UEFA Champions League 06-07 REVIEW
EA presents this new soccer game, much better now than FIFA 07, overall in the gameplay, A.I., movements, etc. One of the great new things is the Ultimate Team Mode, kinda Magic, but with soccer, thing that gives to the game a PLUS. Not needed to say that you can play aswell the UEFA CL in all of his splendorm, and many other modes.
GAMEPLAY
I decided to start the review with this option first instead of graphics, because each time seems that EA works and works more on this part with great results, not all in life are graphics!!.
The first thing that you will notice is "hey man, this players and ball are not the same!!" and yes, gameplay is much much improved from FIFA 07. A more paceful game brings you the chance of to elaborate a lot more all the plays (not all is to play on the wings, like in the old fifas), you can pass and pass and pass until find the space for to create your goal chance, making the game more realistic. Now the midfields and defenders are really importants, with his improved A.I, and all is much more responsive, as in the players as in the controls. Ball physics are amazing, really well done, the game has the same thing about that "the ball goes appart from players", but in this version is much more accuratte, is not so BOUNCE like in in FIFA07.
Talking about bounce, players collisions are simply great, now when you want to do a "light" tackle, players dont bounce like in 07, they really fight for the ball, and is more difficult, is not so easy as to press the tackle button and wait for the player make the job, you must to be well positioned and make the tackle in the right time. Strong tackles are really great, and you can feel when you did a good one (with a great satisfaction of to break the opponent play and to go with the ball on your boots) or a bad one (with your consequent yellow card).
The CPU A.I is really improved, as may people said, to play in semi-pro is not so easy as it seems, you must to work hard in the field, and this feeling of to do a great job on the field is awarded with a consequent goal, thing that makes you up of your sofa saying "yessss!!!" after a nice play. Must to say that the the new camera angle "television" helps a lot on this, is not so close like in FIFA, is just in the right position.
You will notice too that long passes are more acurate now, you can feel the ball weight and how your players put the ball on the field after a long pass, etc...
Head shots are impresive, there´s more spectacular head diving shots, overall when you make a low long pass and the forward is looking for to score.
Finally, controls seems more responsive too, not like in a arcade game, i mean, many reviews claims against that the controls are not responsive, this is not true, the controls are responsive, but the players have weight and you must to play a few games until you achieve the "timming" for to do all the actions, making the game more realistic yet (in FIFA07 may be was too much exagerated, now is really ok). If you want and arcade game where you players can turn 180 degrees in 0.0000002 seconds without break their legs, this is not your game. There´s not TRICK moves yet, but each time is minus necesary, you will realize about how players can do a lot of tricks simply with left stick, like foot to foot, stop and go on one defender, etc..etc..is cool.
And like always, multiplayer is totally out of lag.
There´s only a couple things that could be improved, as the select player button when you are defending, stills not so exact as you wish, but it works well. Another thing is that the goalkeepers are more difficult to pass than in FIFA07, they cover really well the spaces, and believe me, you must to do a great work on this part to achieve the goal, you will "sweat" until to score a goal if you play games kinda Liverpool - Barça, etc. This happends overall in good teams with good goalkeepers (Casillas, Valdes, Reina, etc....) some people will find this more realistic, others will find not so realistic, this part is up to you, but personally, i preferd a 1-0 or 2-1, than a 7-5, you know what i mean. But this is not a defect itself, if you play well, making good pases, posession, etc...your team morale is going up, making this task more easy.
MODES/LONGEVITY
Here, you have a lot of options. "Quick Game",,, To "Play the UEFA CL" with any team that you want from 5 leagues (Premier, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A, French League, plus Rest of Teams), with celebration include at the end!!!, a "Challange Mode", where you can play 42 diferent situations of the pasts UEFA CL editions and rewritte the history, "Online Play" up to 8 players, and the great "Ultimate Team Mode", that is deep as hell. All of this without count all the rest of options, like transfers, edit/create players, line ups, attack/defense movements, etc...etc...etc.
The new Ultimate Team Mode is really adictive and great, the idea of to start from zero, with 15 dumb players, like in a 3rd division team, and going into win and win macthes for to gain points and to go up levels and to buy new players until achieve the team of your dreams and to win the Champions League is simply great. All of this this without count with the special cards, like trainners, contracts extends, better form, or inclusive cards that you can use while you are playing a macth, like to have 15 minutes of great stamina for your players, or bad stamina for oponnet one player, etc. You will expend great minutes making your team as good as possible "chemistry", players from the same country speaks the same language and they understand themself much better, or they have a preferd position or system, etc, etc.
And the great thing is that all this things are totally reflected on the field. If you have done a great work on this part, the macth will be more easy (is nice to see how your players improve after each macth). As i said, this kind of 30% RPG and 60% soccer is simply brillant. At the beggining i was not so convinced about this option, but after playing 10 macthes you cannot leave it!!. Furthermore, you can sell your cards or buy new ones on LIVE, or complete albums and unlock boots, balls, stadiums, etc.. GREAT.
GRAPHICS
Without comments....absolutelly AWESOME. The stadiums are simply amazing, to play at night with all that lights (you can play at day, afternoon or night on the same long list of FIFA07 stadiums plus a new stadium, the one that appears on the demo). All the atmosphere is well done, like in a TV macth, the crows roars meanwhile players enter in the field of this great stadium.
Players are simply brillant done, you will notice that are a bit more accurate than in FIFA07...for R.Madrid fans, finally there´s a GUTI face!!!...and other players new faces. Kits, balls, and boots are smooth and well done and, etc, etc....all you can imagine from EA games on this part. More fluid animations, new enter scenes (3 or 4 each time that your team goes to the field), new replay angles "3 replays per goal", and the cool thing, new animations scenes on celebrating goals, or after a tackle like the one the player is saying that he touched the ball and not the player while you can see this player make the round form of the ball, other animations like bad faces or shoulder "touches" in yellow cards, etc...etc. There´s no words for this part, is simply perfect. Inclusive the detail of real advertisements of the UEFA CL, like PS3 on a 360!!.
SOUND
As good as graphics. Lot of chants from the crowd "You will never walk alone" "Barça, Barça, Barça!!!" "Madrid!!.......Madrid!!!", etc...etc. Each team has 5 or 6 diferent chants, almost the teams that i tested. Crowd roars as i said on the enter the teams, after each goal, screaming during the macth when you are near to score a goal, aplausses when you break an opponent play, etc. Plus a great comments (i talk about spanish version) from LaLaguna and Pepe Domingo Castaño, from La Cadena Ser, that gives a more realistic thing to the game...with all the players names, great and funny comments after a tackle, etc. Is clear that there´s a lot of phrases, hundreds and hundreds, but after to play 100 games, some of them can be repetitive, all has limits. I still thinking that the speaker thing when the game is near to finish or in the half time, talking about a card bad parked is so great. Pure class on this part too. There´s not a long MUSIC SCORE on this part, like in FIFA07, but, did you really buy a soccer game for to have 25 songs?
FINAL COMMENTS/ LAST APEAL
If you enjoyed with FIFA07 but you though, "this can be better", and you dont care to dont play with national teams or the IGN reviews, take your FIFA07, sell it and buy this great game, is much much better. Until now, and in my oppinion, the best soccer game for our 360.
GRAPHICS: 9.0
GAMEPLAY: 8.7
SOUND: 8.5
MODES/LONGEVITY: 8.8
LAST APPEAL: 8.6
TOTAL SCORE: 8,7
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Take care
neovico
The Mind
Good positive review Neovico. It gives me hope. I should be getting my copy on Monday. I've heard so many mixed reviews but I do like the demo quite a bit...I think it is much better than Fifa 2007. I've played 10-15 games in the demo and went to play Fifa 2007 yesterday and found it kind of dated and unplayable after the CL demo...a good sign for sure. Quick question Neo (if you still don't hold the grudge against me)...Are the stadiums newly designed? What killed me about the Fifa 2007 stadiums is that the stadiums were all aliased (jagged edges) and they weren't accurate. For example, the Bernabeu stadium had the South and North end seats wayyy to far back from the goals, is this corrected? also, I hope crowds have flags, banners, etc. Do they? This is extremely important in CL matches. Fans play a very important role during these matches. I'd like to see team flags and banners like in real life. To me, it would totally kill the game if it didn't have these. Anyone that knows CL knows that the fans are very very important, they make the atmosphere that is synonomous with the CL games. I think there is a trophy celebration, no? If not, this would be greatly disastrous. A CL game without the opportunity to see you lift the CL trophy????? This can't be. Thanks! Oh, great to hear that Guti doesn't look like the guy from the movie "In the Mouth of Madness'!!! Finally, I am under the impression that you can play with 3 other players online on the same team! Anyone confirm this? That would be great. I'm assuming each one of the 4 players control certain players only, for example, player 1 controls forwards, 2 controls, defense, etc....anyone confirm this? Later!