FIFA 06
Encyclopedia
FIFA 06, also known as FIFA Soccer 06, is a video game developed by EA Canada
and published by Electronic Arts
based around the game of football. It was released in the United States
on 4 October 2005 for the PlayStation 2
, Xbox
, GameCube
, Windows, PlayStation Portable
, Game Boy Advance
, and Nintendo DS
. It was later released for mobile phone
s.
This was the last FIFA edition to be released exclusively on six generation consoles. The taglines for the game were "You play. They obey." and "The total soccer experience." It also marks the first time the PlayStation
has been excluded from the FIFA lineup since FIFA Soccer 95 (released only for Mega Drive).
FIFA 06 was the thirteenth game in the FIFA series and the tenth in 3D
.Originally released as 'FIFA 2006'. At the time it was the highest selling game of the FIFA series, ahead of its predecessor FIFA 2005
by over 100,000 copies. In total, FIFA 06 has sold more than 3.6 million copies.
Ronaldinho
and Wayne Rooney
graced the cover of the game in the European, Australian, Brazilian, and United Kingdom market. Freddy Adu
, Ronaldinho
, and Omar Bravo
were on the North American cover, while Lukas Podolski
was partnered with Ronaldinho on the German edition of the game and Park Chu-Young
was on the South Korea cover.
Andy Gray and Clive Tyldesley
provide commentary for the game's English version.
and Ally McCoist
, replaced by ITV
's Clive Tyldesley
and Sky Sports
pundit Andy Gray.
Players must now also use their best managerial skills to negotiate a sponsor to the club. Sponsors, a new addition to career mode, provide a weekly payment to the club as well as extra bonuses through winning cups and meeting expectations of the club. If the manager does not meet these expectations, they may risk losing their sponsor at the end of the season. Some sponsors within the game are real organisations while others are simply made up.
Players also have to manage the expectations of the board, player morale, team chemistry and keeping the club's fans happy. Ultimately, the best solution to all of these areas is to win games. Meeting the expectations of the board will almost guarantee the player a job at the club for the next season while not meeting their expectations will most likely lose the player their job and be forced to find another club. Get sacked too much and the player's career is over.
Player morale becomes a large issue to the future of the player's club and their managerial future. Players must keep their squad happy to maintain them at the club and to keep them at their best performances. An unhappy squad can result in players refusing new contracts with the club and eventually leaving, which can be vital to the success of the club. Team chemistry is a result of the squad's morale and how often the current squad plays together. If the team is happy and are regularly playing together, team chemistry will be high. If the current squad is unhappy and hasn't played a game in seasons, team chemistry will be low therefore it is important to keep a balanced squad while maintaining success.
FIFA 06 also introduces staff which help the club. By upgrading the staff, this helps the club to improve depending on the area that has been upgraded. For example, if the user upgrades the negotiator to a higher level, the negotiator will be able to bring better players to the club for less money. Staff upgrades cost money which comes out of the budget.
Career mode also features a "manager history" section which shows your statistics as a manager for each season you play. It includes your season record, where your team finished in the ladder, and any cups the team won. Statistics for the current season are available including leading goalscorers, card recipients, team stats, league standings, and cup competition fixtures. It features three European Cup Competitions: ECC, EFA, and the European Super Cup
. The ECC is the game's equivalent to the UEFA Champions League
. The EFA is the equivalent to the UEFA Cup
. The European Super Cup is of the same name in UEFA
Competition, which pits the winners of the ECC and EFA in a match right before the following season.
The mode also includes a leaderboard featuring leading point ratings, points, wins, goals, bookings, clean sheets, offsides, longest winning streak, longest undefeated streak, and longest losing streak. League standings are featured as well as the ability to save the session so players can play at a later date.
Like NHL 06
, and NBA Live 06
, the game also has a classic 16-bit game in the PS2 version - FIFA International Soccer, which was the original game in the series.
In the extras section is:
The Nintendo GameCube
version doesn't have the tutorial videos, video previews, or season highlights.
With the points earned in the challenges, prizes can be unlocked. Such unlockables in the game include classic player biographies, new camera angles, alternate club kits, stadiums, and videos.
Millennium Stadium
as their primary ground. These clubs must be unlocked in the "Fan Shop".
. The away kit is also the same shirt used by the Allies team goalkepper played by Sylvester Stallone
.
EA Canada
EA Canada is a video game developer located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The development studio opened in January 1983 and is EA's largest and oldest studio...
and published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
based around the game of football. It was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 4 October 2005 for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, Windows, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, and Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
. It was later released for mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s.
This was the last FIFA edition to be released exclusively on six generation consoles. The taglines for the game were "You play. They obey." and "The total soccer experience." It also marks the first time the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
has been excluded from the FIFA lineup since FIFA Soccer 95 (released only for Mega Drive).
FIFA 06 was the thirteenth game in the FIFA series and the tenth in 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
.Originally released as 'FIFA 2006'. At the time it was the highest selling game of the FIFA series, ahead of its predecessor FIFA 2005
FIFA Football 2005
FIFA Football 2005, also known as FIFA Soccer 2005, FIFA 2005 or simply FIFA 05, is a football video game released in . It was developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Xbox, PlayStation Portable, GameCube, mobile...
by over 100,000 copies. In total, FIFA 06 has sold more than 3.6 million copies.
Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira , commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Flamengo and the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded to the best player over the year...
and Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...
graced the cover of the game in the European, Australian, Brazilian, and United Kingdom market. Freddy Adu
Freddy Adu
Fredua Koranteng "Freddy" Adu is a Ghanaian-born American soccer player who currently plays for Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer. He plays primarily as an attacking midfielder, but he is also used as a winger or forward....
, Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira , commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Flamengo and the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded to the best player over the year...
, and Omar Bravo
Omar Bravo
Omar Bravo Tordecillas is a Mexican footballer who currently plays for Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer.-Club Deportivo Guadalajara:...
were on the North American cover, while Lukas Podolski
Lukas Podolski
Lukas Josef Podolski ; born Łukasz Podolski ) on 4 June 1985 in Gliwice, Poland) is a German footballer who plays as a striker/winger for 1. FC Köln and for the German national team. He joined 1. FC Köln in 1995 where he broke into the first team in 2003 and made 81 appearances for the club before...
was partnered with Ronaldinho on the German edition of the game and Park Chu-Young
Park Chu-Young
Park Chu-Young is a South Korean footballer who plays for Arsenal in the Premier League and is the current captain for the South Korea national team.-Youth career:...
was on the South Korea cover.
Andy Gray and Clive Tyldesley
Clive Tyldesley
Clive Tyldesley is an English sports commentator, who since 1998 has been the main football commentator for ITV. He has commentated on eleven Champions League finals, five FA Cup Finals and numerous World Cup and European Championship matches.-Career:Tyldesley was born in Radcliffe, Bury,...
provide commentary for the game's English version.
Game features
Developers of the FIFA series made a complete overhaul of the game's engine for the 2006 installment of the game, asserting it has improved the control of play, having rewritten more than half the programming code for the game. In addition to a renovation of the game engine which discards the "the ball" system, developers boast a significantly more involved career mode and the introduction of “chemistry” which will determine how good teams play together. This installment will break with a short tradition of commentating from John MotsonJohn Motson
John Walker Motson OBE ,AKA Motty, is an English football commentator on both television and radio as well a well known moter. He made his name as 'Moty' after he moted out the entire Huddersfield huddersfield cheerleaders team. writer.-Biography:The son of a Methodist minister, Motson was educated...
and Ally McCoist
Ally McCoist
Alistair Murdoch "Ally" McCoist, MBE ; 24 September 1962) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Rangers in Scotland....
, replaced by ITV
ITV Sport
ITV Sport is a sport producer and brand name owned by ITV plc. It was formed from the amalgamation of Granada Sport, Carlton's sports department and ISN, the sports division of London News Network. The company produces Champions League and FA Cup Football, along with coverage of England's national...
's Clive Tyldesley
Clive Tyldesley
Clive Tyldesley is an English sports commentator, who since 1998 has been the main football commentator for ITV. He has commentated on eleven Champions League finals, five FA Cup Finals and numerous World Cup and European Championship matches.-Career:Tyldesley was born in Radcliffe, Bury,...
and Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
pundit Andy Gray.
Career mode
Career mode in FIFA 06 is now a 15-year journey as the manager of a club of the player's choice. The user starts by filling in basic details such as their name, date of birth, and country. From here, the player gets to choose which team they would like to manage; however, only clubs with a 4-star rating or below are selectable unless the player has bought the "Career Teams" bundle from the in-game fan shop. In a new addition to the game players now must manage a minimum budget to build the club around. The budget can be spent on players, upgrading staff and coaches at the club and transfer budgets.Players must now also use their best managerial skills to negotiate a sponsor to the club. Sponsors, a new addition to career mode, provide a weekly payment to the club as well as extra bonuses through winning cups and meeting expectations of the club. If the manager does not meet these expectations, they may risk losing their sponsor at the end of the season. Some sponsors within the game are real organisations while others are simply made up.
Players also have to manage the expectations of the board, player morale, team chemistry and keeping the club's fans happy. Ultimately, the best solution to all of these areas is to win games. Meeting the expectations of the board will almost guarantee the player a job at the club for the next season while not meeting their expectations will most likely lose the player their job and be forced to find another club. Get sacked too much and the player's career is over.
Player morale becomes a large issue to the future of the player's club and their managerial future. Players must keep their squad happy to maintain them at the club and to keep them at their best performances. An unhappy squad can result in players refusing new contracts with the club and eventually leaving, which can be vital to the success of the club. Team chemistry is a result of the squad's morale and how often the current squad plays together. If the team is happy and are regularly playing together, team chemistry will be high. If the current squad is unhappy and hasn't played a game in seasons, team chemistry will be low therefore it is important to keep a balanced squad while maintaining success.
FIFA 06 also introduces staff which help the club. By upgrading the staff, this helps the club to improve depending on the area that has been upgraded. For example, if the user upgrades the negotiator to a higher level, the negotiator will be able to bring better players to the club for less money. Staff upgrades cost money which comes out of the budget.
Career mode also features a "manager history" section which shows your statistics as a manager for each season you play. It includes your season record, where your team finished in the ladder, and any cups the team won. Statistics for the current season are available including leading goalscorers, card recipients, team stats, league standings, and cup competition fixtures. It features three European Cup Competitions: ECC, EFA, and the European Super Cup
European Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
. The ECC is the game's equivalent to the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. The EFA is the equivalent to the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. The European Super Cup is of the same name in UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
Competition, which pits the winners of the ECC and EFA in a match right before the following season.
FIFA 06 Lounge
The FIFA 06 Lounge is a new introduction into the game. It is an upgraded form of multiplayer mode which allows up to eight human players to compete to see who is the best player over a series of matches. Each player selects a name to be identified as and team to play as. Players can also change the rules of the game to suit their playing style. Depending on who wins and loses, players are given advantages and disadvantages to play with. Featured styles of matches in the lounge are:- Winner Stays On: The winner of the previous game plays on and faces a new challenger.
- Winner vs. Highest Ranked: The winner of the previous game plays the best ranked player in the rankings
- Winner vs. Lowest Ranked: The winner of the previous game faces the worst ranked player in the competition
- Rematch: A rematch between the two players that just played
- Rematch Switch: A rematch between the two players that just played with the home team and away team switched
- Best vs. Worst: The best player vs. the worst team according to team star rating
- Catch-Up: Players can set a handicapped score on one player and the disadvantaged player must attempt to catch up to the handicapped player before the game ends
The mode also includes a leaderboard featuring leading point ratings, points, wins, goals, bookings, clean sheets, offsides, longest winning streak, longest undefeated streak, and longest losing streak. League standings are featured as well as the ability to save the session so players can play at a later date.
Team management
Team management gives the player the ability to edit the game to suit themselves. The mode provides the ability to create a player and edit any player, kit number, squad, and kick takers in the game as well as the ability to transfer players to other clubs and the ability to select players for their international teams.Retro and extras
One of the new features in FIFA 06 is a special "retro" which features nostalgia of the game. Inside it features an unlockable classic biographies section, a memorable moments video compilation which features ten of the most memorable moments as judged by the FIFA 06 developers, and a video compilation with a retrospective view at all the games in FIFA series.Like NHL 06
NHL 06
-External links:**...
, and NBA Live 06
NBA Live 06
NBA Live 06 is a 2005 installment of the NBA Live series released on the Xbox 360, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, PC, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 Mobile. It was developed by EA Sports. The game features several game modes, including Dynasty, Season, Playoffs, or Free Play...
, the game also has a classic 16-bit game in the PS2 version - FIFA International Soccer, which was the original game in the series.
In the extras section is:
- A video interview with FC BarcelonaFC BarcelonaFutbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
striker Samuel Eto'oSamuel Eto'oSamuel Eto'o Fils is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala. He is also the current captain of the Cameroon national team.Eto'o trained at Kadji Sports Academy...
. - A series of tutorial videos on how to use the new features in the game.
- Video previews for NBA Live 06NBA Live 06NBA Live 06 is a 2005 installment of the NBA Live series released on the Xbox 360, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, PC, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 Mobile. It was developed by EA Sports. The game features several game modes, including Dynasty, Season, Playoffs, or Free Play...
, FIFA Street 2FIFA Street 2FIFA Street 2 is the sequel to the video game FIFA Street. A new "trick stick beat" system was introduced and new authentic tricks were also introduced. The game is available on the GameCube, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox...
, and Madden NFL 06Madden NFLMadden NFL is an American football video game series developed by Electronic Arts Tiburon for EA Sports. The game series is named after Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden, a well-known former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Oakland Raiders and color commentator... - Unlockable season highlights from the seasons of the German Bundesliga, the Premier League, the French Division 1, and the Italian Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
The Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
version doesn't have the tutorial videos, video previews, or season highlights.
Challenges and unlockables
FIFA 06 has introduced challenges for the player to achieve in order to win points and unlock prizes. The challenges are divided up into 10 regions of ten to twelve challenges based on the countries they can be achieved in. There are more than 100 different challenges for the player to achieve on all four difficulty levels, although a fifth difficulty can be achieved, which is legendary.With the points earned in the challenges, prizes can be unlocked. Such unlockables in the game include classic player biographies, new camera angles, alternate club kits, stadiums, and videos.
Classic XI & World XI
The game also features a Classic XI team consisting of great football legends and a World XI team consisting of current great superstars. Both teams have the CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
as their primary ground. These clubs must be unlocked in the "Fan Shop".
Trivia
The Classic XI home kit is the same one used by the Allies team in the 1981 football film Escape to VictoryEscape to Victory
Escape to Victory, known simply as Victory in North America, is a 1981 film about Allied prisoners of war who are interned in a German prison camp during World War II...
. The away kit is also the same shirt used by the Allies team goalkepper played by Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
.