2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

Posted 3 years ago By - Marko Djordjevic

EA Sports’ FIFA series on the Wii has seen a lot of changes over the last few years. The series began in the hopes of bringing a realistic simulated experience to the Wii but that has since changed drastically. 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa puts more attention on offering fast paced action with long range goals, momentum shifts and an almost non-existent defensive game. If you throw away any thoughts of getting a true simulation of the sport, you’ll actually have a lot of fun with the product on the pitch.

Gameplay

As you would expect with most Wii-related sports games, there is a strong emphasis on multiplayer options and modes that give you something you won’t find on other consoles.

For multiplayer, the focus in 2010 FWC is the game’s Elimination Mode which plays a lot like the Lounge Mode in past FIFA games. Here, up to four friends can pick between two to four nations to control. Then in typical challenge mode style, you compete against your friends in the hopes of eliminating them. If you beat the person you challenge, you take away the team they had. The last person to still have teams is the winner. This is a fun mode that, depending on the number of players and teams each person has, only takes about sixty to ninety minutes to complete.

The other key mode that will most certainly occupy your time is Zakumi’s Dream Team. Zakumi is the official mascot for the World Cup and it wants you to build the ultimate team of soccer players. You’ll start off with a random squad of fairly weak players and you need to defeat all 32 teams competing in the World Cup. Each match you play has Bronze, Silver and Gold Objectives which you need to complete to advance. The Bronze objectives are always simply winning or drawing an opponent but both Silver and Gold objectives vary and always require you to do specific actions on top of winning. For example, in one situation, you need to score a goal from at least 30 yards away, in another you may have to win the game without committing a single foul.

After each match, if you manage to complete the necessary objectives, you will given the opportunity to take a player from the side you defeated. Every player is branded a Bronze, Silver or Gold rating and depending on the objective you’ve completed, you will have access to specific players. Of course you’ll want to aim at getting the best players every time, but in order to have that perfect squad, you will need to build accordingly. As you progress, the opposition gets stronger and the objectives get more difficult. Thankfully, you have the option of playing a team again in the hopes of improving your Medal rating. This mode is a lot of fun and will keep soccer fans occupied for long periods of time.

Graphics and Sound

2010 FWC contains the same graphical art-style used in FIFA Soccer 10. The use of slightly cartoon-rendered players works well for the Wii and recognizable players can still be picked out from the crowd. The stadium designs of the 10 World Cup sites are well done with some nice, although fairly tame, crowd animations. There are some flags waving, but nothing that really will ’wow’ you (which is most likely due to hardware limitations).

One cool addition to the animations are new goal celebrations. Similar to the 360/PS3 versions that allows you to perform nifty routines after scoring goals, the same ability to show-boat after scoring is available here. There are quite a few at your disposal and some of them are really well done.

The commentary team of Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend continue to offer the same great voice work as they have in the past. Both offer fantastic incite into the teams on the pitch and the environment inside the stadiums. The game’s soundtrack also continues the strong FIFA tradition of offering a great blend of international tunes. There is a definitely something for everyone and don’t be surprised if there is a song that really gets you in the mood while playing

Value

Another feature offered in 2010 FWC is the new awards system. While playing, depending on the things you do in each match, you have the ability to unlock additional content. You earn awards for completing certain objectives in your games including scoring a hat-trick with a defender, finishing a game without committing a foul, and winning with 10 men among other variables. The rewards you get for achieving these include bonus teams, 3rd jerseys and more goal celebration animations for your players.

Zakumi’s Dream Team mode will definitely occupy most of your playtime. It’s a fairly lengthy campaign and you will probably want to go back and try to get all the Gold Objectives. The World Cup mode is also enjoyable although there is no ability to take a team through qualifying. This might disappoint some fans who may have wanted to take a nation through the qualifying ropes but you can just substitute teams and customize your own World Cup.

Lastly, if I haven’t sold you on Zakumi’s Dream Team, you can also import your team onto your Wii remote and take it to a friend’s place to play against theirs. You can take your Dream Team and play them in a regular match. Really, this mode is the ’meat and potatoes’ of the game and is most certainly worth the price of admission.

Conclusion

In all, 2010 FIFA World Cup was a huge surprise for me. This is a fantastic title that not only all Wii owners, but every fan of the sport will find something to enjoy. This might be a strictly arcade affair, but once you accept that and just focus on trying to score as many goals as possible, you will find it difficult to put down.