Product: World Tour Soccer 2006
Developer: Sony
Publisher: Sony London
Format: PSP
Genre: Action, Sports
The first PSP version of World Tour Soccer was something of a surprise package, managing to more than hold its own against more fancied competitors FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer. Hence the fans hopes are understandably high for the '06 outing, and there's nothing in Sony's latest announcements to dampen enthusiasm.
We already revealed back in March that the game had been designed specifically for PSP and would focus more on show-boating, with quick bite-sized gaming challenges. Now, however, Sony has added a little more explanatory meat to these bones.
For starters, there will be five basic modes to choose from. Exhibition Mode enables you to pick any two teams to compete in a one-off match, Play Now does the same with random sides, World Tour Mode offers ten different challenges and demands that you accumulate enough points to unlock the next and Medal Mode allows players to chose their own challenge, continent and teams to take on the world's best en route to global domination.
Most intriguing though are the ten new mini challenges, each of which tests a different soccer skill in perfectly-formed micro games of four minutes or less.
These vary from the relatively straightforward Zone Challenge (in which you get points for playing within a specific area of pitch) and Time Attack (get x points in x minutes) to Pass Clock (you can only have the ball for a certain period of time) and Player Tag Challenge (in which you have to pass the ball to players in a certain sequence to be able to score). But perhaps the most demanding option is the All-Rounder, in which the full eleven have to touch the ball before you can legitimately score (sounds like one for Arsenal fans!)
Backing up these modes are the multiplayer options, which will include a Game Sharing option (allowing generous owners to play against their cash-strapped chums on just one UMD) as well as the previously announced Ad Hoc and wi-fi options for up to four players.
You can enjoy seeing the game in glorious action via the new trailer (click the 'Watch It' button above) and there are also some nice new pictures of stadiums and the challenge modes in action to keep you entertained until the game's release in June.