AFL Premiership 2006 PS2 Review Honolulu HI

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"Up there Cazaly, in there and fight" ... ah yes it's coming up again to the one day in September where the men are sorted from the mice and someone wins the flag. Last year it was Sydney, hurrah and all for that but unfortunately AFL hasn't had a videogame to match the popularity of the sport for sometime now and it wasn't until Sony took over the license that we actually had some games to look forward to. The first few have been a little lacking but showed signs of where we are now - a quality AFL game. IR Gurus have finally cracked it and the sport has a game to be proud of, it's just a shame it has taken so long.

AFL Premiership 2006 obviously offers the modes that you come to expect - exhibition, season, franchise etc but having this depth in a game which is only going to be released in Australia is quite astounding. IR Gurus have really taken an EA approach to the game in trying fit anything and everything associated with the sport into the game and have done quite well. The real meat and potatoes obviously comes from the franchise mode where there is so much depth AFL fans will appreciate the small touches that the developers have included.

Obviously in franchise mode you pick your team, and try and win the flag continuously ala the old teams of clubs such as Carlton and Adelaide. This is harder than it sounds especially because IR Gurus have definitely gone for a more simulation approach rather than an arcade format for the game this time around. You will have to deal with suspensions from the judiciary, injuries across multiple games and tough opponents across multiple seasons. For those who don't want to have to deal with the inter-season negotiations and changes, single seasons can be played out as well beginning from the NAB Cup or even the start of the Final series.

As stated, the developers have gone down the simulation path for this one and it has paid off handsomely for them. Rather than kick the ball and hope for the best, you have to kick, get in position and try and mark the ball, just like in the real game. There is a lot more fouls as well and if you play rough, you're going to lose players as well as matches. This may turn a few gamers off especially because the first hour or so is a lesson in frustrating sports games. Not because it has poor controls, but because the simulation is of such a level that you really have to work hard to learn how to play this game.