For anyone living in South Africa there have only really been two items in the news lately that had people talking. Since we won’t get into politics we can skip the Julius Malema stories and head straight into something that is actually newsworthy: the FIFA World Cup! FIFA fever has hit the country and the excitement is almost tangible! People are wearing their football jerseys and you can hear random vuvuzela’s all throughout the day. But be careful what you wear, and where you buy your World Cup merchandise as FIFA is keeping a very tight leash on their licensing. This ensures, most importantly to FIFA, a constant revenue stream. It also ensures a certain level of quality and authenticity. It’s a good thing then that EA Sports’ latest football title is an Officially Licensed FIFA Product, with authentic hologram and all. But does it provide an authentic World Cup experience to us gamers? Heck yes it does!

First things first

Before we get stuck in to the game we need to make sure you are aware of the following fact: 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (FWC) is pretty much the same game as FIFA 10, only with different clothes on. It plays the same, it looks the same during matches, and some of the commentary is the same. This is not a revolutionary game. It’s not even much of an evolutionary game. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. If you know how to play FIFA 10 then you will know how to play FWC. Not a lot of training is required. It also means that the game is a rich, deep football experience and with the World Cup clothing is quite an investment to a footballer’s collection.

When you load FWC up you will immediately notice the African tone that is being set. EA has always had great presentation in their games and this is no different. The rich earthly colours make you feel at home and the chosen songs all have a very nice African beat to them. Even the local Gang of Instrumentals gets their moment in the sun with one of their songs included. And of course you see Zakumi, the official mascot, all over the place as he gives you tips and explains the different screen options to you. Yes, he is more than just a pretty face, he is smart and helpful too.

Your choices are mostly standard FIFA fare, with Quick Play and My FIFA World Cup being common options. Online play is fully covered with online cups and matches catering for those who prefer real opponents. There are a few modes that deserve a deeper look though. First up is the inevitable World Cup mode. This allows you to choose multiple teams, either for yourself or for a few friends too. You can either play just the Finals or you can take your team through all the qualifying and then lead them to cup glory. It is quite a bit of fun seeing teams who did not qualify suddenly play in the finals, and even lifting the trophy. Yes, Ireland can still win the trophy, even if it is only in your lounge.

You can also choose to play the World Cup in Real or Custom mode. Real is, as you would expect, an accurate representation of the World Cup with the pools and teams all the same as the real event. In Custom mode you can either randomise the pools or create a Pool of Death for the teams you dislike. Why not create a pool for the poor Zimbabwean squad that will contain Brazil, Italy and Spain. Just hope they don’t progress to the final!

O Captain! My Captain!

Another great mode available is Captain Your Country. In this mode you choose between 1 and 4 players in a specific team. This can either be a created player, an imported player from FIFA 10 or a real life player. Almost like the Be A Pro mode in FIFA 10, but rather than just play to win, you also need to play to become the captain of your national squad. Initially the mode can feel a bit boring as you only control one player in the match, but with a bit of patience and a lot of practice can be very rewarding. After every match you get a match rating based on your defensive play, passing, field position etc. These ratings add to your overall rating to make it into the national squad and eventually to the captaincy. Your decisions on the pitch also directly influence your team’s chances to qualify and head to South Africa.

The Coca Cola Zero (TM) Story of Qualifying is a collection of real events that brought the current qualifying teams to South Africa. Each scenario places you in control of a team and/or player and you have to complete the objectives in each scenario to win points. For example, England has a bad history against Croatia who has often proven to be a thorn in their sides. But in 2009 they beat Croatia 4-1, with a hat-trick by Theo Walcott. In one scenario you play the whole match against Croatia, and the objectives are: win the game for 200 points, win by three goals for 100 points, score a hat-trick with your chosen player for 100 points. Attaining all three objectives gives you maximum points. These points count towards your chosen country’s ranking online and also allows you to buy more scenarios.

You will also be able to download new scenarios moments after the real games take place in the World Cup. This will allow fans to relive the crucial moments they have just witnessed on TV (or better yet, live at the stadium) and see if they can perform better mere hours after the match. It is yet to be determined which scenarios will be replicated and how well this will work, but it sounds promising enough.

Patriotic Patronage

So, there are many modes available and lots to keep you busy, but how does the game actually play? As mentioned before you should expect the game to play exactly like FIFA 10, but the atmosphere is totally different. Each match has a small intro of the stadia, all in their glorious splendor. The Moses Mabida Stadium is even prettier in the game than I ever expected, the arches faithfully recreated. Coupled with some flashy fireworks and confetti it feels as if you are actually there. Then you hear the crowds, and the authentic African noise of the vuvuzelas, and the first few matches you actually get goose bumps. The commentary team talks about the particular new stadium, the host city, and the team managers also get special airtime with them looking decidedly excited. Then the anthems start and its game on!

Playing the game initially reveals that it is the same game as FIFA 10, but after a few minutes you realise there have been a few tweaks. First of all, the opponents feel a lot more aggressive. As is the case with most World Cups the teams are psyched up and emotions are flaring. Tackles feel harder, defenders are more committed and the referees are quick to stomp out any foul play. Obviously nobody wants to see another head butt on the pitch. After some more time on the pitch you can also tell that the amount of shots that hit the woodwork has been reduced. Shots are now either in or out. On the odd occasion when you do hit the crossbar you feel stunned at how close it was, not angry at how the game is using cheap tricks to build suspense. Scoring also feels a bit harder than before. On the Professional level it is now harder to score and you will not come away with 10-0 victories. Passing seems to be harder as well, with the opposition ferociously attacking stray passes and capitalising on your mistakes. This forces you to keep the game tight and the passes short.

Familiar ground

The game feels very familiar, which is a good thing. Like most teams coming to South Africa you don’t mess with a winning formula in the months leading up to the World Cup. You want a team that knows each other, who can play together and have worked out all the kinks. The months leading to the World Cup is all about fine tuning, not rebuilding your team. EA has done just that with this World Cup release. They have a sure winner for this mid cycle release, partly because there is no competition and partly because they already had a winning product. Couple this with the nostalgia and pride of having the World Cup in South Africa and you will not be disappointed. However (and you knew there was a counter coming), once the World Cup has been and gone, and we all return to our dreary lives, will the novelty of the World Cup wear off and the game be relegated to the shelves? Let’s hope Bafana pulls off a miracle and we can replay their winning ways over and over again!

You do end with a nagging feeling at times though, wondering if perhaps this could have been included in FIFA 10. Or maybe even have been released as an expansion as opposed to a full game for full price. If you play football because you like football, and could not care about where it is played or who is playing, then you could pick up FIFA 10 in a bargain bin somewhere. If you are a South African supporter, you love football and you already wear your golden on Fridays you should seriously consider 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa for your collection, even if you already own FIFA 10. It’s not a South African product, but it sure makes you proud to be South African!

The good: Everything faithfully reconstructed, from the atmosphere to the stadia and the managers.
The bad: Does it warrant its own game, or can the World Cup be included in future FIFA releases?
The ugly: Bafana coach Parrera is the only one not wearing a suit…

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