One of the most lingering memories that I have of the 2002 World Cup is of leaving a club at 1 a.m. to go watch Brazil take on England. Aside from that nail-biting match, what I remember so vividly was a commercial for 2002 FIFA World Cup for what is now current-gen. As a player leapt into the air for a victory jump after scoring a goal, he transformed into a flash of multiple players striking the same pose. I think that it was a crucial moment that transformed me as a gamer. After that, I began playing soccer games with a fanaticism that I've seldom found in other American gamers. So, suffice it to say, I had a huge smile on my face when I fired up an unfinished build of 2006 FIFA World Cup and saw the same animation technique at the end of the intro cinematic. Unlike the current-gen versions though, my grin was likely as wide for the Xbox 360 version as it was on that fateful night in June 2002. EA mailed us an almost-complete build of their newest official game of this year's World Cup festivities, and frankly, it's looking significantly better than the choppy mess that launched Microsoft's system a few months ago.

As with the game four years ago, 2006 is all about capturing the essence of the world's most heralded sporting event (next to the Olympics, the likes of which they still can't make a good official game). The world's teams compete back and forth to get a foot in the door to compete for that all-important cup. While no one knows for certain who will take top honors this year, it's certain that players will be able to write history as they see fit. So, while gamers around the world scoff at the US's odds (if they can even name more than two players), you can take McBride, Donovan, and Beasley to the top. Or you can go with the reigning champs, and own everyone with Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, and Roberto Carlos.


So far, the build is coming along nicely. The gameplay is a little more than three-quarters finished, as are animations and lighting. With that in mind, the gameplay feels about as sharp as the FIFA 06 game that came out last fall, which was about the only saving grace for the Road to World Cup game. All of the features, including First Touch, Freestyle Control, and Pace Control are intact in this game. The inclusion of both the Classic and New (read: slightly more Winning Eleven style) controls that were introduced last fall are also here. The AI is still being tweaked at this point, which is good, since the 360 version didn't quite feel like it had the tactical feel of the Xbox version. It's still looking good, though.

Visually, the game looks fairly close to FIFA 06: Road to World Cup, although the visuals have changed a bit, and for the better. All of the facial detail of the last game is here, and the weird hazy lighting seems to have been muted dramatically. Also, EA Canada seems to have learned from their mistakes with the launch title, as there are no choppy replays that resemble slide shows in this build. Let us pray that they either stay out or are dramatically tweaked prior to release. During the game introduction, there's an interestingly edited montage of the starting eleven juxtaposed with quick flashes of on-the-pitch action. It's a cool new way to dramatize the action on the field. Also, the gameplay seems to run at a smooth framerate on the field, which is something that the current-gen is still having trouble with maintaining at this point.