FIFA World Cup fever will grip the whole world in a couple of days but if you’re in a mood to take the game in your own hands anytime and anywhere EA Sports’ 2010 FIFA World Cup game could come to your rescue. Although the latest football installment from EA Sports comes roughly 6-8 months after the release of FIFA 10, the new game does include some exciting features to make it immersive and enjoyable.
Game Modes:
The 2010 FIFA World Cup edition basically has three playable modes – 2010 FIFA World Cup, Captain Your Country and Story of Qualifying. Users can directly go for the gold by playing the FIFA World Cup. However, a user now has an option to choose from 199 countries and grill them by playing the qualifiers first and then the actual World Cup.
Next is the Captain Your Country, which is nothing but Be a Pro from normal FIFA series. Captain Your Country or CYC is one of my favorites because the only thing you’ve to do is control a selected player. You play as an individual player and need to perform best in the matches so that you can enter the World Cup playing XI and ultimately lift up the World Cup as a captain.
Story of Qualifying allows gamers to replay qualifying matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The matches have objectives to fulfill and the reward for successfully completing the said objectives is to play the 2006 World Cup Finals.
The other gaming modes available are Kick-off or quick play and multiplayer to take on football lovers on the internet.
Performance & Controls:
So now that we know about what different types of modes we can play the next question comes, is it enjoyable? The short answer is yes. Starting with the controls, be it a novice or a pro, the controls are easy to adapt. You just need few games to remember them and once you’re done with it, you can even use a combination of keys to perform advance moves.
One of the important things a user wants is a decent, intelligent and a playable AI and this game has it. Ok, not so when you’re playing in amateur mode but up the difficulty level and you’ll find it difficult to find the net.
The game also features some improved shooting mechanics like having a complete control on the ball, ability to allow a teammate run on a free kick and Golden Moments that gives a temporary boost on offense and defense.
Graphics:
Going by PSP standards, the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa produces excellent graphics with decent resemblance of players’ faces. To make it more authentic, EA has brought in all the 10 licensed stadiums with all the things you’d find on an actual field. You could actually see confetti cannons after the match or the crowd cheering with giant banners, flags etc.
Multiplayer:
A single player World Cup wouldn’t take much time to complete, which is why EA Sports has included multiplayer gaming. You can play the match between friends in Ad Hoc or connect to other FIFA players globally via the Infrastructure mode. Playing online is fairly easy and all it requires is an EA account.
Conclusion:
The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa feels more or less like FIFA 10 with some minor improvements on top, which means FIFA 10 owners will have to give it a second thought before paying the full amount for a slightly upgraded version. However, if you’re looking for some authentic World Cup experience, you’ll consider your money well spent.
Indian buyers can get it for Rs. 1,599 on Game4U whereas US consumers can get it for $37 from Amazon.
Rating: 
Pros: Easy gameplay, World Cup experience
Cons: Similar to FIFA 10 with some improvements
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