GENRE
	Sports
	DEVELOPER
	EA Sports
	PUBLISHER
	EA Sports
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
	BUY NOW AT

While Americans go to sleep every Monday night with pigskins dancing in their heads, the rest of the world has quite a different game of football in mind. It's called soccer here, and as everyone knows, it never really caught on here in the US. Recently, the United States team garnered the attention of fair-weather fans it never knew it had; coupled with the headbutt seen around the new world of YouTube, the iron of soccer awareness has never been hotter. Now EA is here to strike, with FIFA 07 for the GameCube.

visuals

After kickoff, the action is viewed from a birds-eye perspective, which should be familiar to both of those who follow the sport on television. The angle is so high that the players on the field are near ant-size. But these ants animate well. Typical movements--running, passing, shooting--all seem so close to reality that the poorly textured and blocky characters are hard to stomach in close-up shots. Most of the gameplay is viewed from afar, so any cringing at obvious last-gen graphics should be kept to a minimum.

audio

It seems that ever since the induction of the Medal of Honor series, EA has had a hold on great sound. In FIFA 07, crowds convincingly rise and fall, but sadly, never riot. An audible-yet-subtle difference can be heard between shots and passes. The announcer is lively as well, providing interesting, colorful and sometimes even helpful commentary throughout. Unfortunately, EA has a nasty habit of infusing that generic new punk/pop/emo/crap rock that plagues today's Top 40 into every game they put out. It's even more out of place here, as it ruins the international flavor of the game.

gameplay

To call FIFA 07 full-featured would be a disservice. The team and stadium selections from across the world alone are impressive. Adding to that are extensive options for creating teams and individual players, and the ability to take them on the road in the Manager Mode. The goal in Manager Mode is not only to win games, but to keep fans happy, your sponsors satisfied and your team members in tune with each other. This can take a lot to start up, but it ends up being engaging if the player is willing to put something into it.

FIFA 07 is a sim, and as such, it may take a bit to get used to for those weaned on the Mario-flavored offerings in town. The gameplay isn't so much about fast-paced action and smashing others into electric force-fields, but a more of a methodical game. Players will find that putting actual thought and planning into their offense and defense really does affect the outcome of the match. Using strategy and quick-thinking to score a goal isn't terribly hard, but it can be incredibly satisfying.

Compared to other soccer games, gameplay doesn't feel as fluid or as fun. It's hard to fault FIFA for not supporting a pick-up-and-play quality, considering the competition in question doesn’t exist on GameCube. But then again, perhaps that's more of a reason to expect success; with only one choice in a particular genre, that choice had better act like it. Perhaps EA's other football franchise could learn a lesson from this.

multiplayer

Besides the obvious versus modes, FIFA 07 sports the return of Lounge Mode. More than just a tournament, Lounge Mode enables several players to engage in their own league of sorts. It's a nice diversion if someone actually has seven friends who don’t think soccer is for wussies.

overall

There aren't many options for those wanting a footie fix. Heck, there aren't many options for new GameCube games. It's hard to take, but this is one of the last releases on our poor, indigo-stricken Cube. It's a decent game for a system’s twilight, but not terribly unique. In the holiday rush, FIFA 07 will undoubtedly be lost in the nextgen fervor. Those sticking with their GC this season should be thankful though: it's this or another SpongeBob game. Of course, there's that Zelda thing, too.

7.5/10