UEFA Champions League 06-07 (Xbox 360) Preview
Posted by Armando Rodriguez on 02.01.2007
Soccer trading cards come to life!
UEFA Champions League is from the makers of FIFA 07, so there is no surprise on how the game plays on the field, which is pretty much like FIFA. The changes and additions are located elsewhere.
When you decide to create an ultimate team in UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 you'll be given a free pack of cards to get you started. In the pack you'll find enough player cards to field a starting 11 with a few substitutes, along with a few other card types that could include staff, training, contracts, uniforms, stadiums, and FIFA Lounge-style gameplay cards that have the potential to turn the tide of a match by affecting the attributes of certain players. Every time you complete a match in the game you'll earn credits based on your performance, and these credits can then be used to buy booster packs containing an additional 10 cards for your collection. Only bronze packs containing mediocre cards will be available at the outset, but as your skill level increases you'll unlock more-desirable silver and gold packs.
But fielding a super team won't be easy. Each player has three characteristics that are important to consider: Nationality, Preferred Position and Preferred Formation that will determine how well they gel with the rest of your squad. Team chemistry will be a very important factor and your teams' performance and will be affected by your choice of player and manager cards.
Once you've assembled your team you'll be able to use it in any gameplay mode. Interestingly, your team's attributes and statistics will be persistent across all modes of play, so if one of your players gets injured when playing an online game, for example, he'll still be carrying the injury if you decide to play through the UEFA Champions League tournament mode. While injuries are perhaps the most obvious example of an effect that will be persistent throughout your ultimate team's entire UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 existence, others will include bookings, the effects of training, and contracts. Player contracts in the game will be measured by the number of games that they can appear in, and the only way to retain players' services will be to use a contract card from one of the aforementioned booster packs on them.
Staff cards are really important as well. Manager cards might give huge chemistry bonuses if you are playing their favorite formation and so on. You can also carry 4 cards to every game and use them on the fly to boost statistics or change formations.
UEFA is a whole new take on the soccer genre and it might prove to be a successful side venture for EA Games. UEFA is expected to be released in May.
