UEFA Champions League has a revolutionary, card-based Ultimate Team mode.
Electronic Arts is at it yet again with its latest simulation soccer title, UEFA Champions League™ 2006-2007 for Xbox 360™. Building on the success of its latest FIFA Soccer 07 outing, EA has continued its long-standing tradition of razor sharp refinement to bring perhaps the most skillful soccer game yet to Xbox 360. Beyond the evolved gameplay, deeper features, and realistic simulation, there is also a brand new collectible card-based game mode for soccer strategists.
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The NFL of Soccer First, for those who don't follow European soccer, UEFA stands for Union of European Football Associations and it's the soccer equivalent of the NFL. Encompassing all the teams across Europe's elite soccer leagues, UEFA represents the best of the best. With this license in hand, EA is able to offer every top-tier soccer team with current rosters, creating an authentic gameplay experience with the players fans know and love.
Ultimate Team plays very much like a franchise mode in any other Electronic Arts game, but with the added depth and complexity of a trading card game.
Card-Based Revolution It's important to note that the card-based Ultimate Team game mode doesn't supplant the classic simulation career mode from all other EA soccer games. The actual games in Ultimate Team mode are still played in the same real-time simulation manner to which fans are accustomed. However, the collectible cards in Ultimate Team are used to build your team as well as augment the gameplay mid-match. Here's how it works:
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The Basics: By collecting cards representing players, managers, training regimes, gameplay boosts, and event contracts, you build your team structure, and can even play special cards in the middle of a game to get a shooting boost.
Chemistry: Building a successful deck/team requires not just great players and cards, but also an understanding of chemistry. Players may be much more comfortable playing in their home country, so the essential challenge is to balance the likes and dislikes of individual players with the overall strengths and weaknesses of your team.
Buying Packs: Putting in play time in any game mode except The Lounge will earn you credits, which are used to purchase bronze, silver, and gold packs of cards.
Trading Time: Like other card games, half the fun is in hunting down rare cards, offering trades, and selling off duplicates and unneeded cards from your collection. You can do all of this over Xbox LIVE® within a thriving and dynamic trading card community.
Ultimate Team plays very much like a franchise mode in any other Electronic Arts game, but with the added depth and complexity of a trading card game. For hardcore soccer enthusiasts, its inclusion is monumental, providing endless hours of delicate strategy as you sort through cards and build the perfect deck.
Wrap your head around the new collectible card Ultimate Team mode.
All the Essentials For those fretting that basic gameplay and franchise modes have been put on the bench in favor of Ultimate Team mode, there's no need to worry. All the classic features and refined mechanics you would expect from a top-tier sports simulation game are in full effect:
Standard Franchise: Players looking to manage a specific team and play through seasons in a traditional franchise format will be right at home with UEFA Champions League.
Classic Challenges: The UEFA Champions League Challenge mode recreates some of the most historic moments in European soccer, allowing you to relive classic matches.
Depth of Gameplay: From calling out preset plays to the detailed passing system, sublimely subtle dribbling skills and changes of direction, authentic shot types, and fluid, context-sensitive animation, UEFA features gameplay polished enough to impress the most discerning soccer fan.
Loaded Online: Beyond trading and purchasing cards online for the Ultimate Team mode, you can participate in regular matches as well. Whether you're out to increase your leaderboard status in Ranked matches or just have a bit of fun with friends in Player Match games, it's all available over Xbox LIVE.
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UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 builds on the successful FIFA franchise while offering a more detailed experience by focusing exclusively on the top teams of the vaunted European leagues. The addition of the card-based Ultimate Team mode also serves to remind us that EA isn't done taking risks, and that's good news for all sports simulation fans.
