FIFA 07 (Xbox)

The lowdown:
Every new FIFA game gets its expected improvements in graphics and presentation but this year the success of Pro Evolution Soccer seems to have driven EA to concentrate just as much on the gameplay. As such the game features better passing, crossing and free kicks as well as greatly improved goalkeepers. There’s also a new "finesse" shot if you get the time and space to use it, while every kick is calculated in terms of space, composure and technique so that it’s accuracy is determined by exactly what’s happening on the pitch and not just some random factor. Add in completely new ball physics, more than 510 teams, 27 leagues, 4,000 licensed players and all new international crowd reactions and you’ve got EA’s most concerted attempt yet to make the definitive football game.

Most exciting moment:
As well as all the individual improvements to ball and player control many of the game’s best strikers have their own signatures moves and free kicks, such as Ronaldinho, Frank Lampard and Roberto Carlos. This includes the ability to, quite literally, bend it like Beckham.

Since you ask:
As befits its global reach FIFA 07 has perhaps the most multinational soundtrack ever in video games, with everything from Argentinean rock band Bersuit Vergarabat to Spain’s The Pinker Tones and German group d.o.c.h.! (As well as Britbands such as Muse and The Young Punx.)

The bottom line:
FIFA gets serious in its attempt to out-football Pro Evolution Soccer
.HARRISON DENT

From the first whistle, FIFA 07 throws you into the rollercoaster ride of a football season and the intense stadium atmosphere of every home and away match.

Relish every satisfying victory over bitter rivals and live through every gut-wrenching poor performance at home. Savour the spine-tingling stadium atmosphere, home and away, as your team battles their way up the league table. Listen as your supporters chant your players' names and bellow all the rousing club songs through rain and shine.

You have the power to shape your club's destiny in the EA SPORTS Interactive Leagues [F.A. Premier League, Bundesliga, French League, Mexican 1st Division], a new online mode that enables you to pit your club against supporters of your real-world opponents. Play your games according to the real-world schedule. When they play, you play. Track your team's progress as the aggregate results determine your club's position in the league table. Now you actually take to the pitch for the glory of your club.

New intelligent AI ensures that your 11 men on the pitch make realistic decisions, finding space and passing like professionals. A complete overhaul of the game engine now means that you have to employ real world tactics, make realistic decisions and think like a player in order to win matches.

Take on the updated and improved challenge of the Manager Mode. Player values and wages have been tuned to be even more realistic. Managerial decisions have even more tangible effects on player performance and welfare. Smarter CPU decisions mean rival managers are even more strategic in their own pursuit of silverware.