2010 FIFA World Cup – South Africa

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is mentioned? Those obnoxious vuvuzelas? Shakira’s catchy anthem, maybe? Or maybe the excitement of the dedicated video game created especially for the event. I highly doubt the latter trumped the competition’s profile itself -but there are enough football game fans out there.

It’s hard to remember a time when sporting events had their own individual games dedicated to them. For World Cup’s in recent past, they have all been DLC’s added to the existing FIFA games. Having said that – the dedicated World Cup games before 2010 were actually pretty decent football games. Let’s see if the South Africa version lives up to its potential.

It’s Time for Africa
It’s worth noting straight away that football games really do not change much year on year from some visual improvements and mechanic tweaks. 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa isn’t a whole lot different from its parent FIFA Franchise but surprisingly offers just enough unique elements to stand out on its own.

The game is based around the competition’s flair, trying to capture every emotional moment in the journey through explosive cinematics in parallel with your footballing achievements. The gameplay is a refined version of FIFA 10 that fixes significant nuisances like the penalty system, animations, and frame drops to create a flowing football experience. Having only 199 international teams needed to fill the game, developers can tailor the game as a journey rather than a competition. You can choose a minnow team and play their story from qualifier to winning the world cup, where doing so feels like an accomplishment where other sports games tend to make that secondary to the cause.

While nothing essentially changes, the South African flair and the competition brand make this one of the more engaging football games. The scoped manner allows a focus on the finer details, and though replayability value becomes limited after a while – players do get a profound enjoyment through every match.

2010 Was More Than Just The Vuvuzela
Without any doubt – the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is one of the better playing football games out there. Refined visuals and gameplay make it flow better than some of its clunky FIFA franchise predecessors. The look, feel, and incorporation of the journey makes the game stand out among even sports games in general.

There is a lack of customization and simulation options, and if it weren’t so limited in scope – it could probably serve as one of the all-time great football offerings. It omits to put too much functionality and online competition in favor of experience – a refreshing outlook to what FIFA games usually add. If you are feeling like a blast from the past – much recommend this one.

System requirements

Rating: C+
Official Site: Nordcurrent
Developer: Nordcurrent
Genre(s): Beat ‘Em Up
Number of Players: Multi Player
PlayStation Portable