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FIFA 06 Road to the FIFA World Cup Interview

Danny Isaac is the producer for FIFA 06: Road to the FIFA World Cup. We caught up with to talk the future of console football, and England’s chances of winning the World Cup next year...

Given that this is the first FIFA on the next generation of consoles, what elements of the game were most important to nail 100 per cent?
The primary goal of the Xbox 360 version of FIFA was to focus on the characters within the sport and really bring them to life. With the extra graphical fidelity and the extra memory which the 360 provided we were able to focus on capturing the passion of soccer. Of course the graphics are only part of the story and we knew we couldn't let them get in the way of gameplay, the very top priority for FIFA, with this in mind we've added many new animations as well as working hard to maintain a smooth gameplay experience while running at 60 frames per second.

The animation is clearly improved; does this enhance the gameplay experience at all? If so, please provide a few examples.
This is an interesting question because we actually took the core gameplay and control system from FIFA 07 current gen and then enhanced it to the next level for Xbox360. The result is that the player will experience quicker, smoother and greater variety of animations that allow you to feel the impact of every tackle, the quick feet of every step over and the power of every shot. This is further realized through improved context sensitive controls that immerse the player into the action whether it's the captain encouraging the team to fight back or the desperation of a defender pleading a 90th minute penalty decision. Which ultimately make it feel like a more realistic, fluid and responsive game to play.

How much input from professional football players does the FIFA team receive to help improve the game, do any of the big-name players offer suggestions?
Yes indeed. Each year we work with the very best from the world of football to improve the game design, this year we've been working very closely with players like Ronaldinho and Wayne Rooney and even included mo-cap moves of real life stars to create the moves in all our FIFA games. What really exciting now is that through the power of [next generation] platforms we can really bring star players to like through animation and precise details.

What's the hardest aspect of football to get right in terms of feel within a videogame, and how close to perfection would you say FIFA has got it until now? In terms of taking the series forward what are the immediate steppingstones?
We've worked hard to improve every aspect of the gameplay so that now you feel like you are truly participating in a football match on your console. Passing, shooting and the AI of your teammates and the opposition have all been enhanced and we're closing the gap between reality and the virtual football world. The improvement that we are the most proud of is the player positioning. This system is 100% new. It's our dedication to make the game authenticity that will simultaneously provide the accessibility for the new gamer and yet still provide depth for the experienced FIFA player. However we're still going to look to improve on all of these areas in the future, the next generation of consoles will no doubt help us to find ways to make your football experience even more ‘immersive’ and realistic.

Online modes are nice and simple this time around, but do you already have plans to liven things up for the next FIFA on Xbox 360? Can you let us in on your ideas?
Today about five per cent of consoles are online connected, but this will change with the next wave of generation hardware. We estimate that on the next generation consoles more than 40 per cent players will be exploring, competing and strategizing in a deep online world. The EA Nation online experience will continue to grow and serve as a hub for connecting EA SPORTS and EA gamers and we have some exciting plans for the next version of FIFA on Xbox360. Competitive-sports gaming is really going to heat up over the next couple of years.

After spending so much time investigating the world of football, who would you say are the upcoming stars of international football? Which of them would you most like to meet?
With the World Cup just around the corner it’s going to be exciting to see up the new stars of the future break onto the world scene. The guy I'm going to be looking out for during the WC is Robinho; he's a very special talent. I think he's going to be a key player for the Brazilian team and could be that player who really shines for them. I'd love to be able to meet him and whole Brazilian team. They, for me, embody the pure essence of football.

What are England's chances of winning the World Cup?
Yes! I'd say we have a very good chance. England always has the talent its just a question of how hungry we are to be champions, we need to go out there with the same level of pride, passion and commitment we showed in 1966. If we can do that we will be taking the trophy back home!

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