FIFA 07

Author: Ryan Garside
Published: 16th October 2006
Comments (8) Stumble

Online

FIFA has really pushed the boat out in trying to make the online play section of the game really special. It's a move that follows a trend set by the major publishers of emphasising the need for building up an active online community to further the popularity of their games. So how does FIFA 07's attempt work?

Unfortunately it is a bit of a mixed bag, with a lot of ambition being countered by poor implementation. As I have already mentioned you will receive regular updated podcast so the developers of the game can talk directly to you about the product. The game also automatically updates when you log in. When clicking online mode you are transported to a new splash screen which you can see in the screenshots below.

The game offers a main lobby which gives you general updates on who the top player is and who has the longest winning streak. From here you can click through to the matchup lobby which is, in theory, where you find people to play. I say in theory because in reality there is never anyone available to play (all the matches always appear full) and the only way to actually get a match is by either creating one and waiting or by clicking quick match. Herein lies the first problem.

FIFA 07 Online Features FIFA 07 Online Features
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Because there is no way of deciding who you are playing, more often than not you end up against someone with a huge ping. Lag was a pretty big problem for me, with almost every game interrupted from stuttering gameplay. What's more because you don't have a way of selecting your opponent you can't ignore people who have a large 'disconnect' rating. This means that you can easily end up playing someone who always disconnects if he/she is losing – mind-splittingly infuriating.

The other big feature that EA is shouting about is the interactive leagues. These leagues allow players to pick their favourite team (in my case Chelsea) and then play the same fixture that your team is playing the real world (within two days of the actual match). The results of these matches are then collected and averaged to then make up an interactive league to let you know which teams are doing the best.

FIFA 07 Online Features FIFA 07 Online Features
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In theory the idea is pretty good. For instance, this weekend if I played as Chelsea I would need to find somebody who played as Reading, and then if I beat them my win would help contribute to the overall league standings. The idea falls flat in a few areas though. The biggest problem is that certain teams, like Reading, have very few people playing as them. As such, I couldn't contribute to the interactive league as I couldn't find anyone who played as Reading.

So all in all, the interactive league appears to be a cool feature but is actually a bit impotent. I hoped when I turned to the tournament mode things would light up but, alas, I discovered another flawed gem. Setting up a tournament is easy enough, but actually getting round to playing the game requires some commitment. Once the tournament has been filled up you will then receive an email telling you the time of your first round match. Obviously this can be awkward if you're not available to play the game.

The mode feels like it has potential but has just not been implemented in the best way. What would have been better was a tournament in which everyone logged in (like a Counter-strike server) which kicked off once all the slots were full, rather like an online poker tournament.

FIFA 07 Online Features FIFA 07 Online Features
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