2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa : Review
With more than 2.5 million tickets for the World Cup finals sold through authorised FIFA channels, the South African authorities have finalised regulations to combat ticket touts.
However, unauthorised operators or sellers continue to exploit the popularity of the FIFA World Cup to lure unsuspecting fans across the world into purchasing illegitimate or unauthorised tickets and/or ticket-inclusive travel packages.
FIFA Ten-and-a-half, then? A re-skinned FIFA 10 with a few hints of what’s to come in five months time? To put it bluntly: yes.
Indisputably, EA’s four-yearly World Cup games are like a corporate birthday party; this time populated by Vuvuzela that spew out cash rather than South Africa’s most annoying noise. Already, the game sits at the top of the UK charts, doubtless bought almost exclusively by those who already own FIFA 10. It’s perfectly timed, of course, released as the season ends just in time to catalyse World Cup fever.
EA certainly understand that it’s presentation that sells a game of football, but they seem to forgotten that it’s the football itself that keeps players playing.
It’s hard to deny that it looks great. Player likenesses have certainly been heightened, although it’s still very difficult to tell the difference between Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry. The pitches look seriously fantastic, especially the lush, verdant, deep green of the official South African stadiums. No more of the blindingly bright near-turquoise that occasionally popped up in FIFA 10. Overall, the atmosphere is more lifelike, the aforementioned local horns mingling with raucous crowd noises and ticker-tape carpeting the edge of the pitch.
Club teams have been necessarily removed, to be replaced by a (nearly) complete roster of international sides from around the globe. 199 countries/principalities/city states means a lot of variation, but also a lot of minnows who you’ll probably rarely use. Still, it’s nice to have them there and nice to be given the option to guide a tiny Caribbean island to glory.
In terms of realism we’re awarded the dubious pleasure of a preview of ITV’s World Cup coverage, through Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend. Although the carefully scripted snippets when certain teams meet or when any team (I think) makes the final will doubtless be superior to whatever bias, presumptive trash they come out with on the day.
It’s unsurprising that on the field action has been tweaked rather than revolutionised. Headers are perhaps easier to score with, and shoulder barges seem to be penalised less often. It’s frustrating, though, that certain obvious faults still exist. Why is it so easy for a keeper’s short goal kick to go straight to an opposition striker? Why can every player cushion a fast, high, long ball with such ease? Some issues seem to have worsened; nobody seems to get tired, no matter how much you force them to sprint. The fish-eye corner camera that featured in some stadia in FIFA 10 returns, the one that made corners particularly confusing to aim. Bizarrely, every single new stadium uses it, presumably to show off the the effort put into their virtual reconstruction.
Familiarity breeds contempt, and while FIFA is still an enjoyable game of football, it’s very much the same game of football we started playing seven months ago. EA shouldn’t be allowed to rest on their laurels and simply presume dominance in the market. This World Cup edition is less of an appetiser for the delicacies we may find in FIFA 11, but more of a warning that the developers may have gone back to their old ways; slick presentation, lazy execution.
However, unauthorised operators or sellers continue to exploit the popularity of the FIFA World Cup to lure unsuspecting fans across the world into purchasing illegitimate or unauthorised tickets and/or ticket-inclusive travel packages.
FIFA Ten-and-a-half, then? A re-skinned FIFA 10 with a few hints of what’s to come in five months time? To put it bluntly: yes.
Indisputably, EA’s four-yearly World Cup games are like a corporate birthday party; this time populated by Vuvuzela that spew out cash rather than South Africa’s most annoying noise. Already, the game sits at the top of the UK charts, doubtless bought almost exclusively by those who already own FIFA 10. It’s perfectly timed, of course, released as the season ends just in time to catalyse World Cup fever.
EA certainly understand that it’s presentation that sells a game of football, but they seem to forgotten that it’s the football itself that keeps players playing.
It’s hard to deny that it looks great. Player likenesses have certainly been heightened, although it’s still very difficult to tell the difference between Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry. The pitches look seriously fantastic, especially the lush, verdant, deep green of the official South African stadiums. No more of the blindingly bright near-turquoise that occasionally popped up in FIFA 10. Overall, the atmosphere is more lifelike, the aforementioned local horns mingling with raucous crowd noises and ticker-tape carpeting the edge of the pitch.
Club teams have been necessarily removed, to be replaced by a (nearly) complete roster of international sides from around the globe. 199 countries/principalities/city states means a lot of variation, but also a lot of minnows who you’ll probably rarely use. Still, it’s nice to have them there and nice to be given the option to guide a tiny Caribbean island to glory.
In terms of realism we’re awarded the dubious pleasure of a preview of ITV’s World Cup coverage, through Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend. Although the carefully scripted snippets when certain teams meet or when any team (I think) makes the final will doubtless be superior to whatever bias, presumptive trash they come out with on the day.
It’s unsurprising that on the field action has been tweaked rather than revolutionised. Headers are perhaps easier to score with, and shoulder barges seem to be penalised less often. It’s frustrating, though, that certain obvious faults still exist. Why is it so easy for a keeper’s short goal kick to go straight to an opposition striker? Why can every player cushion a fast, high, long ball with such ease? Some issues seem to have worsened; nobody seems to get tired, no matter how much you force them to sprint. The fish-eye corner camera that featured in some stadia in FIFA 10 returns, the one that made corners particularly confusing to aim. Bizarrely, every single new stadium uses it, presumably to show off the the effort put into their virtual reconstruction.
Familiarity breeds contempt, and while FIFA is still an enjoyable game of football, it’s very much the same game of football we started playing seven months ago. EA shouldn’t be allowed to rest on their laurels and simply presume dominance in the market. This World Cup edition is less of an appetiser for the delicacies we may find in FIFA 11, but more of a warning that the developers may have gone back to their old ways; slick presentation, lazy execution.
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