A lot more expected...
The gameplay looked cool, and the graphics were amazing, specially the players face. That's one of the features that's still look great nowdays. However, playing this same game, didn't result on a very distinguish hit...
First of all, this game deserved a batter menu. The dark colours with flashing coloured words make it look like a small budget creation. But that's just the menus, and we've all seen worst.
The gameplay is heavy and different from all the franchise games. The players look like they are moving in the ice and playing it on easy won't work. The real challenge is to understand the type of gaming and grab some luck.
Never did Fifa presented such a product, with several bugs and short on options. Selecting the time or difficult in World Cup mode is just impossible... Which makes everything harder and complicated. This rule doesn't apply to any free match, but once on the real deal, things get harder.
Another mode is also present, the Challenges, which consists on taking several challenges and complete them. Such as starting the only from the second half losing by two goals, and consisting in score three or more to secure the victory. These challenges were supposedly taken from football history books, but some are extremely hard.
Doesn't matter where you are, the game always gets frustrating. Taking your team to the final in World Cup can be a life quest, unless you dominate these games. The tougher the teams are, the harder it gets to win, specially if you pick up a lower quality team. The overall graphics look amazing for the date, and it's still nice to remember some player who still played by 2006 season.
The field movement is solid, but not enough. Every time you pass the ball, you'll end up praying for the pass to work out. Long passes and shots work just fine, but many options are missing. Shooting always looks the same and scoring with the head might be just another lifetime quest.
This was a unique game in Fifa's releases. Perhaps a necessary step to reach today's success, or perhaps the lack of experience from EA Canada.