Previews

Hands on with 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa on iPhone

For whom the bell tolls

Hands on with 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa on iPhone

Like making the annual pilgrimage to midnight mass only to never appear on church grounds until the next holiday service, the World Cup offers that rare opportunity to attract the attention of the non-devout sports fan.

They attend to be a part of the congregation and the spectacle, less for the joy of watching the fancy footwork on the pitch than the roar of the crowd when a goal is made. And so downing a pint of brew and a meat pie is a communion to be taken before trundling off for another four years.

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa preaches to this audience, first and foremost. While ardent followers are welcome, this action-oriented take on football touts an all-inclusive message.

Changes to the controls

The feel of this World Cup instalment differs from that of the main series, in part because of the emphasis on accessibility. Yet, it's clear that the improvements to FIFA 10 so desperately called for have been wisely installed here. That isn't to say that every issue has been addressed, though progress has been attempted.

Alterations to the virtual analogue stick and action buttons have been made with an eye for improving control. The addition of a skill button eases the previously complicated button presses required for special moves, while a context-sensitive analogue stick appears wherever you put your thumb to the screen. It's noticeably more fluid than the analogue stick in FIFA 10, even if it isn't ideal.

Hardly a new direction

Curiously, the game fails to upgrade to full 360-degrees of movement. Instead, the analogue stick adheres to eight directions. While this can be touted as a simplification, it has the effect of making the game rigid. It all feels stiff – not so acutely to become unplayable, but certainly a cause for concern ahead of release.

When it comes to deeper issues of balance, it's difficult to determine just how 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa will play out. The emphasis on action, which is augmented by the introduction of an arcade penalty shootout, could yield high-scoring games. It's hard to tell without playing the game for an extended period of time, but it feels as though the skill-based play of FIFA 10 has been watered down to accommodate a wider audience.

For the masses

The addition of an arcade Penalty Shoot-Out mode would support that claim. It – along with one-off head-to-head matches and competition in Captain Your Country mode modelled from last year's Be a Pro – can be played locally with a friend via Bluetooth or wi-fi. Online multiplayer isn't even being discussed.

With FIFA 11 on the horizon, there's sure to be talk of additions and improvements to address long-standing criticism like the absence of online multiplayer and limited directional inputs. 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is not the forum for these criticisms to be confronted, though. It's the bell that marks the start of mass, the signal to infrequent football fans that it's time to play.

Tracy Erickson
Tracy Erickson
Manning our editorial outpost in America, Tracy comes with years of expertise at mashing a keyboard. When he's not out painting the town red, he jets across the home of the brave, covering press events under the Pocket Gamer banner.