FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup (Xbox 360, 2005)

When it arrived in stores last month, the Xbox version of FIFA 06 was undoubtedly EA Sports' best soccer game to date. Now, less than two months later, FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup has been released for the Xbox 360, and the Xbox version of FIFA 06 is still EA Sports' best soccer game to date. How can that be the case? At the very least, FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup must be the same game that was released for the Xbox but with better graphics, right? Wrong. FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup is inferior to its Xbox counterpart in just about every way imaginable, and is undoubtedly one of the most disappointing games available for Microsoft's new console at launch. As its title suggests, FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup's main gameplay mode tasks you with leading an international soccer team through the qualification process to next year's World Cup competition in Germany. There are no club teams in FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup, so whereas the Xbox version of FIFA 06 boasts a rough total of 500 teams for you to play with, the Xbox 360 game features just 72, more than 50 of which are from Europe. No fewer than 132 of the international teams that participated in FIFA's preliminary qualification process for Germany 2006 are absent from FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup. The majority of you are unlikely to miss the likes of American Samoa, Chile, and Turkmenistan, of course, but the upshot of their omission from the game is that the European qualification groups are the only ones available in the Road to FIFA World Cup gameplay mode. If you want to qualify for the World Cup as a team from outside Europe you can create custom groups, but it's simply not possible to re-create the same qualification matches played by Brazil, Cameroon, or Japan in real life. Also, you can't ever actually play in the World Cup; only qualify for it. Assuming that you choose to play through the real-world qualifiers as a European team, you'll be placed in a group with five or six other teams and be required to play each of them twice. Artificially lengthening the Road to FIFA World Cup mode, though, are a number of mandatory friendly matches, as well as two fictional tournaments. The additional games might be a worthwhile feature of the qualification campaign if FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup boasted something resembling FIFA 06's team chemistry for you to consider, but it doesn't, so playing through them can feel like a bit of a chore. With that said, you might want to beat each of the fictional tournaments at least once if you end up in possession of a copy of FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup, simply because doing so is one of only a handful of unimaginative ways that you can earn gamerscore points for your Xbox 360 player profile in the game. You'll also earn "road points" for your achievements in FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup that, at least according to the instruction manual, can be used to unlock a classic FIFA team, along with extra uniforms and soccer balls. There's no fan shop for you to spend your points in like in FIFA 06, though, and unlocking the classic FIFA team, Adidas balls, and such really doesn't appear to involve points at all.

Ok, so getting over the fact that every game is going to look awesome compared to everything we've seen so far, from a gameplay aspect, I couldn't stand this game.

Three words: too many buton commands!

Wait was that four?

This game is waaaaaay to hard for a sports title. There are so many commands in the booklet, it takes up 2 pages!! In my opinion, some things are better off alone. The controls in Fifa 2005 were nearly perfect, with the addition of the trick stick, a la NBA live 2003. So why add new controls?

I agree that keeping things fresh is key, but what they could have done fresh with graphics and multiplayer (xbox live?) they did with new control options.

Overall, this is not one of the better soccer titles, and it shows as they are releasing another world cup game in the same year. I would say wait for that one.

This is Fifa: Road to the World Cup so it is all international teams which is a nice change for people used to mainly playing club is Fifa 06. Yes there is not much to the game itself but it is a great step in the right direction for EA. Still does not rival Konami's games in terms of game play and physics but best fifa to date. This game is harder to score than most fifa's and its a great change and a good challenge.

If you want it strictly for the LIVE feature I would say buy it. I find that most of my time is spent playing online.

I would recommend it. At first it seems wierd playing it but after an hour or two you start enjoying it alot more. Plus its the only 360 soccer game out there.

After playing EA-FIFA games since 1994, this has to be the biggest disappointment yet. I couldn’t believe that this is all EA can do to launch their Xbox 360 FIFA line !?! No club teams (O.K. - its "Road to World CUP) not enough Teams available, disappointing graphics, no flexibility (you have to play in mandatory friendlies and friendly-tournaments with very limited choices of opponents) and no really reward at the end - The World Cup is not available! - Truly a waste of money - I'll go back and play FIFA 05 on my x-box until there is a better soccer game out for the 360.

I love sports, never been into soccer but this is a great game. Awesome graphics and a lot of fun. I havent grasped the concept of being able to score very easy esp. against the computer, but Im sure that has a learning curve.