• Soccer fans can get their fix with Xbox games.soccer ball image by Diane Stamatelatos from Fotolia.com
  
  While American soccer---known internationally as football---is an immensely popular sport, it is also physically demanding. For soccer fans who want a taste of the game without heading down to the local pitch, video games on consoles such as the Xbox emulate the sport in different ways. Whether you want a realistic recreation or an arcade-style take on the game, you can find the game you're looking for on Xbox.
  
  

"World Soccer Winning Eleven"

• For better and for worse, the "Winning Eleven" video game series is as realistic as it gets---in its review of the 2006 entry "Winning Eleven 9," Gamespot.com deemed it "the most realistic soccer game ever made." This stems from its robust team management system and career mode, in which you assume the role of team manager throughout a single team's season. In this mode, you face the same decisions and problems that a real team may encounter---teammates can become injured or fatigued from playing too much, you need to budget your team's income to pay its players and if you lose too many matches, you could lose your job. Despite the lack of certain official team licenses, the game offers an in-depth editing mode in which you can customize your team members. This game's realism and depth rank it highly among critics.
  
  

"FIFA Street"

• "FIFA Street" and its sequel are polarizing games for soccer fans. On the opposite end of the realism spectrum from games like "Winning Eleven," these arcade-style games emphasize pulling off elaborate combos and tricks over the mechanics of soccer itself. As the video game website "IGN" said in its 2006 review of "FIFA Street 2," "If you're a total purist, you'll hate it." Whittled down to the sport's most basic components, "FIFA Street" opens up game play to include physics-defying tricks in a smaller, fast-paced playing field. Though this is a unique take on soccer, critics found that these games lacked substance and were marred by frustrating mechanics. Still, fans of the sport may find that "FIFA Street" offers them a fresh---if imperfect---perspective on soccer.
  
  

EA's "FIFA"

• The "FIFA" series by Electronic Arts (EA) is a middle ground for soccer fans---its game play is simpler than the "Winning Eleven" series, yet the presentation is still realistic. Outselling "Winning Eleven" on Xbox, the game's inclusiveness is to credit for its popularity---relative newcomers to the sport are able to play without worrying about the intensely robust management system of other games, while fans can take advantage of officially licensed teams and small details such as authentic crowd chants and faithfully re-created stadiums. Its inclusiveness may be a detraction for some, though, as its somewhat simplified play mechanics offer less variety and challenge than the "Winning Eleven" series. Its balance of realism and user-friendliness make EA's "FIFA" series a good starting point for soccer fans both new and seasoned.