Xbox Gaming in South Africa

The soccer World Cup is all about spectacle. It embraces drama, suspense, joy, sadness and almost every other emotion known to man. It's a time when people from every nation around the world are fixated by the exploits of 32 teams that take to the field to fight it out in the gladiatorial arena of football to be crowned champions of the world. The raw emotion and feeling of battling your way to the top of the pile is something that EA has been forever trying to capture in video game form and until now it has eluded them.

EA Sports is no stranger to the football game. Their FIFA series kicked off way back in 1994 which makes it all the more surprising that 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is the first game in the long and distinguished series to be an authentic representation of soccer's greatest competition. Instead of the usual unrealistic super-powered players that hold more in common with comic book characters than their real life counterparts, 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa tries to nail the tension and feeling of a World Cup game by making your every decision matter on the field of play.

It's all about the small details and it's evident right from the kick off that EA Sports has tried to cram as much as possible in the game. The animations for players have been further refined from FIFA 10's huge array of player animation, which you may remember from our earlier review were already top notch. To get a bit more atmosphere during matches you'll be treated to cut scenes of the players or managers during breaks in play which has been something that's been used in other EA Sports games such as Madden but makes its first appearance in the FIFA series this year. It's here that another neat touch rears its head. If you decide to play as South Africa you'll notice that Joel Santana is still the South African manager in 2008 before being replaced by Carlos Alberto Parreira. Little things like that make all the difference in the world for all the fanatic football fans out there.

As any fan of the English national team will know, penalty kicks can usually make or break your World Cup, and so EA Sports has also gone and revamped the penalty kick system to better replicate the tension of stepping up to the penalty spot. There's a composure meter that determines your kick's chances of hitting the back of the net as well as the traditional power meter. Once your player starts his run up you can aim your kick using the right stick but it takes a bit of skill and practice to be able to correctly gauge how far you need to move it without missing the goal altogether. Saving penalty kicks on the other hand is a matter of using the left stick to move your keeper along his line and then choosing the direction you want to dive using the right stick. It does get a bit more advanced with the timing of the dive determining how far you dive and so on, but in essence it's a nice and simple two stick affair. All these changes combined mean that penalty shootouts are an even more tense affair as befits the World Cup.

The commentary also adds to the atmosphere with some neat interludes about the teams, players and stadiums in the World Cup. Personally I'm not a big fan of Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend and prefer the duo of Martin Tyler and Andy Gray used in the annual FIFA games but they manage to hold their own without too much repetition or commentary gaffs so it's not all bad news. They've also recorded intros to all the Story of Qualifying scenarios which is a nice touch.

If you've played FIFA 10 you'll be in familiar territory here as the gameplay is based on that of FIFA 10, with a few enhancements here and there. Keepers are less prone to rushing out of their goals and as a result are far tougher to beat with a simple chip. Passes in midfield are also tougher to complete now with defending midfielders more capable of intercepting passes. The AI manages to be challenging on World Class difficulty but its once again in multiplayer where FIFA shines.

This year's main mode is the online FIFA World Cup which sees you choosing your favourite national team and then taking part in a World Cup tournament with other players online. Regardless of which team you actually use in the online World Cup you'll be earning points towards your favourite nation in the Battle Of Nations. It's a great way to play a fully human controlled World Cup and adds some more longevity to the game. Other than that you have your usual array of exhibition games that you can take part in on Xbox LIVE and luckily lag is not an issue as it's based on the rock solid net code found in FIFA 10.

Regarding the single-player modes at your disposal you can of course jump straight into the World Cup and try to win it all or you can choose any of the 199 teams that vied for a place here in South Africa and take them through a full qualifying campaign with friendlies included. One great touch is that the other results of games in your qualifying group are now updated in real time during your matches which adds a little bit of extra tension to those must win matches when you hear that your closest rival is winning their game and might knock you out. There's also the Story of Qualifying mode which gives you 55 scenarios from World Cup qualifying games as well as matches from the 2006 World Cup that were held in Germany and tasks you with trying to overturn a result in the dying minutes of a game or trying to hold out against stronger opposition in order to get a win with points being awarded to you for a variety of factors. EA also intends to make scenarios from the 2010 World Cup available for download during the actual competition. Captain Your Country mode is the World Cup version of Be A Pro which allows you to import your custom footballer from FIFA 10 and lead him on a quest to become his country's captain and lead them to World Cup glory.

Sport simulations always get caught in-between the casual and hardcore gamer; with the one side wanting something easy to pick and play, while the other wants more depth and challenge. The one department that this difference stands out most is in the controls. EA has, however, looked to help bridge the gap slightly this time round by introducing a new two button control method which gives you a shoot and pass button and lets the AI decide exactly what the best move would be depending on the circumstances. It's a great way to get total newcomers involved with the only drawback being that there's no way to scale the control system to compensate for people who maybe want to get more familiar with the traditional control system. But EA have to be applauded nonetheless for trying to appeal to a more casual audience.

The presentation throughout the game is top notch with the stadiums being realistically rendered and players looking close to their real life counterparts although the player models are in need of a revamp as they are still not up to the standards set by PES 2010. The sound design employs the usual mix of licensed songs from around the world with a strong emphasis on African rhythms and bands as you'd expect for a World Cup set in South Africa.

EA Sports has managed to capture the essence of what makes the World Cup so special. They've focused on the excitement and passion that's the hallmark of the tournament while refining the best footballing experience available on console. If this is any indication of the quality of FIFA 11 then we are in for a great treat. Strap on your boots and get ready for the greatest game on the footballing calendar.

Pros:

• Excellent representation of what makes the World Cup special
• New penalty kick system makes shootouts more exciting
• Wealth of modes on offer
• Refined gameplay

Cons:

• Two button control system doesn't allow for learning curve

Rating: