The World Cup is a special time for football (soccer) fans across the world, and EA Sports has your video game experience covered. We recently had a chance to chat with Matt Prior, producer for 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa on the PlayStation 3, and he said World Cup will feature more than 100 improvements to the FIFA series.
The game will run on the common FIFA gameplay engine, but with major improvements to core mechanics like trapping, shooting, and dribbling. Some features, like the penalty kick system, have been completely re-written. These core mechanic upgrades are expected, but World Cup will take the soccer experience a bit further.
There will be some subtle improvements like altitude effects. Since many of the qualifying games will be played at higher altitudes than teams are used to, you can expect this to have an impact on the players. This is all in an effort to create an authentic feeling soccer experience. Adding on to that concept, World Cup will feature Home & Away tactics, meaning playing a team away from home will be different than playing at home.
Prior says the World Cup titles are the most accessible product, “meaning that of all the football titles, it is the one which attracts the most casual gamers, presumably as they get swept up in World Cup fever.”
As such, the game tends to attract many casual gamers, some of whom may be put off “somewhat by the complex controls,” he explains. “To embrace these gamers, we have added an optional new controller configuration called 2 button controls that allows novice gamers the ability to pick up and play World Cup without needing to be an expert at the game.”
This feature will make the controls quite simplistic, using two buttons: pass and shoot. Therefore, Prior says, World Cup will appeal to both hardcore and casual soccer video game fans.
Some other small, yet noticeable changes to World Cup includes pitch and lighting, Prior says. The pitch will have more detail and will be more vibrant. Because of changes to the lighting, players should look far more realistic than in earlier iterations. You will also find authentic overlays that make it look like you are watching a game on TV.
We’ll have more on our exclusive interview about 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa shortly, including hearing about DLC, online features, and how EA Canada has attempted to create the most authentic feeling African soccer experience ever. The game is slated for release on April 27.