Soccer Fans 2006 E3 2005 Hands-On Report

Soccer Fans 2006, which would probably much prefer to be called Football Fans 2006, is an arcade soccer game for the mobile system. We got a chance to kick the ball around a little bit, and so far it looks like it's coming along nicely. The camera view is third-person isometric, and in a slight twist on some of the other mobile soccer games currently on the market, the game shows the field from the sidelines instead of from the goal line. In this game, it's much more like you're puppeteering the action instead of being immersed in it, as you're dealing with the sides of characters (most of the time) rather than being behind them. This gives a unique feel to a game that's otherwise quite faithful to the world's favorite sport.

There are going to be a few different modes in Soccer Fans 2006, including a championship mode and a challenge mode, although we only got the chance to try out a pickup game to gain a sense of overall play. Since the game plays pretty quickly and the camera follows the ball--wherever it is--you'll find that it's a challenge in and of itself to keep up with the game. This means, of course, that there's never a dull moment, and if you so desire, you can relive any of your not-so-dull-moments with the game’s advanced instant replay mode. Currently in Soccer Fans 2006, you get to play with 16 of the top-ranked European teams, and it looks like this will not be changed when the game is brought over to the US. This gives you the opportunity to play some teams that you're not often exposed to.

Soccer Fans 2006 is slated to come out sometime this fall, and we'll keep you informed if we learn of any additional information along the way.