Commentary for our times
J'ai une grande mohawk!
Considering my local train station can string a fairly believable automated schedule in real-time, I’m surprised EA has made such a hash of this text-based equivalent.
Commentary fares little better. Although doing a decent job of mixing things up, and even occasionally acting as tourist board for South Africa, it feels too bipartisan, too unrealistic.
It’s a natural fit for regular Fifa titles, where the myriad of teams and competitions doesn’t allow for favouritism. But this is the World Cup, damn it! And I was hoping for a little patriotic fervour from messers Tyldesley and Townsend when covering England games, especially when I ended almost 45-years of hurt by thrashing Germany 6-0 in the final.
Off-pitch animations are also poor. This wouldn’t normally be a problem, but for the amount of times the game cuts to them. Although it’s initially a nice touch to see Signor Cappello in the technical area, rubbing his face as he ruminates play, the novelty soon wears off, as the same few animations are repeated ad nauseum.
Birds get to watch for free from here
Next page: Worse still are the crowd animations
COMMENTS
Re: Just curious...
reghardware is our consumer tech publication. According to our research, 70 per cent of our readers play computer games. So it makes sense for us to branch out.
Besides, what is hardware without the software to run it!
No mention of the gameplay?
It's a fair point about the annual (or in this case six-monthly) re-vamp churning from the EA machine, but what I find disappointing in this review is that not once in the four pages does it make any reference to how the game actually plays...
For what it's worth, it plays a great game a football and tightens up on a few of the snags from Fifa 10. The refs aren't quite so whistle-happy this time around and the same goes for dishing out cards. Shooting's been made snappier and the timing of the shot has more importance than ever, it's very possible to fluff shots and send them dribbling along the floor to the welcoming keeper. It plays faster, and while it's a bit gimmicky, it's interesting to see the high-altitude grounds effect the teams not used to it. I like how form carries through the tournament and affects the players too.
Is it worth forty quid to people who already own Fifa 10? Probably not. Does it play the best game of football on a console today? For my money, definitely.
(I'm not getting my coat, that's EA reaching for my wallet)
Fair enough
The same rationale could be used for putting games software reviews anywhere, perhaps, but at least it is a considered decision and not just on the whim of the reviewers!
Just curious...
What is the rationale for including games software reviews in Reg Hardware? Is it just because they don't fit anywhere else, and if so, does that mean a new microsite is called for?
