Champions doesn't feel more responsive and take advantage of all the neat distinctions in how to control players. True soccer fans will want to own every game on the market. Slightly less fanatic soccer fans or those on a budget may have to make a tough decision. The choice is easy if you're looking for an authentic experience with the European league. UEFA Champions may have its faults, but it is still a playable game. The other two games on the market right now offer tighter controls and a stronger visual presentation, but may not feature exactly these teams to the extent that fans desire. If you just want the best soccer game, we can't recommend UEFA Champions, but if you're willing to persevere, you will find some silver lining on this cloud.
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
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