UEFA Champions League 2006-2007

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A token update of soccer mega-hit FIFA 07 with glossy finish, yet we're still excited

Words: Richard Grisham, GamesRadar US

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It’s not nearly all bad, of course, as the controls are familiar and the atmosphere is genuinely tinged with the weight of huge expectations. It’s also hands-down the best looking soccer title you’ve ever played, as everything from players to crowd and in between is simply gorgeous. Even the advertisements on the field borders look sharp, although we’re wondering just how the heck Microsoft lets EA get away with having Playstation 3 ads on the 360 – someone’s likely going to get sacked for that one.

The standard Champions League season and exhibition matches return, and as for different game modes, the Pokemon -esque trading card-based Ultimate Team is moderately interesting. You build up a squad of disparate players along with a bunch of power-ups to win a Golden Ticket to the League, buying more of these cards as you kick around, whilst trading them with players online. We don’t know how many collectophiles are also serious footballers, but at least it’s something different. There’s also the Ultimate Challenge mode, a celebration of the greatest moments in Champions League history, in which you can replay the competition’s most memorable comebacks, the best (and hardest to complete) of which is Manchester United’s last-gasp final victory over Bayern Munich in 1999.

More focused than a standard 90-minute game and adding a welcome bit of drama to a non-narrative game, the Challenge mode is the highlight of UEFA, although even this is slightly tarnished by the fact that EA hasn’t included the correct squads for the teams of the time - you have to play the challenges with the current-day line-ups, which obviously differ in strength from their predecessors.