I was a fan of the FIFA 07 enginge, but UEFA has done a really great job of tweaking it. The framerate is very smooth now, the play has been slowed down, and various areas have been improved- the collision system, the aerial game, the goalie AI and the fouls. There still aren't much in the way of skill moves and yet it's the most fun I've ever had beating defenders off the dribble, as the animations are so good that you can work defenders in and out in a very believable way. The shooting is very solid feeling (although the goalies are brutal to beat on straight shots). Defending is mostly very smooth, although there are a few instances where you seem to lose control of your player for just long enough for the attacker to get past you. The tactical menus are well-thought out and work quite nicely. You can tailor the flow of your attack down to the individual player (that said, the PS2 version still has better supporting runs).
The game engine is here in a very big way, which is particularly impressive considering how far it has had to come since RTWC. This is EA's best next-gen effort.
UEFA Champions League 06/07 (Xbox360)
Moderators: Bill_Abner, ScoopBrady
The 360 version is ok but it's still not football. I think the animations really get in the way of this game. An animation for both players but mostly the defense almost takes you completely out of a play. It will almost force you a few yards away from the ball.
The AI is pretty bad. I've left tons of space on a striker and they will not shoot. This wasn't as much of a problem with the old-gen FIFAs. Here they just look to dribble onto the goal. If I know you are going to dribble why would I mark you?
The 360 FIFA engine is terrible in my opinion. It's clunky and needs to be heavily refined. First off the animations need to be realistic. Everything looks okay but the players tend to get stuck in one taking them out of a play. The ball physics are ok but the ball still tends to float.
I think the 360 owners got the shaft this year. Not only did WE:360 fall flat but FIFA took 3 steps backward. The old-gen versions were dated but they had AI that was very good. Why not take the AI that helped the game and find a way to apply that to the new engines. I'm not a programmer so that's probably easier said than done.
I think if you've never played WE, than FIFA is a decent game. Not worth 60 bones but a rental where a couple days is the most you want out of UEFA:CL.
The AI is pretty bad. I've left tons of space on a striker and they will not shoot. This wasn't as much of a problem with the old-gen FIFAs. Here they just look to dribble onto the goal. If I know you are going to dribble why would I mark you?
The 360 FIFA engine is terrible in my opinion. It's clunky and needs to be heavily refined. First off the animations need to be realistic. Everything looks okay but the players tend to get stuck in one taking them out of a play. The ball physics are ok but the ball still tends to float.
I think the 360 owners got the shaft this year. Not only did WE:360 fall flat but FIFA took 3 steps backward. The old-gen versions were dated but they had AI that was very good. Why not take the AI that helped the game and find a way to apply that to the new engines. I'm not a programmer so that's probably easier said than done.
I think if you've never played WE, than FIFA is a decent game. Not worth 60 bones but a rental where a couple days is the most you want out of UEFA:CL.
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I can't believe I actually broke down and dropped $60 on yet another FIFA title. Even worse, this after dropping $30 on the PSP title a little earlier. It's people like me with no willpower that kept the series crap for so long.
Still, the 360 version is mostly a nice surprise. The gameplay is loads better than FIFA 07 360, but that's not saying much for me since I hate that title with a burning passion. I do eally enjoy the "ultimate team" mode card thingy - nice twist on the ML from WE.
That said, I still have loads of gripes (granted, a lot are eye candy, but still when you pay sixty clams for virtually nothing but presentation I think I have a beef).
First, I still don't understand why most, if not all, of the red kits in the game show up in purple. Highly annoying. Second, when in the hell will FIFA fix the numbers and fonts for the kits? They are still a joke and have been for years. Check out Watford if you want to see something stupid. No doubt there is some licensing stuff to sort out, but hey, PES has done this for years. Third, the printed manual sinks to new lows for console titles. It's what, six pages? And even then there is absolutely nothing helpful about stuff you want to know, like all the "ultimate team mode" options that are murder to figure out otherwise. It's pretty much health warnings, credits and legal disclaimers with a few button charts mixed in.
Ah, but why stop there. The ball is huge once again (nearly up to players' waists). After nearly ten years I think they finally fixed this in 07, but now it's back. The framerate on cut scenes is an embarrassment. And hey, charge this much for a CL title and you can't even see fit to license all 32 group stage sides? Pathetic.
I won't even start on some remaining gameplay deficiencies, but I agree with a lot of what JRod mentioned above. I too think the animations are a real problem that needs to be addressed pronto.
Maybe a marginally better effort than 07, but IMHO still not worthy to carry the jock of PES, even the hugely-flawed 360 version.
The PSP version is hugely disppointing. All the drawbacks of the above plus it lacks the only thing interesting in the 360 version - the ultimate team mode. The "treble" mode is a joke - you skip half the matches (which are scripted, right down to injuries for specific players) and only play portions of most of the rest. Other than that I see really nothing different from the marginally-decent FIFA 07 on PSP. If anyone wants a cheap copy used for about two hours, PM me.
Most of all, it pains me to give nearly $100 to the UEFA fat cats, which make other professional sports owners look like Mother Theresa.
Still, the 360 version is mostly a nice surprise. The gameplay is loads better than FIFA 07 360, but that's not saying much for me since I hate that title with a burning passion. I do eally enjoy the "ultimate team" mode card thingy - nice twist on the ML from WE.
That said, I still have loads of gripes (granted, a lot are eye candy, but still when you pay sixty clams for virtually nothing but presentation I think I have a beef).
First, I still don't understand why most, if not all, of the red kits in the game show up in purple. Highly annoying. Second, when in the hell will FIFA fix the numbers and fonts for the kits? They are still a joke and have been for years. Check out Watford if you want to see something stupid. No doubt there is some licensing stuff to sort out, but hey, PES has done this for years. Third, the printed manual sinks to new lows for console titles. It's what, six pages? And even then there is absolutely nothing helpful about stuff you want to know, like all the "ultimate team mode" options that are murder to figure out otherwise. It's pretty much health warnings, credits and legal disclaimers with a few button charts mixed in.
Ah, but why stop there. The ball is huge once again (nearly up to players' waists). After nearly ten years I think they finally fixed this in 07, but now it's back. The framerate on cut scenes is an embarrassment. And hey, charge this much for a CL title and you can't even see fit to license all 32 group stage sides? Pathetic.
I won't even start on some remaining gameplay deficiencies, but I agree with a lot of what JRod mentioned above. I too think the animations are a real problem that needs to be addressed pronto.
Maybe a marginally better effort than 07, but IMHO still not worthy to carry the jock of PES, even the hugely-flawed 360 version.
The PSP version is hugely disppointing. All the drawbacks of the above plus it lacks the only thing interesting in the 360 version - the ultimate team mode. The "treble" mode is a joke - you skip half the matches (which are scripted, right down to injuries for specific players) and only play portions of most of the rest. Other than that I see really nothing different from the marginally-decent FIFA 07 on PSP. If anyone wants a cheap copy used for about two hours, PM me.
Most of all, it pains me to give nearly $100 to the UEFA fat cats, which make other professional sports owners look like Mother Theresa.
Interesting observations Blub, and good for those folks enjoying the UEFA series but at best it's Fifa 07.5 IMO. The AI still needs improvement. And the fact that your player can marginally get a header on attack here and there, it's not worth $60 bucks. A cash grab. The game is best played online. The worst thing about the PSP version is the camera angle, just can't find one where you can follow the gameplay properly.
I hate to resurrect an old thread here boys and girls but Kmart is selling the 360 version for $19.99 Is the game worth it in your view? I still have the PS2 version and I still enjoy it. The PS2 version also includes the Treble mode where you build a team and hope to take them to the UEFA Championship.
But at $19.99 i'm kind of thinking about buying this game. Any thoughts?
But at $19.99 i'm kind of thinking about buying this game. Any thoughts?