The past few days since I`ve got back from Chicago have seen some retro gaming with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PC) and Metropolis Street Racer (Dreamcast). Of course, it almost goes without saying that both of those were sandwiched between some mandatory Battlefield 3 on the PC.
Vice City remains the only Grand Theft Auto game since GTA 2 that I haven’t finished more than once and, truth be told, it was because I didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as GTA 3, San Andreas or IV. Playing it a second time though made me realize my lack of fond memories weren’t a result of the result of the game itself but moreso the time in my life I was playing the game. I remember getting the game during my miserable first year of medical school where everything felt like a slog so I’m not surprised that the game felt like a bit of a chore as well.
Playing it now, 9 years after release, I’m actually having an absolute blast despite the clearly antiquated game mechanics. The cast of characters is hilarious with my favourite being the leader of the Haitain gang; Auntie Poulet. The missions are a ton of fun and I love that you can use the sandbox nature of the game world to help you. For example, in a mission named Naval Engagement you have to break up a drug deal taking place between the Haitains. You can check out the video below – you have to approach their mansion by water, take to the shore, steal the briefcases and then make it back to home base with the police on your tail.
The first two times I attempted the mission I would get smashed off the road by the ultra-aggressive police car. So, to make things easier, before the mission I just flew a helicopter and ‘parked it’ around the corner from the Haitain mansion – then after I picked up the briefcase I just had to run to my waiting chopper and fly home with the cops left in the dust!
Of course, the star of any Grand Theft Auto game is the game world and the atmosphere and Vice City excels. I love the Miami-inspired architecture, the pastel 80s color scheme of the city and the soundtrack is absolutely incredible – Michael Jackson, Hall and Oates, REO Speedwagon, Luther Vandross, Lionel Richie and I could go on. Great atmosphere, great game though I must admit that playing it on the PC helps mitigating the previous issues of load and save times when this was on the PS2.
The other title I`ve been playing is Metropolis Street Racer for the Dreamcast. I never owned a Dreamcast during the system`s prime and this was a game I only briefly played before but I`ve always been intrigued because I’m a massive fan of Bizarre Creations’ Project Gotham series which was the spiritual successor to MSR.
I’ve only played an hour or two of MSR but the game still holds up fairly well. The Kudos system in the PGR series is front and centre here as well but rather than show the Kudos score in real-time while you’re racing, you get to see it at the end of the race. Like PGR you get Kudos for driving clean sections and drifting but you also get Kudos for finishing laps within a certain time. The more Kudos you get, the more races you can unlock. Another neat touch is that the game uses the Dreamcast’s internal clock to determine whether races are held during the day or night. Very novel idea for a game from 2000! A solid title and a reminder that it's a damn shame Bizarre Creations shut down. RIP.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
The Vet and the nOOb
Despite some issues with the multiplayer community I still enjoy the Modern Warfare series. Activision released a really fun commercial recently with Jonah Hill, Sam Worthington, and a (currently) unemployed basketball player.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Time for a new console generation?
Since I last wrote it’s pretty much been all Battlefield 3 for my gaming time. I’ve spent now approximately 7 hours on the PC and 8 hours on the 360 version. Because my friends are on Xbox Live I’ll ultimately spend more time with the console version in the upcoming weeks/months but I think, in almost every respect, Battlefield 3 is significantly better on the PC. Furthermore, as the title of this post alluded, it’s the first PC game that’s made me wish that my console were more powerful.
After playing some of the single player in Battlefield 3 on the PC, I think it would only be mildly hyperbolic to state that, visually, the PC version absolutely shits on the console version. Again, it’s not just the resolution, but the lighting, the animations, the textures, the particle effects and more. That’s not to say it’s an ugly game on the 360, far from it, it looks very nice but on the PC it is simply jaw-dropping.
Of course, Battlefield 3 isn’t the first PC game in recent memory to look better than it’s console port. Crysis 2, released earlier this year, was another stunner but graphical fidelity aside, the gameplay was more or less the same on the consoles as the PC. This is not the case with Battlefield 3. The (slightly) increased map size, increased number of capture points, and the more than double the player count makes the game way more intense and, on the major maps, much more fun. There’s also more vehicles and improved destructibility of the environments in the PC version as well.
It’s clear that the Frostbite 2 game engine that DICE created is a bit too much for the current crop of consoles but then again, should we be surprised? On November 16th, the Xbox 360 is going to be six years old! A top of the line PC from 6 years ago would probably struggle to run a quarter of newest PC games released today. There’s a finite limit to just how much power developers can squeeze out of the current crop of consoles and I think they are reaching that limit now.
Does that mean that I’m ready to buy the Xbox 3/720/Next/WhateverItsCalled tomorrow? No. There are still dozens upon dozens of games still to enjoy in this current generation but I also wouldn’t be surprised if at the next E3 Sony and Microsoft unveil their next generation of hardware for release in 2013. A looming next console generation is always an exciting time but the transition to the next generation should be even more intriguing as there are many questions that need to be answered that would never have been addressed before; What happens to digital distribution? Will either Sony or Microsoft have the stones to reject physical media or, at the very least, de-emphasize it? What happens to downloadable content? Will I be able to play my downloaded Xbox Live Arcade/PSN games on the next system? What will become of motion control? Will there even be true next-generation hardware or is the next step adoption of an On-Live style cloud-based streaming service?
Lots of questions and I’m hoping we’ll get an answer to some of them at the next E3. In the meantime, I am more than happy to run and gun on the 360 and PS3.......but oh the PC version of Battlefield is just so freakin’ good!
Lavan
After playing some of the single player in Battlefield 3 on the PC, I think it would only be mildly hyperbolic to state that, visually, the PC version absolutely shits on the console version. Again, it’s not just the resolution, but the lighting, the animations, the textures, the particle effects and more. That’s not to say it’s an ugly game on the 360, far from it, it looks very nice but on the PC it is simply jaw-dropping.
Of course, Battlefield 3 isn’t the first PC game in recent memory to look better than it’s console port. Crysis 2, released earlier this year, was another stunner but graphical fidelity aside, the gameplay was more or less the same on the consoles as the PC. This is not the case with Battlefield 3. The (slightly) increased map size, increased number of capture points, and the more than double the player count makes the game way more intense and, on the major maps, much more fun. There’s also more vehicles and improved destructibility of the environments in the PC version as well.
It’s clear that the Frostbite 2 game engine that DICE created is a bit too much for the current crop of consoles but then again, should we be surprised? On November 16th, the Xbox 360 is going to be six years old! A top of the line PC from 6 years ago would probably struggle to run a quarter of newest PC games released today. There’s a finite limit to just how much power developers can squeeze out of the current crop of consoles and I think they are reaching that limit now.
Does that mean that I’m ready to buy the Xbox 3/720/Next/WhateverItsCalled tomorrow? No. There are still dozens upon dozens of games still to enjoy in this current generation but I also wouldn’t be surprised if at the next E3 Sony and Microsoft unveil their next generation of hardware for release in 2013. A looming next console generation is always an exciting time but the transition to the next generation should be even more intriguing as there are many questions that need to be answered that would never have been addressed before; What happens to digital distribution? Will either Sony or Microsoft have the stones to reject physical media or, at the very least, de-emphasize it? What happens to downloadable content? Will I be able to play my downloaded Xbox Live Arcade/PSN games on the next system? What will become of motion control? Will there even be true next-generation hardware or is the next step adoption of an On-Live style cloud-based streaming service?
Lots of questions and I’m hoping we’ll get an answer to some of them at the next E3. In the meantime, I am more than happy to run and gun on the 360 and PS3.......but oh the PC version of Battlefield is just so freakin’ good!
Lavan
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
GTA V
I'm a massive, massive fan of the Grand Theft Auto series. Today Rockstar released a teaser trailer for GTA V, enjoy!
GTA San Andreas was one of my favourite games of all time so I love that they've gone back to California. The even in that short video the environments look incredible and I can't wait to drive around that game world.
What do you think of the trailer?
Lavan
GTA San Andreas was one of my favourite games of all time so I love that they've gone back to California. The even in that short video the environments look incredible and I can't wait to drive around that game world.
What do you think of the trailer?
Lavan
Friday, October 28, 2011
Battlefield 3
Yes, it’s been a bloody long time. I definitely underestimated the rigours of not only work but fatherhood and while I’m still busy as shit (as most people are) I’ve decided that it’s time I get back to writing. And what better place to start than with my most anticipated game of the year – not FIFA 12, not PES 2012 – no, it’s Battlefield 3! I absolutely adored Battlefield: Bad Company 2’s multiplayer and ever since the first videos of Battlefield 3 I’ve been waiting with baited breath for the PC and 360 versions.
After several hours with each game I have to say it doesn’t disappoint. First off, the PC version looks incredible. This current console generation is getting long in the tooth and Battlefield 3, even moreso than Crysis 2 and The Witcher 2, shows us the most compelling argument for new console hardware. It absolutely puts the console version to shame. Not only from the standpoint of the resolution but the textures, the draw distance, the increased detail, the lighting, the animations and much more are stunning. Just look at the picture above – that’s a screenshot and yes, the game really does look that good!!
From a gameplay standpoint, if you’ve played Bad Company 2’s multiplayer then you’ll know what to expect. I would still argue that Call of Duty’s 60fps engine is smoother but I far prefer the team-based objective gameplay in Battlefield. What really makes the game so enjoyable is the fact that you don’t have to be a killing machine to be successful. In fact, more than half of the matches I play I end up with a kill/death ratio less than one but I still rack up the points from doing support actions. I think it’s genius how they’ve incentivised many support actions (from repairing vehicles to even spotting enemies) so that it’s in your best interest to be a good team-player because you’ll end up with more points.
My two favourite classes are Assault/Medic, as you can rack up points by healing and reviving your teammates, and Engineer as you can repair vehicles and you have access to all manner of RPGs!
The level design is hit and miss, depending upon not only the map itself but also the platform – the PC version supports 64 player games (32 vs. 32) while the 360/PS3 version only has a max of 24 player games (12 vs. 12). The PC maps also appear to be marginally bigger than their 360 counterparts with a tad more space and a few more capture points (if you’re playing the Conquest mode – and you should) but the increase still isn`t proportional to the number of extra players.
As a result, for the smaller maps such as Grand Bazaar or Tehran Highway I prefer the 360 version as it`s less hectic and you`re not dying every 20 seconds. However, where the game shines is the big maps and it`s here that the PC version is just incredible. A 64-player match on `Kharg Island` makes you feel like you`re not just in a skirmish but in a full-blown war. There are multiple planes and helicopters flying overhead (all controlled by human players), vehicles racing around the map, buildings being blown up left right and centre – it`s breathtaking.
A word must also be said about the sound design in this game which is very impressive. Multiple explosions and an RPG whizzing inches over your head sound just as good as they look.
Unfortunately, it`s not all sunshine and roses. The web-based interface for the PC version is a pain in the ass and you have to use the same system to look at your stats from the console version. I didn`t realize you had to use the same email address when you sign up for each version so somehow I now have two different `Battlelog` accounts, one for each platform, and am waiting on Customer Service to merge my two accounts (if they can/will).
I will have continuing thoughts and impressions in the upcoming weeks and I’ll also chime in on FIFA, PES and a bunch of other games. And this time, I promise, I won’t disappear for a year.
For the three of you reading this, go buy Battlefield 3 now and don’t forget to add me – “DrMacca” on both Battlelog (PC) and Xbox Live.
Lavan
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Football Manager iPhone!
[Note: I wrote this a few days ago but have been too ridiculously busy to post....lazy, I know]
I find it interesting how the pricing scheme for Apps/Games on the iTunes store has totally changed my perception of value. Now a $2.99 iPhone game better be damn good because I can get a dozen fantastic games for just $0.99! So, at $9.99 Football Manger Handheld better be phenomenal. Fortunately, despite a few niggles and missing features, it pretty much is!
I have an interesting relationship with the Football (previously Championship) Manager series. I love it to death but I am also terrified of the game. Why terrified? Because I’m weak willed and have a very addictive personality. Back in the late 90s I almost failed out of undergrad because I was so utterly addicted to Championship Manager 3. I played that game to death, bleary eyed until 4am, sometimes until, very literally, the sun came up. In fact, I’ve stayed away from the most recent versions of the game because I know I don’t have the time to dedicate to them.
You’re probably wondering why, with such a weakness for all things Champ/Football Manager I bothered to get the iPhone version of the game. The answer – I’m an idiot and I just couldn’t resist the appeal/novelty of being able to carry around a version of Football Manager on my phone! It’s something I couldn’t have fathomed 10 years ago, it’s like carrying crack in your pocket....wait, that’s a bad analogy, but you know what I mean.
Football Manager Handheld is definitely a stripped down version of the PC/Mac title with only one active nation at any one time and no 3D game engine (though the 2D engines of the previous games is available). There are also numerous features/options missing. Just off the top of my head I can recall that you can’t make custom formations, you can’t assign player specific roles/tactics, you can’t assign team captains, you can’t fine players, assistant managers/coaches/scouts don’t have stats and so on. However, while I could sit here and perhaps come up with a dozen features that aren’t present, there are hundreds of things that are and most importantly, the fundamental gameplay and sense of immersion is definitely there.
I’m finding myself just as addicted to this game as I was to previous games in the series. Managing your squad, wheeling and dealing in the transfer market, the thrill of promotion, the agony of relegation, it’s all here. Sure there’s only one active nation but there are 11 different nations available, 34 different leagues and tens of thousands of players. Players have a full compliment of stats and different personalities. The financial and transfer model is sound with lots of depth. While the tactics don`t have the same depth of the PC title you still feel like your tactical changes make a difference. The biggest compliment I can give the game is that it’s the first iPhone game that I’ve played when I haven’t been commuting, sitting in a waiting room or sat on the toilet! I’ve actually sat down on the couch next to my wife and played the game while she’s watched TV and I’ve already played 5 seasons in just a few weeks! It’s important to note that I can’t say that would still be the case if I had Football Manager on the PC installed as well but it does give an indication of the quality of the game.
The game does have a few bugs, notable of which is the fact that the game doesn’t resume after you take a phone call! There’s an auto-save after each match but if you get a call in the middle of a cup final you’re screwed (unless you ignore your wife’s call....but you wouldn’t do that....would you.....ahem). Since there`s only one active league you can`t be a Mourinho and jump from league to league. Also, several years into the game I`m finding that far too many young players turn out to be absolute studs – it seems even mediocre teams have three or four world class players.
There are a few other minor bugs but one look at the official SIGames forum reveals that Sports Interactive are paying attention to the complaints and unlike the FIFA series I fully expect these problems to be fixed in a future patch. One aspect of the game that won`t/can’t be fixed is the somewhat clumsy nature of the controls – the small size of the iPhone screen makes shifting and switching around players using your finger a bit fiddly and slow but I don’t think it’s a game breaker.
If you`re someone who plays a lot of iPhone games and is into soccer I`d wholeheartedly recommend Football Manager Handheld. Sure it`s $9.99 but in this case I think it`s worth it.
Lavan
I find it interesting how the pricing scheme for Apps/Games on the iTunes store has totally changed my perception of value. Now a $2.99 iPhone game better be damn good because I can get a dozen fantastic games for just $0.99! So, at $9.99 Football Manger Handheld better be phenomenal. Fortunately, despite a few niggles and missing features, it pretty much is!
I have an interesting relationship with the Football (previously Championship) Manager series. I love it to death but I am also terrified of the game. Why terrified? Because I’m weak willed and have a very addictive personality. Back in the late 90s I almost failed out of undergrad because I was so utterly addicted to Championship Manager 3. I played that game to death, bleary eyed until 4am, sometimes until, very literally, the sun came up. In fact, I’ve stayed away from the most recent versions of the game because I know I don’t have the time to dedicate to them.
You’re probably wondering why, with such a weakness for all things Champ/Football Manager I bothered to get the iPhone version of the game. The answer – I’m an idiot and I just couldn’t resist the appeal/novelty of being able to carry around a version of Football Manager on my phone! It’s something I couldn’t have fathomed 10 years ago, it’s like carrying crack in your pocket....wait, that’s a bad analogy, but you know what I mean.
Football Manager Handheld is definitely a stripped down version of the PC/Mac title with only one active nation at any one time and no 3D game engine (though the 2D engines of the previous games is available). There are also numerous features/options missing. Just off the top of my head I can recall that you can’t make custom formations, you can’t assign player specific roles/tactics, you can’t assign team captains, you can’t fine players, assistant managers/coaches/scouts don’t have stats and so on. However, while I could sit here and perhaps come up with a dozen features that aren’t present, there are hundreds of things that are and most importantly, the fundamental gameplay and sense of immersion is definitely there.
I’m finding myself just as addicted to this game as I was to previous games in the series. Managing your squad, wheeling and dealing in the transfer market, the thrill of promotion, the agony of relegation, it’s all here. Sure there’s only one active nation but there are 11 different nations available, 34 different leagues and tens of thousands of players. Players have a full compliment of stats and different personalities. The financial and transfer model is sound with lots of depth. While the tactics don`t have the same depth of the PC title you still feel like your tactical changes make a difference. The biggest compliment I can give the game is that it’s the first iPhone game that I’ve played when I haven’t been commuting, sitting in a waiting room or sat on the toilet! I’ve actually sat down on the couch next to my wife and played the game while she’s watched TV and I’ve already played 5 seasons in just a few weeks! It’s important to note that I can’t say that would still be the case if I had Football Manager on the PC installed as well but it does give an indication of the quality of the game.
The game does have a few bugs, notable of which is the fact that the game doesn’t resume after you take a phone call! There’s an auto-save after each match but if you get a call in the middle of a cup final you’re screwed (unless you ignore your wife’s call....but you wouldn’t do that....would you.....ahem). Since there`s only one active league you can`t be a Mourinho and jump from league to league. Also, several years into the game I`m finding that far too many young players turn out to be absolute studs – it seems even mediocre teams have three or four world class players.
There are a few other minor bugs but one look at the official SIGames forum reveals that Sports Interactive are paying attention to the complaints and unlike the FIFA series I fully expect these problems to be fixed in a future patch. One aspect of the game that won`t/can’t be fixed is the somewhat clumsy nature of the controls – the small size of the iPhone screen makes shifting and switching around players using your finger a bit fiddly and slow but I don’t think it’s a game breaker.
If you`re someone who plays a lot of iPhone games and is into soccer I`d wholeheartedly recommend Football Manager Handheld. Sure it`s $9.99 but in this case I think it`s worth it.
Lavan
Thursday, May 27, 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
EA Sports’ FIFA World Cup game (I’m too lazy to write out the bloated full name again) came out a few weeks ago and I’ve been having fun with the game despite some problems. Prior to playing World Cup 2010 I played through another league season in FIFA 10 to get reacquainted with the game engine and to also see if the newest FIFA 10 patch fixed the myriad of bugs in the manager mode (shockingly, it didn’t). After getting used to FIFA 10 again I switched to the new game and it’s definitely apparent that World Cup 2010, while not a major leap in gameplay, is a lot tighter and more refined game engine.
The biggest changes for me are the control responsiveness, particularly with one touch control and taking the ball down off the chest – it’s a lot swifter and less floaty than the previous game. Also less floaty are the crosses though they still seem to hang up in the air a bit too long and I would love to be able to drill in a high cross and thump in a header with the same aplomb as I would in Pro Evo.
Penalties have been revamped and I have to give credit to EA Canada for trying something different. The new system combines a side-to-side power/accuracy bar along with last year’s simple point and shoot method. I’m still getting the hang of it but thus far I do like the fact that nailing the corners seems a lot more difficult.
Graphics as expected are excellent with player faces pretty much on par with those in Pro Evo. The TV style presentation has been improved slightly with a few new substitution animations (though these are still pretty poor) but the game still has that odd disconnect when it comes to celebrations where your player does one thing in the game engine but in ensuing cut-scene they’re doing something completely different.
Feature-wise, I really enjoy the World Cup qualification modes but much like the Manager Mode in FIFA 10 there are numerous bugs (many of which you don’t hear a mention about in the mainstream gaming press) and simulation oddities. Stats tracking is absolutely bunk. I won the World Cup with Canada and though Rob Friend scored in every game in the finals at the end of the tournament the stats page stated that he had only played 2 games and scored only one goal. In fact, apart from Tomas Radzinski no one else on the team had played more than three matches – this despite the fact that I’d clearly played 7 games. Yes, somehow I won the World Cup with a 0-0-1 formation in the last 4 games!
Simulation results between computer controlled teams are bizarre and my Canadian team played in a World Cup that included Fiji, Andorra and Somalia (all three of which got to the knockout rounds).
Likewise, stats and achievement tracking in the Captain Your Country (Be A Pro/Legend) is screwy. I managed to make the first team squad and become Captain of Argentina with Martin Palmermo but didn’t receive the Xbox 360 Achievements for either. Even when I imported by Be A Pro character from FIFA 10 (a nice option....but it resets your bloody player attributes so what’s the point?) I didn’t get the achievements. Checking out the forums at 360Achievements.com it’s not a problem that’s isolated to my game and seems random – some get the achievements, some don’t.
The player ratings system in Captain Your Country, much like that in Be A Pro in FIFA 10, is fundamentally flawed as I’ve had numerous games where I’ve had boatloads of goals and assists only for a central defender to win man of the match. My favourite was getting 3 goals and 2 assists in single game with Martin Palermo in a 5-2 win against Peru only to have Gago win man of the match because he completed 3 out of 3 passes. Brilliant.
The Online World Cup mode is a neat idea – you play through the group and (if you qualify) the knockout stages – but be prepared to play the same five teams over, and over again – Spain, Brazil, England, Argentina and France. I really wish EA Sports would have a separate matchmaking service for those who don’t want to play with the 4 and 5 star behemoths. While it is a thrill to eke out a 1-0 win over England with Vietnam, its equally frustrating to be Vietnam and lose 6-0 to Brazil against a 12 year old shithead who makes you watch every replay and celebrates each goal like it’s a world cup winner.
I realize I’ve listed a lot of negatives about the game but when an incremental update comes out at full price I think it’s reasonable to expect things like stats tracking and simulation results to be working properly. Since FIFA 10’s Manager Mode shipped with numerous bugs that have yet to be patched (and I doubt they ever will) I’m not confident EA Canada will bother to fix the problems in World Cup 2010. I’m still enjoying the game and I guess when push comes to shove I still paid full price for it but that’s also because I’m a football gaming freak. If you’re not, you may want to hold on to get this used for a bit cheaper.
Lavan
The biggest changes for me are the control responsiveness, particularly with one touch control and taking the ball down off the chest – it’s a lot swifter and less floaty than the previous game. Also less floaty are the crosses though they still seem to hang up in the air a bit too long and I would love to be able to drill in a high cross and thump in a header with the same aplomb as I would in Pro Evo.
Penalties have been revamped and I have to give credit to EA Canada for trying something different. The new system combines a side-to-side power/accuracy bar along with last year’s simple point and shoot method. I’m still getting the hang of it but thus far I do like the fact that nailing the corners seems a lot more difficult.
Graphics as expected are excellent with player faces pretty much on par with those in Pro Evo. The TV style presentation has been improved slightly with a few new substitution animations (though these are still pretty poor) but the game still has that odd disconnect when it comes to celebrations where your player does one thing in the game engine but in ensuing cut-scene they’re doing something completely different.
Feature-wise, I really enjoy the World Cup qualification modes but much like the Manager Mode in FIFA 10 there are numerous bugs (many of which you don’t hear a mention about in the mainstream gaming press) and simulation oddities. Stats tracking is absolutely bunk. I won the World Cup with Canada and though Rob Friend scored in every game in the finals at the end of the tournament the stats page stated that he had only played 2 games and scored only one goal. In fact, apart from Tomas Radzinski no one else on the team had played more than three matches – this despite the fact that I’d clearly played 7 games. Yes, somehow I won the World Cup with a 0-0-1 formation in the last 4 games!
Simulation results between computer controlled teams are bizarre and my Canadian team played in a World Cup that included Fiji, Andorra and Somalia (all three of which got to the knockout rounds).
Likewise, stats and achievement tracking in the Captain Your Country (Be A Pro/Legend) is screwy. I managed to make the first team squad and become Captain of Argentina with Martin Palmermo but didn’t receive the Xbox 360 Achievements for either. Even when I imported by Be A Pro character from FIFA 10 (a nice option....but it resets your bloody player attributes so what’s the point?) I didn’t get the achievements. Checking out the forums at 360Achievements.com it’s not a problem that’s isolated to my game and seems random – some get the achievements, some don’t.
The player ratings system in Captain Your Country, much like that in Be A Pro in FIFA 10, is fundamentally flawed as I’ve had numerous games where I’ve had boatloads of goals and assists only for a central defender to win man of the match. My favourite was getting 3 goals and 2 assists in single game with Martin Palermo in a 5-2 win against Peru only to have Gago win man of the match because he completed 3 out of 3 passes. Brilliant.
The Online World Cup mode is a neat idea – you play through the group and (if you qualify) the knockout stages – but be prepared to play the same five teams over, and over again – Spain, Brazil, England, Argentina and France. I really wish EA Sports would have a separate matchmaking service for those who don’t want to play with the 4 and 5 star behemoths. While it is a thrill to eke out a 1-0 win over England with Vietnam, its equally frustrating to be Vietnam and lose 6-0 to Brazil against a 12 year old shithead who makes you watch every replay and celebrates each goal like it’s a world cup winner.
I realize I’ve listed a lot of negatives about the game but when an incremental update comes out at full price I think it’s reasonable to expect things like stats tracking and simulation results to be working properly. Since FIFA 10’s Manager Mode shipped with numerous bugs that have yet to be patched (and I doubt they ever will) I’m not confident EA Canada will bother to fix the problems in World Cup 2010. I’m still enjoying the game and I guess when push comes to shove I still paid full price for it but that’s also because I’m a football gaming freak. If you’re not, you may want to hold on to get this used for a bit cheaper.
Lavan
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