EA Sports 2010 FIFA World Cup for iPhone

Excitement about the World Cup is running high, with football's premier event hitting the globe this June. To help stoke the fires of football fever, EA Sports has released the official 2010 FIFA World Cup game for the iPhone. Excellent presentation and in-depth game options make it one of the better football titles in the App Store, but the basic controls will turn off more experienced gamers.

2010 FIFA World Cup for iPhone is one of the more detailed sports games on the platform. In addition to taking a team through the tournament, you can qualify for the World Cup, play a one-off game, enter a penalty shoot-out, play a friend over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, hone your skills in a training match, and even try to captain your country and control only a single player on the field. Presentation is superb: the in-game menus look very similar to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. This is seriously impressive when you consider the limitations of the iPhone platform.

Of the available game modes in 2010 FIFA World Cup, the one that should grab the most attention is the cup itself. Here, you can select your favourite team and take them through the tournament, even choosing to qualify if you wish. The fixtures, stadiums, dates and times mimic the real-life schedule, and you can check key stats for every team in the tournament including your own. The 'captain your country' mode is a nice inclusion that has you controlling a single player on the team and earning points for things such as successful passes, goals and tackles. As you collect more points, you progress and work your way up the ranks, with the ultimate goal of captaining your country to World Cup glory.

2010 FIFA World Cup is unfortunately let down by its limited controls. EA has attempted to make the game easy for casual gamers to get into, but in doing so it has taken some aspects of the gameplay out of the hands of the user. For example, you can't hit a through ball unless a yellow arrow appears, you can't choose which player you want to pass too (a directional arrow shows the nearest player that will receive a pass) and you can't use skill moves unless this button appears. While these limitations may make it easy for casual players, more experienced gamers will be disappointed.

It's not all bad news though, as the simple controls make 2010 FIFA World Cup for iPhone very easy to pick up and play. Basic pass and shoot buttons appear when you have possession of the ball, with the skill button displaying when appropriate. Defensively, you can slide tackle or make a regular lunge at the ball; the latter also doubles for switching your players. Holding down the shoot button will determine the power of your shot, though you have limited control over the accuracy, with the ball often having a magnet-like attraction to the net. It's also difficult to get used to the touch-screen controls as there is no haptic (vibration) feedback.

Graphically, the game is one of the most polished titles we've seen on the iPhone, with surprisingly good levels of detail. The only real exception is the cut scenes showing crowds and the goal celebrations — both look awkward at best.

All the teams are officially licensed and use real player names. The wealth of options available is extensive — in addition to four difficulty levels to choose from, you can listen to your own music, adjust the half length and choose whether or not to activate injuries, bookings, offsides, extra time and in-game commentary (delivered by real-life English commentator Clive Tyldesley).

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