2006 FIFA World Cup (video game)
| 2006 FIFA World Cup | |
|---|---|
| North American Xbox 360 game cover | |
| Developer(s) | EA Canada |
| Publisher(s) | EA Sports |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance, GameCube, mobile, DS, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox, Xbox 360 |
| Release | April 24, 2006    April 27, 2006  April 28, 2006  May 18, 2006 (mobile)May 19, 2006 (PSP)May 22, 2006 (PSP) |
| Genre(s) | Football/Soccer |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer, online multiplayer (some) |
2006 FIFA World Cup is the official computer and video game for the World Cup by the same name. As with the previous World Cup game, 2002 FIFA World Cup, it is being published by EA Sports. [1]
Many improvements have been made since 2002 FIFA World Cup. The menus have a major redesign and now have many new options that were not present in 2002 FIFA World Cup. Online support will be present for ranked and unranked matches on PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360. The online service provides lobbies, leaderboards and a global challenge mode where the player can play through over forty historical World Cup scenarios. By playing online and in single-player mode, spending points for the virtual store are earned, wherein players can purchase uniforms, historical players, various footballs, boots and gameplay options. As with the previous World Cup game, matches in World Cup mode will be played in the same order as at the World Cup in Germany. [2] One major change is that all teams are now national, rather than an incomplete mixture of national teams and clubs.
Microsoft is bundling the game with the Xbox 360 in Japan and Europe. In this bundle there is a limited edition faceplate included from Adidas. [3]
EA Sports Producer Richard Beresh was interviewed about the making of the game on the EPL Talk Podcast at http://epltalk.libsyn.com
Reviews
IGN rated several versions of the game before its release in North America. The ratings below are the ratings achieved for that particular platform.
- GameCube: 8.0
- PC: 8.4
- PlayStation Portable: 7.8
- PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360: 8.4
- Nintendo DS: 7.5
Game Rankings which averages out video game reviews from major publications had the Xbox 360 version rated the highest at 79%.
Trivia
- There are nine region-specific covers[4]:
- Cover for the version released in Asia & Australia shows flags of qualified nations
- There are 127 playable nations in this game, featuring the thirty two qualifiers and dozens of teams from the six football confederations.
- There are a number of unlockable "classic" players, such as Zico, Amancio, and Bergkamp.
- You can also unlock classic kits, like England´s 1966 kit, different World Cup balls, like Fevernova and a huge number of Teamgeist balls.
- A group of game hackers has announced that it is working on a patch for the PC version that will add a special combo headbutt move to Zinedine Zidane's character as he used this move towards an Italian player in the World Cup final match. [citation needed]
Release dates
2006 FIFA World Cup was released simultaneously on the GameCube, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360 on April 24, 2006. In Europe it was simulataneously on April 28, 2006. It was also released on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS handheld systems at the same time as the console versions. As with some other PlayStation Portable games it was released later on May 22, 2006. In Europe, this version was released May 19, 2006.
References
- ^ "EA claims World Cup". GameSpot. Retrieved 2006-04-23.
- ^ "2006 FIFA World Cup Hands-On". GameSpot. Retrieved 2006-04-23.
- ^ "Japan scores FIFA-themed 360". GameSpot. Retrieved 2006-04-23.
- ^ "FIFA covers reflect global appeal". AOL Games. Retrieved 2006-06-08.