Football gods and rabid fans alike will descend on Germany this summer in order to witness “The Beautiful Game”.

Basically, the entire globe is represented by six regions. You can select national squads from North America, South America, Oceania, Africa, Asia and Europe. Once you have your team, you’re with them for better or worse until the end. Gameplay seems a bit quicker, but it’s still classic FIFA all the way. Most will agree that Winning Eleven still has the upper hand in overall gameplay, but EA is a bit closer with this newest incarnation.

Graphically, FIFA World Cup does improve upon the title released six short months ago, but it’s evident that EA still has yet to tap the full potential of the 360. The most glaring problem seems to be the player models. They’re not awful mind you, but their legs appear as though they belong on Arnold Schwarzenegger. Every player, regardless of overall body size has these massive, steroid-fed legs. It’s just too over the top. Additionally, it’s a bit puzzling as to why EA has not been able to include the cloth physics that 2K has mastered in their hoops and baseball titles.

The main menu interface and loading screens are very slick in appearance. The loading screens offer colorful pictures from the different countries and include some trivia regarding each. The menus overall are a departure from what EA has done in the past and are more akin to the recent Madden 06 released for the 360.

Another pleasant surprise this time around is the improvements in AI. It seems that EA has finally figured out how to appropriately tweak the difficulty levels and even at the amateur level you’ll get a solid, but not frustrating challenge.

Finally, the sounds of the game are absolutely amazing. The crowds are as rowdy and boisterous as ever, and the icing on the cake is the match commentary provided by both Andy Townsend and Clive Tyldesley is the best I have ever heard in a video game, bar none. They are always right in step with the action, and the excitement with which they call the matches gets your adrenaline flowing.

There are only a couple of things that keep the score from being higher. The first is that there are no club teams. If I want to play with my beloved AC Milan, I have to shell out the additional sixty dollars for FIFA 06, which is an inferior product.

The second is this latest trend by EA to exclude what should be standard management options in any sports title. Where is the ‘create a player’ option? How about an option to edit your squad’s attributes? The last couple of World Cup games have seemed bare bones in comparison to the FIFA Club versions.

As an overall package, FIFA World Cup 2006 is a much improved product over FIFA 06. In truth though, this game should only be a part of a beefier title that includes all aspects of football, including the appropriate club teams and player customization options. I pray that EA will see the light on this, and that four years from now they will, as Spike Lee might say, ‘Do the right thing.’