2006 FIFA World Cup (video game)

2006 FIFA World Cup (known as FIFA World Cup: Germany 2006) is the official video game for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, published by EA Sports. 2006 FIFA World Cup was released simultaneously on the GameCube, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360 on April 24, 2006. In Europe it was simultaneously released on April 28, 2006. It was also released on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS handheld systems at the same time as the console versions. This was the last game released for the Xbox in Asia. As with some other PlayStation Portable games it was released later on May 22, 2006. In Europe, this version was released May 19, 2006. There are ten region-specific covers that feature a major player from each region.

Microsoft bundled the game with the Xbox 360 in Japan and Europe. It was also bundled with the pre-release order version introduced in India during the days when World Cup fever gripped the nation. In this featured bundle, there was a limited edition faceplate included from Adidas packaged inside.

Gameplay
The game allows players to participate in the 2006 FIFA World Cup held in Germany by taking control of one of 127 national teams. Since the release of the game 2002 FIFA World Cup, the menus have been redesigned and have more options. It even includes a satellite map when choosing countries to play in a Friendly. Online support is provided for ranked and unranked matches on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Xbox 360. The online service provides lobbies, leaderboards and a global challenge mode where the player can play through over forty historical World Cup scenarios, and even change the history.

By playing online and in single-player mode, spending points for the virtual store are earned, where players can purchase uniforms, historical players, various footballs, boots, and gameplay options. As with the previous World Cup video game, matches in World Cup mode are played in the same order as at the World Cup in Germany.

Reception
The PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube versions received "generally favorable reviews", while the Xbox 360, PSP, DS and Game Boy Advance versions received "mixed or average reviews" according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave the PS2 version a score of two eights, one seven, and one eight, for a total of 31 out of 40.

The Times gave the PS2 version a score of four stars out of five and stated that "The classic moment section, which features 125 well-known situations, is one of several nice touches in this game."The A.V. Club gave the game a B and said that it "supplies just enough vicarious excitement to bridge the gap between now and early June." Detroit Free Press gave the X360 version three stars out of four and stated: "Thankfully for the folks at Electronic Arts, the only soccer competition available on the Xbox 360 is the previous FIFA game, and this World Cup edition is a step up from that incarnation, albeit a small one." However, The Sydney Morning Herald gave the game three-and-a-half stars out of five and called it "a fun football simulation for newcomers and the best FIFA of recent years. Even so, competitor "Pro Evolution" still has the virtual World Cup firmly in its grasp."

IGN gave the Mobile version a score of 5.8 out of 10 and called it "a stop-gap product designed to reel in World Cup fans based on the hype of the world's biggest sporting event. And that's not necessarily a bad idea -- having the entire tournament set up from the get-go -- but the execution isn't worth your download dollars."