It feels great to sit back in front of a big screen television and dive into your favorite sports game--particularly when the game in question does your favorite sport justice.  Then again sometimes you just want to lie back on a lawn chair, pull your PSP out of your pocket and get back to scoring goals, touchdowns or homeruns.  Thankfully, EA Sports has jumped on the PlayStation Portable bandwagon to bring us portable versions of their sports games.  Among their lineup is FIFA Soccer, a game that feels so much like the console version and that’s a very good thing.

You’d think that EA Sports would cut a few things found in the console version for the PSP but it’s apparent from the minute you find yourself looking at the 350 or so licensed international and club teams as well as known tournament cup games that Electronic Arts took full advantage of the little systems capabilities.  The game pretty much covers every aspect of the console version so if you’re a fan of the Mexican League you can go ahead and live out your fantasy of seeing Cruz Azul take down Chivas.  Ever dreamed about seeing a match between Manchester United and Aberdeen?  Well you can make it happen in this game.
 

There are also some pretty excellent game modes available that go beyond the game’s friendly Home and Away exhibition match between any team you like in just about any stadium on earth.  There’s Challenges mode, which features three different challenging scenarios.  For example, Comeback Challenge has your team down by a point or two and you must make a dramatic comeback and win the game before the time is up.  In Rout Challenges you to have to win the game by scoring X amount of goals and Custom Challenges (a mode you have to unlock by playing the first two modes) has you setting up your own challenges anyway you see fit.

There’s also a Season mode that gives you the choice of choosing a full season using twenty-five leagues you can pick from or customize your own season.  There’s even a Mid-Season Scenario option that has you picking your team and building them up in order to take them to a tournament cup.  Speaking of tournament cups, Tournament mode features just about every different club tournament available.  There’s the MLS Open Cup, the Swiss Cup, Coupe de France and even the Coppa Nazionale just to name a few.  You can even customize your own tournament to design a tournament cup that’s not included in the game.

If all of this sounds like a soccer fan’s dream come true it is but it’s not without its share for problems.  For starters, the PSP analog stick might not be the best choice to move your player around.  Aside from being just a tad on the awkward side, player movement can feel restricted and pulling off some tricky footwork takes a lot of practice.  Still, it doesn’t get in the way of the game’s basic attacking and defending moves or break the flow of the game.  You’ll be able to make short and long passes and you can perform two kinds of tackles.  Want to call a second defender or send your teammates on a run?  You can and it’s done well. 

Here’s another little flaw . . . the framerate drops just a little during the game and you’ll find the stutter just a tad annoying.  Thankfully this doesn’t occur too often in the game and doesn’t become bothersome at all.  It does get bothersome in the game’s wireless multiplayer.  I’ve played the game with another player sitting right beside me with his shoulder touching mine and the game still suffered from a drop in framerate.  EA Sports has done better in this department, just look at Need for Speed Underground Rivals.

Visually speaking, though, the game looks really good.  Sure you’ll encounter some jaggies here and there but the overall beauty of the franchise is not tarnished.  The player models look great and so do their uniforms that can get dirty.  They move naturally during cut scenes and during the game--although the action in the game’s default camera makes them look really small.  The stadiums look excellent and so do the fans that wave flags and cheer their team on.  Still, every now and then a player might disappear during a cut scene but you’ve just got to love the replay of some truly spectacular goals.

The game’s sound is also as impressive as the visuals seeing as all the sounds of an actual soccer match compliment the visuals so accurately.  You’ll hear the fans go wild when their team scores and you’ll hear them sing their team’s anthems proudly.  The play-by-play and color commentary by John Motson and Ally McCoist is surprisingly good and on the spot.  The EA Pocket Trax feature allows you to listen to all of the game’s many tunes that range from rock tunes from the likes of Flogging Molly and The Soundtrack of Our Lives to the international tunes from artists like Gusanito and Mala Rodriguez.  There’s even some tunes from Sarah McLachlan and Morrissey.   It’s not bad stuff if you like an eclectic selection.

Despite its few imperfections, FIFA Soccer for the PSP is fun enough to keep devoted aficionados happy.  There are just enough options, impressive lineup of teams and fun-to-get-into modes in this portable version.  Sure the controls could have used less analog control and the multiplayer could have been handled differently but this is still a solid soccer game worth the price.   

Gameplay: 8.0
The analog stick is not the PSP’s best friend where FIFA Soccer is concerned but other than that the game flows nicely once you get the hang of things.  You’ll find much of what makes the console version so fun pretty much in tact in this version.

Graphics: 8.5
A few jaggies aside, this is a pretty impressive looking game with realistic player animations and natural character movement.  Even the stadiums filled with fans will not fail to impress and the goal replays still offer that televised match feel.

Sound: 8.5
Would you believe how detailed the sound can get through the speakers of the PSP?  You’ll hear everything from crowd chants and songs, other players on the field pumping up their teammates and even the sound of long kicks.  The play-by-play and color commentary is here and it’s done excellently.  The soundtrack might not be everyone’s idea of cool but if you’re a Franz Ferdinand fan you might just like.

Difficulty: Medium
The AI can go either way in this version but you’ll find plenty of great challenges from some of the stronger teams like Brazil, France and England.  Then again the opposing team makes a few more blunders in this game and the referee is easy on the yellow cards.

Concept: 8.5
How they managed to cram just about every licensed league and tournament cup into a single little UMV is beyond me but the result is a game filled with enough teams to satisfy any gamer.  There’s even a Create A Player mode here and it’s just as detailed as the console version.

Multiplayer: 7.5
The little framerate problems that pop up in the single player game pop up more often in the game’s multiplayer game.  Trust me when I say that you won’t be sharing this one with your more impatient friends.

Overall: 8.2
When all is said and done, FIFA Soccer for the PSP just offers enough soccer goodness for those who want to take their passion for the sport on the go.  A few blemishes aside doesn’t hold back a game that’s big on teams, game modes and loads of fun.