FIFA 07

All told, it's easily the most involving and exciting FIFA in ages. EA is particularly proud of the new ball physics and there are lots of bundling moments, ricochets and lucky breaks that give each match a feeling of being unpredictable yet believable at the same time.

Still, while we're excited and impressed by this revitalised return to form for the series, the big question still remains. Would you play FIFA 07 instead of Pro Evolution Soccer 6?

Above: The weightier feel of FIFA 07 improves tackling, running, passing... everything!

FIFA has a few nice extras, like an online tournament pitting football fans against each other, creating an alternate Premiership table from their results. Manager mode is bolstered with PSP connectivity and it could feature a similar ESPN news update system as the new NBA game, enabling you to listen to radio shows while fiddling with line-ups.

But even if PES 6 is a better game - it's certainly visually superior to FIFA's pretty drab appearance - FIFA 07 is more impressive and enjoyable than we could hope. We can't wait to play it again. Expect more info before the game's release in September.

Ben Richardson is a former Staff Writer for Official PlayStation 2 magazine and a former Content Editor of GamesRadar+. In the years since Ben left GR, he has worked as a columnist, communications officer, charity coach, and podcast host – but we still look back to his news stories from time to time, they are a window into a different era of video games.