Graphically, EA Sports’ FIFA 07 is as good as any soccer game on the market. Player models, of course, have different levels of detail. This means that from a distance (and your normal playing camera), the players don’t show off much, graphically. But when the camera comes in for close-ups during a penalty or any number of stoppages, the players look absolutely outstanding.

Once again the commentators in the FIFA series shine with spot-on play-by-play and remarks that signify exactly the action happening on the field at the time. There really isn’t anything noticeably bad in the sound fx, maybe because there aren’t as many distinguishing noises as with some other games. But the ambient noise is also well-done, making for the complete audio package.

More of the same. That’s the phrase that comes to mind when I pop in the FIFA 07 disc and take the field. It’s not to say that this year’s soccer game isn’t good. In fact, the game boasts about an all-new game engine. However, in my opinion, it didn’t really affect gameplay in a noticeable way. It’s only to remark that there haven’t been any major updates to the gameplay of the FIFA series in a long time.

On the flip side, if you’re into off-the-field features, FIFA 07 includes some grand new ones. New to the series are things like Player Growth, which becomes available in the Manager Mode, and Gamer Comparison, Man of the Match, and Halftime Decisions, which help add to the coaching decisions of who to keep and who should go. On the field, you’ll also notice the new fatigue ratings. Now you’ll have both short-term (speed bursts) and long-term fatigue, so pay attention and substitute cautiously to find your perfect lineup.

The FIFA series (and soccer games in general) has always somewhat appealed to a niche crowd. The problem is that for casual gamers or those who don’t play soccer themselves, FIFA 07 may be a bit of a bore, due in part to the lack of scoring involved. FIFA 07 offers some great offline gameplay modes, especially for the stat-junkie and armchair futbol players. However, if you take your game online, be prepared to get schooled unless you are a seasoned veteran. There does seem to be a wide variety of players, but there usually seems to be a big gap between the hardcore gamer and the casual fan.

As mentioned above, and as with all sports titles, the difficulty can vary quite a bit. If you’re an online gamer, you’re going to run into those types who are just starting, but also those who seem to know every advantage they can use against others. Against the computer, there is a nice variety in the gameplay difficulty as well. The A.I. does a pretty good job of keeping things in check, but the real difficulty (in the opinion of this casual soccer gamer) is in controlling the players the way that you want to. At times, it feels like I’m just going through the motions until I finally get a break-away or the ball bounces just right and into my hands... errrr, feet, in this case.

Overall, the controls of FIFA 07 are set up nicely. However, after all of these years, there are still a few things that drive me crazy about the method of controlling your players. The first thing is the auto-switch on defense. I still find it quite annoying to feel like I don’t have full control of the defense. Another annoyance is that often times, when stealing the ball, you may be hitting the button repeatedly, only to kick it away unintentionally. And finally, along the same lines, it takes a lot of practice to perfect passing and shooting, so the learning curve can ultimately be quite steep.

If you’re into the FIFA series, then FIFA 07 may be a must buy with the included new features. On the same token, for casual gamers, it’s still safe to stick to a "buy every other year" rule, because the core gameplay really hasn’t changed enough to care.