A review of FIFA 2010 World Cup South Africa PS3.
The red design used throughout the game helps ignite the spirit of the African tournament whilst serene, relaxing and euphoric songs such as Wavin' Flag, Fools Gold and Say Hey (I love you) creating another memorable and beautiful soundtrack to a FIFA game. How do EA do it?.
So with the African vibe instilled firmly within the game all that's left is the customary FIFA elements to apply, grinding out yet another money maker. Wrong. EA have clearly invested thought and time into improving the physics, graphics and animations.
Graphically, FIFA World Cup 2010 makes FIFA10 look crap. Stadiums look fresh and full, bursting with life and colour and the occasional close up of generic fans dancing. Let me express it this way, if FIFA10 and South Africa™ were brothers, South Africa™ would be the girl getting, extreme, party-all-night success story, whilst FIFA10, although successful too, would be a reclusive, library-going, incapable of socialising freak. (Apply that to the difference in Stadium design and your there)
Weather conditions have increased realism, whilst kits and players look tanned and glowing, lapping up the African atmosphere, the world cup itself doesn't look to shabby either.
So with graphics in the bag, we turn our dreadlocked sundrenched and curious heads towards the game play expecting a wild dance that will set our hearts on fire. We get the dance and applaud it, however it was not as great as it could have been, being let down by small factors which ruined the piece, the dancer shuffles away, embarrassed. The dance I speak of is the beautifully improved play speed and player control, allowing users to have far more input into the team's build up and general skill at their disposal. The blemishes come in PASSING, SOMETHING THAT IS FUNDAMENTAL AND UNDESCRIBABLY IMPORTANT IN FOOTBALL. Too often the passing went astray leaving me feeling robbed and confused as I blatantly did not pass the ball to the pale idiot that is Frank Lampard, but instead to Crouchy! Horizontal Long balls are also harder to execute, however........
FIFA 2010 WORLD CUP HAS GOTTEN RID OF THE NUISANCE GOAL PROVIDER THAT IS THE CHIP SHOT, THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS. It is almost impossible now to chip the keeper as Keeper A.I has been tweaked and so has the chip mechanism.
Sadly, something had to suffer a set back with all this goodness seeping through the game, and that, well, that comes in the form of the classic penalty, because it is a world cup, EA decided to alter the mechanics, introducing a composure meter and new goalkeeper animations to boot. These new inclusions have officially ruined the penalty and I sincerely hope they are set back to default for the next instalment.
There are numerous game modes within the plastic interior of the game's box, these being, captain your country, world cup, challenge mode, online world cup and general online. These are all amazing and allow you to obtain brilliant trophies that come as a result of very relevant and intense challenges.
EA have introduced a new leader board, tracking the nations with the most points. This is a huge incentive as players everywhere will want to represent their country and make THEIR country the highest ranked team in the tournament. England did not fair too well, their highest position a 5th place, whilst the liked of Mexico and Ecuador thrived.
This game is a brilliant addition to the FIFA franchise and beautifully re creates the African atmosphere and party-like crowd, the game play is new and fresh, giving the player a sneak peak as to what FIFA11 has in store, defiantly worth buying, after all it is the world cup and it is AFRICA.
8.9