2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is the rare tournament tie-in that treats the qualifiers as the point, not the prelude.
EA Canada built the game around 199 of the 204 teams that took part in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification. That number is the whole pitch. You pick your nation and you can start in qualification, not just the finals, then carry that team to a virtual reproduction of the World Cup Final. EA Sports published it, and it landed on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and iOS, skipping the Nintendo DS.
Trailer, via EA SPORTS MADDEN NFL.
199 Nations and 10 Licensed Stadiums
Every one of the 10 official World Cup stadiums in South Africa is playable, along with stadiums drawn from each qualifying region. You play solo against the computer or against other people through PlayStation Network or Xbox Live.
The crowd work is where the game sells the occasion. Confetti rain, streamers and fireworks all appear, matching the official tournament rather than a generic crowd loop.
Altitude Fatigue and Injuries Outside Internationals
EA announced gameplay changes over FIFA 10. Player fatigue rises faster at higher altitudes, which gives a home team at altitude an edge over an away side that is not used to it. Players can also pick up injuries outside international matches.
Those two changes pull in the same direction. They make the schedule matter. A squad is not a fixed set of numbers you carry untouched from match to match.
Captain Your Country and 55 Scenarios
The “Captain Your Country” mode returns, built along the same lines as “Be a Pro.” Owners of FIFA 10 can import their Virtual Pro, then earn CYC Accomplishments and attribute boosts.
The penalty kick system was reworked so the outcome better reflects the shooter’s composure. A “scenario” mode, as in 2006 FIFA World Cup, ships with 55 playable scenarios pulled from past World Cup matches. Scenarios from the 2010 tournament arrive through an online update.
Unranked Head-to-Head Only Online
The online multiplayer lobby was limited to unranked head-to-head matches. That is a real restriction, and it is the one place the game steps back from what FIFA 10 offered.
Two Versions, Two Games
| Feature | PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 | Wii |
|---|---|---|
| Visual style | Standard | More stylised |
| Physics | Standard | Nuanced system for arcade play |
| Control schemes | Standard | Multiple, including Classic Controller |
| Free kicks and penalties | Standard | Quick-time events required |
| Multiple players, one team | Not stated | Possible |
The Wii version is effectively a different game. It leans on quick-time events to save free kicks and penalties, and to win the ball after goal kicks and corners. It also lets several players control one team.
Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend on the Call
Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend handle commentary, and the source notes they provide insight into both sides.
That is a small thing that reads as a large one. A World Cup game lives or dies on whether the broadcast layer makes an exhibition match feel like a fixture, and a two-man booth that tracks both teams is doing work a single narrator cannot.
What Holds This Back
The unranked-only online lobby is the clear weak point. It is a strange ceiling to put on a game whose entire appeal is national rivalry, and it undercuts the one mode where that rivalry would mean the most.
The altitude fatigue and the outside-internationals injuries are the better bet. They are the changes that make 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa feel like a tournament rather than a roster update with a new paint job.
The 199-team scope is the reason to play it over FIFA 10. The Wii build is a separate purchase with a separate argument. Score: 8.8 of 10.
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