October 9, 2006 - For years EA's FIFA franchise has played second fiddle to Konami's Winning Eleven franchise, at least in the eyes of true fans of simulation-soccer. But EA is no dummy and in recent years the FIFA franchise has done its best WE-imitation in terms of gameplay while also putting to use a record-number of licenses -- something Konami's title sorely lacks. In FIFA 07 on current-generation platforms, EA has put together its best playing soccer title to date, and, thanks to a few pleasant surprises, shifts from imitator to innovator.

On the pitch, FIFA 07 is fast-paced and exciting while still retaining somewhat of a simulation focus, a nice departure from the arcade products EA released in the past. On the World Class difficulty levels, the computer AI offers a decent challenge -- you should skip the lower difficulties as defenders and goalies have the combined IQs of a sack of doorknobs. Long ball passing stands out in particular as you can now drop the ball from midfield into the corners, letting speedy forwards race past the defense for a chance at a decent cross.

Passing in the air also succeeds because of the way players receive the ball. A small yellow marker indicates where the ball will land, and opponents will jostle for position, working to get a head on the ball. On offense that means sticking your butt right into a defender and pushing him backward or if he has position, trying to slide around him. On defense, you can push your opponent out of the way -- gambling on a whistle -- or you can let him push into you and, using a Judo-throw, slide in front. It's a great mini-battle that you will wage on almost every long ball in the game, and EA did a great job with it.

Passing in general is a treat as players make realistic runs and a perfectly-timed pass or combination will often result on a chance on goal. As for actually shooting on goal, that's a mixed bag.

Too often players in FIFA 07 miss point-blank shots -- don't even get them on goal. True, keepers do tend to make plenty of amazing saves in one-on-one situations, but you'll sometimes kick the ball wide of the net without any pressure on you at all and only meters from the goal. A better shot aiming system where you press shoot and then aim in the split-second before you release would have worked just fine. Because of this, there are just as many "Oh my God! Look at that goal!" moments as "Oh my God! How did he miss!" moments.

Also, midfield play is basically non-existent. 90 percent of gameplay is focused in the offensive zones. In the middle third of the pitch, players can basically run, passing once or twice, unimpeded before hitting a wall of defenders. These guys make more runs than Mark Foley to Trillion after sessions close (too early?). This isn't a big deal because goal-scoring is such a dynamic experience -- great physics off the post, goalies and defenders -- but it isn't real soccer. To improve the gameplay in FIFA 08, EA should really focus on shot aiming, midfield play and goalie AI.