2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
Goooooaaaaallllllll!
Posted May 8, 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa was released at the end of April to take advantage of the upcoming World Cup match taking place in South Africa. It’s sandwiched between the release of FIFA 10 last year and the upcoming release of FIFA 11, but is designed to capture the crazed excitement of the international event that’s the World Cup. It’s not at broad as a normal FIFA title, but you will see a highly elevated presentation value to the game. Frankly, it makes soccer about as exciting as it will ever get for the tepid U.S. interest in the sport.
Considering that the teams are picked from their best players across all clubs, you will immediately notice a higher level of skill on the field. Players pass with pin-point accuracy and position themselves in just the right areas to score based on the other’s teams A.I. There’s also an increased physicality to this FIFA title that’s unmatched in the regular releases. Smart players will attempt to avoid the domineering defenders by mismatching faster speed against a slower defender. The game also seems more tuned to push players to setup the right shot. Too often in FIFA 10, the finesse shot made scoring far too simple (with a bit of practice). Thankfully, EA forces you to approach from various angles this time and setup a shot with your teammates.
There are no club teams in 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, only international teams. You have the ability to take any international team and lead them through the qualifying rounds to reach the finals. In fact, this is required for teams that didn’t make the final cut of the current World Cup. It’s pretty interesting taking an underdog into the finals, but you will be playing a ton of games to get there. For those not looking for that type of challenge, you can leap right into the World Cup playoffs.
One aspect of the gameplay that has been tweaked from FIFA 10 is an alternate penalty kick system. Rather than just picking a side and pressing a button to kick, it’s vastly more complicated now (for the better). First, there’s a kick meter to control accuracy of the kick. Second, the kicker has the ability to fake out the goalie with a shutter step, thus showing which way he’s going to leap. Finally, the kicker has the ability to change the direction of the kick a millisecond before the kick. But it will affect the power of the kick. It’s an interesting shot system that may make its way into the next release.
In addition to the main World Cup mode, there’s a mode for lifetime soccer fans to relive their favorite moments from years past. More interesting, Electronic Arts will be updating this section of the game though downloadable updates as the World Cup finals progress. If your favorite team has a world-changing moment, you can relive it soon after on your PS3.
Oddly, EA has hamstringed their online inclusion to a single mode, Online World Cup. This mode tosses you into a bracketed tournament that pits you against other online players. Players are awarded points for winning games. Also, players that choose to use weaker teams will reap greater rewards if they win. Unfortunately, over the three matches that I played, I found myself stricken with dreaded lag; something that makes sports games almost unplayable. It’s very disappointing for a FIFA title.
While the game was released just a scant six months away from the release of the well-reviewed FIFA 10, this World Cup themed soccer title will immediately increase your interest in the upcoming World Cup tournament this June. Even those who aren’t soccer fans will find value in the immensely slick presentation of 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. Frankly, it makes me wonder why other sports don’t get more titles themed around the championship playoffs.
That being said, the game isn’t offering much assistance to those who are unfamiliar with the rules and gameplay style of soccer. It suffers from some uncharacteristically long load times between each match as well; very reminiscent of a first-gen PS3 title. Also, anyone interested in multiplayer over the Playstation Network is better served with FIFA 10. For those that are ready to be launched into World Cup fever and perhaps didn’t finish their entire season in FIFA 10, this polished soccer title is definitely worth a look. Just don’t be shocked when FIFA 11 rolls out in the Fall to make this title obsolete.
(For those that want to try before they buy, there is a playable demo on the Playstation Network. It’s setup as a match between Spain and Italy and it walks you through the controls as well)
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Considering that the teams are picked from their best players across all clubs, you will immediately notice a higher level of skill on the field. Players pass with pin-point accuracy and position themselves in just the right areas to score based on the other’s teams A.I. There’s also an increased physicality to this FIFA title that’s unmatched in the regular releases. Smart players will attempt to avoid the domineering defenders by mismatching faster speed against a slower defender. The game also seems more tuned to push players to setup the right shot. Too often in FIFA 10, the finesse shot made scoring far too simple (with a bit of practice). Thankfully, EA forces you to approach from various angles this time and setup a shot with your teammates.
There are no club teams in 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, only international teams. You have the ability to take any international team and lead them through the qualifying rounds to reach the finals. In fact, this is required for teams that didn’t make the final cut of the current World Cup. It’s pretty interesting taking an underdog into the finals, but you will be playing a ton of games to get there. For those not looking for that type of challenge, you can leap right into the World Cup playoffs.
One aspect of the gameplay that has been tweaked from FIFA 10 is an alternate penalty kick system. Rather than just picking a side and pressing a button to kick, it’s vastly more complicated now (for the better). First, there’s a kick meter to control accuracy of the kick. Second, the kicker has the ability to fake out the goalie with a shutter step, thus showing which way he’s going to leap. Finally, the kicker has the ability to change the direction of the kick a millisecond before the kick. But it will affect the power of the kick. It’s an interesting shot system that may make its way into the next release.
In addition to the main World Cup mode, there’s a mode for lifetime soccer fans to relive their favorite moments from years past. More interesting, Electronic Arts will be updating this section of the game though downloadable updates as the World Cup finals progress. If your favorite team has a world-changing moment, you can relive it soon after on your PS3.
Oddly, EA has hamstringed their online inclusion to a single mode, Online World Cup. This mode tosses you into a bracketed tournament that pits you against other online players. Players are awarded points for winning games. Also, players that choose to use weaker teams will reap greater rewards if they win. Unfortunately, over the three matches that I played, I found myself stricken with dreaded lag; something that makes sports games almost unplayable. It’s very disappointing for a FIFA title.
Graphics
- The presentation factor is off the charts for an EA Sports title and that’s definitely saying something. Visually, the game is gorgeous on the Playstation 3 and the South African locale accurately depicted. Some people may complain that the camera quick cuts are overloaded during play, but I really enjoyed the broadcast feel to the match with various shots of the crowd or player close-up shots.
- If your favorite soccer team is of a higher profile, you will likely recognize the player faces instantly. Every facial feature is nailed perfectly and players react similar to their real-life counterparts when scoring goals or arguing over red cards. Unfortunately, lesser known teams are regulated to a variety of bland faces for their players.
Audio
- International match commentary is brought to you by Andy Townsend, a former soccer player turned announcer, and Clive Tyldesley, the main soccer commentator for ITV since the late nineties. Similar to previous FIFA games, the paring works well. EA Sports had them record a variety of commentary based on all possible matchups for the 2010 World Cup. Their banter is delivered perfectly during the match and sounds as if the lines were recorded together.
- On-field action and surges in crowd excitement are spot-on as well. EA went to great lengths to capture the frenzy of passionate soccer fans, especially when their countries honor is on the line in a World Cup match. Everything from the music blasting from the speakers to the fans screaming in joy / sorrow are captured to tie into the elevated level of presentation for the World Cup.
Conclusion
While the game was released just a scant six months away from the release of the well-reviewed FIFA 10, this World Cup themed soccer title will immediately increase your interest in the upcoming World Cup tournament this June. Even those who aren’t soccer fans will find value in the immensely slick presentation of 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. Frankly, it makes me wonder why other sports don’t get more titles themed around the championship playoffs.
That being said, the game isn’t offering much assistance to those who are unfamiliar with the rules and gameplay style of soccer. It suffers from some uncharacteristically long load times between each match as well; very reminiscent of a first-gen PS3 title. Also, anyone interested in multiplayer over the Playstation Network is better served with FIFA 10. For those that are ready to be launched into World Cup fever and perhaps didn’t finish their entire season in FIFA 10, this polished soccer title is definitely worth a look. Just don’t be shocked when FIFA 11 rolls out in the Fall to make this title obsolete.
(For those that want to try before they buy, there is a playable demo on the Playstation Network. It’s setup as a match between Spain and Italy and it walks you through the controls as well)
Discuss This Game on Our Forums Here