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The midfielder, spurred on by the frenetic charge through hapless defenders, sees the window to the upper corner of the net. He winds up and slams his foot into the ball, and …

“Oh! You won’t see that one again – he’s sent it into the cheap seats!” the broadcaster proclaims.

World Tour Soccer 2006 from Sony Computer Entertainment America is slated for release on the PlayStation 2 platform in mid-March. The game is taking the franchise to the next level, and offers some intriguing ideas, but will it overtake the soccer/football front-running Winning Eleven series? No. But on its own merits, WTS 2006 is an inviting game experience that is easy to jump into and play, is a visual treat and sports challenge.

With this edition, SCEA has enabled players to do more than just play the game; they can actually get into it via the EyeToy. The camera takes a snapshot of the gamer and then allows for that image to go onto the body of an in-game player. That can either be a good thing or frightening, depend on the visage.

Additionally, the game boasts a strong set of options, which include four difficulty settings (amateur, pro, world class and master class), four time settings for match length (4, 8, 10 and 20 minutes), select the stadium, time of day and weather conditions and turn on or off injuries, offsides, penalties, yellow/red cards, fouls and initialize an extra time format.

The play options are a little more finite, and are broken down into two main areas – exhibition matches and competitions. In the latter, you compete for the cup, enter a new league, begin a new season, play in a challenge or career mode. There is a Time Warp League featuring some of history’s best times and 31 domestic leagues from 23 nations, in addition to international teams, are all represented here, giving a total of 935 teams to choose from. There are also 28 stadiums available to play in. And in season mode, you do have to contend with players aging and retiring as well as work trades to shore up your franchise.

In terms of game play, WTS 2006 has fine-tuned some of the features and made the control schemes somewhat intuitive. Take the traditional give-and-go play for example. Tap the X button to initiate the pass, then hold the triangle to receive and hold the ball, released the hot button to relay the pass to the sprinting player. It is incredibly easy to achieve.

Where the game stumbles a little, though, is in terms of the tightness of the controls. Pinpoint passing takes work to pull off, and sometimes – especially as you are learning the controls – that cross to the far side of the field will not land anywhere close to the open player. After several failed passing attempts, it is easy for discipline to fly out the window and instead of letting the ball do all the work, start making longer runs from the midfield and fullback lines, ignoring passing opportunities. This works against weaker opponents, but the game’s AI will not allow that to go on for too long. Although off-the-ball AI is weak. Players not involved around the ball were not reacting very well to the ball rolling past them.

The game also stumbles at times in the replays. On one occasion, instead of showing the goal-scoring scene, the game replayed the defender running off to the side of the net. Spots of fouls are also touch and go. A foul committed inside the 18 is spotted outside the zone.

All that said, though, WTS 2006 is an enjoyable soccer outing, and as the first of the year, this game deserves a look. It is built for anyone to jump in and play, and while the game will require a bit of time to get the passing mechanics down pat, the game does not merciless beat you while you learn.

Gameplay: 8.0

The controls seem to be a little sluggish at times and the passing suffers because of it. Taking a highly-ranked team like Germany against a smaller international team without a great deal of ranked skill is a good way to fine-tune your passing and tactics, and prepare you to play against the tougher kids on the international block.

Graphics: 8.3
The game’s animations are not sparkling but the are solid, and the environments are lush. The ball physics are also solid. The replays show off the skills much better than the live action of the game, but this game does a very nice job overall.

Sound: 7.8
The music played during the menu selection process is a little on the redundant and annoying, but the commentary is sparkling and the game sounds are spot on.

Difficulty: Medium
The game sports four difficulty levels and numerous options to keep the challenge intact regardless of your skill level.

Concept: 8.0
The game presents a nice range of options and features, and aside from a few flaws in terms of control tightness, the developers did a very nice job in making this game accessible.

Multiplayer: 8.4

While the game AI is solid, the real joy comes in head-to-head competition with another player. WTS 2006 will allow up to eight players with the multi-tap.

Overall: 8.3
World Tour Soccer is a solid title, easily accessible and enjoyable to play. It may not have the intricate graphical finesse of a Winning Eleven title, but this is a solid title that entertains the eyes, challenges the skills and scores in terms of entertainment.