FIFA Soccer 07 Review

So many games are called "football," yet there is really only one that can be called the world's most popular organized sport. It's the version we simply call soccer and it doesn't require helmets or involve "scrum" in any way. We dare say at times it seems more popular than "snogging" to the rest of the world, though that technically isn't a sport and is rarely organized.

Just as there are many sports named "football," there have been more than a dozen incarnations of FIFA video games over the past twelve years.

The latest version for the DS, FIFA 07 Soccer, is fairly indicative of the franchise that rewards your practice and patience with a pretty fun and accurate - "accurate" being a FIFA fan's term for difficult - soccer game.

Graphics have been tweaked a little to get rid of stuttering and improve the overall look, though the tiny players are still barely distinguishable from each other on the small screen, even at the closest ("Action") camera setting.

The players may move well, but their tiny animations can mess up critical kicks without careful timing. The goalie can snag a ball from your feet in the half-second lag between pressing the shot on goal button and the end of the fast dribble motion.

Otherwise, the AI still does a great job blocking opponents' shots and ensuring decent placement in front of opposing defenders so the majority of your passes will land at teammates' feet.