So EA have churned out another football game just in time for the world cup, but is it a cynical cash in on the massive interest that the tournament is bound to generate or a worthwhile release? Read on to find out…

The first thing that you notice when playing 2010 Fifa world cup (fwc) is the atmosphere of the game. I’ve never been to a world cup myself but I’d be willing to bet that one of the best things about being there would be the atmosphere of excitement and anticipation that would prevail. It’s this element that the creators of fwc have absolutely nailed, you are immediately drawn in by the way in which the game succeeds in giving you the feeling that only a world cup can. From the authentic soundtrack (including the official world cup 2010 anthem naturally) to playing matches in fantastically detailed digital versions of the real stadia, fwc really is the perfect accompaniment to the upcoming tournament.

This sense of atmosphere is aided by the refinements that EA have made to the Fifa engine. The grass looks absolutely fantastic, as do the cut away shots featuring managers and fans which play during breaks in play. Character models in particular are deserving of high praise with some of them looking eerily lifelike. This is enhanced by the superb animations now on display, my favourite of which being the way linesmen (no, I’m never calling them assistant refs), jump out of the way of the ball as it’s cleared for a throw in. It’s a nice little touch and one which goes to show the great level of detail EA have gone to here.

I won’t go into too great detail about the gameplay as fwc essentially features only a few small (but significant) updates to that featured in Fifa 10. Play feels faster all round, with passing and through balls having gained a little extra refinement. The main area of change that I’ve noticed has been that of light tackling using the A button. It’s now vital to manouver your player into position before pressing A, and simply holding down the button will more often than not result in conceding a foul (I learned this to my cost, giving away a penalty in the quarter finals that would send England out). This feels like a natural evolution of the system from Fifa 10 and becomes second nature extremely fast. It’s safe to say that if you know your way around Fifa 10 then you’ll feel right at home with fwc. Penalties have also been changed up to reflect the extra nerves on show at big tournaments, and in my opinion this is a welcome inclusion.

EA’s recent Fifa offerings have quite rightly garnered much praise for how well they are using their official licenses to create great gaming experiences. Naturally you’re able to play through the world cup finals and guide whatever nation you choose to world cup glory. However, thanks to the rather clever ‘road to qualification’ mode it’s possible to replay scenarios from qualification in an attempt to re-write history. What about attempting to help Ireland come back from that shocking Henry handball? Ok. Fancy your chances in re-creating Walcott’s hat-trick against Croatia? It’s all in there. Should you fancy it then it’s also possible to replay the entire qualification campaign, including friendlies, with a team of your choice. So if you would like to guide Scotland to the world cup then that is possible.

Be the pro makes a welcome return from Fifa 10, this time re-imagined as ‘captain your country’ mode. In this mode you control one player only and are tasked with working your way up from B international fringe player to indispensable national captain. This can be done either by choosing one of the real life players or by creating/importing from Fifa 10 a virtual pro. The ultimate goal of this mode is to have your player captain his country in the world cup final and to lift that famous trophy aloft. As far as empowering moments in gaming go it’s difficult to top this one.

The main online mode in fwc is the ‘online world cup’. In this mode you’re automatched against random opponents and have to attempt to qualify from a random group and then go on to win the tournament. In my opinion this is by far the poorest section of the game. Gameplay wise there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it, let me make that clear from the start as it’s identical to the single player game (with admittedly a little lag from time to time). My main disappointment with it is that you can select any international team to play as rather than just those that have qualified for the finals and therefore it feels somewhat inauthentic and out of place. Also, and this is more a gripe with people than anything else, it seems the vast majority of people only choose 5 star teams to play as despite the fact that many of the online cheevos are aimed at teams with lower ratings. This makes it extrememly frustrating for those not so gifted at Fifa games such as myself. Add to this the fact that in order to skip a replay of a goal it’s required for both players to press the A button. This means that nasty online sorts force you to watch their goals over and over and over again. Frustration is indeed the word.

So it’s safe to say that I’ve enjoyed my time with 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa and will continue to do so during the actual tournament, but I will end with one cautionary note. As many people have noted before: the longevity of this game will be severely limited. Will anyone be playing this once the tournament is over? I sincerely doubt it. Having said that though I can find barely anything wrong with this game and if you’re serious about your football then I seriously advise you to go pick it up.

Verdict: 9/10. Come on England!