Worse still are the crowd animations
Worse still are the crowd animations. EA has reduced football fans the world over to little more than gawping, guppy-mouthed bags of flesh, prone to raving incessantly in invisible custard. OK, so perhaps that’s not too far removed from the typical England fan.
Looks like a bad kick off
The only substantial addition to the Fifa experience is an optional, simplified two-button control setting. EA obviously hopes World Cup hysteria will entice non-gamers to pick up a control pad during half-time intervals, and perhaps even see your granny on the score sheet. But in practice this functionality is broken, as the computer-assisted passing rarely agrees with your intention.
Of course, most of these criticisms can be levelled at the entire Fifa series. EA has always been comfortable with charging top-dollar for minor improvements in annual iterations. But 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa feels like a rip-off too far, especially given Fifa 11 will be released within six months. And while it won’t be the only rip-off we’ll see branded in official World Cup colours this year, it’s one I can’t recommend at the premium price point.
2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa
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?
