The Nintendo Wii has long been written off by many so called “hardcore” gamers as no more than a console for children. Those gamers should drop the “hardcore” label as I strongly doubt many of them have experience in porn films or in a wrestling federation with barbed wire wrapped round their arms. I think of the Wii as a fun alternative to the Xbox 360 and PS3 who can sometimes be accused of taking themselves a little too seriously.

I’ve been tough on EA in the past but must give them credit for realising that stripping away all the fluff in sports titles and leaving us with something fun and more accessible is what many Wii owners desire. When I reviewed Tiger Woods 10 I was happy with the title on PS3 but felt the Wii version was superior due to excellent controls thanks to the accuracy of the Wii-Motion Plus accessory. When I reviewed Madden NFL 10 the opposite was true. While I appreciated what the Wii version was attempting it was a better game on PS3 and Xbox 360. Unfortunately the Wii version of 2010 FIFA World Cup more closely resembles the latter example. While it’s not as good as what the PS3 and Xbox 360 has to offer it does have its merits.

Zakumi’s Dream Team is an enjoyable mode which lets you build an all-star World Cup team from the pool of players taking part in the competition. You begin with a very average squad of players but by playing other teams and completing the challenges you’ll be able to trade your players for new and improved ones. How this works is that before you play against a team you are presented with a set of challenges, bronze, silver, and gold. For the most part the bronze challenge will be to earn a victory against your opponents. The silver challenge is more difficult and may ask you to perform a certain number of passes before scoring a goal or to match or exceed a certain percentage of possession during the match. The gold is the most difficult and may ask you to win by a certain number of goals or score a goal from more than thirty yards out. Players in the opposition squad are split into three ranks, bronze, silver, and gold. The pool of opposition players available to you will depend on successful completion of challenges and you have a chance to swap one of your players for one of theirs. This mode comes to life when playing against a much superior level of opposition. If a team manages to pull off the victory and meet challenge requirements against the odds the reward will be a higher calibre of player who will help improve the squad.

This is far from the best example of what the Wii has to offer as far as graphics are concerned. The players look a little blocky and often reminded me more of International Superstar Soccer on the N64 than recent FIFA titles on the PS3 and Xbox 360. On the other hand I do like the music despite it being of a lower quality than on other consoles and the crowd cheering through your Wii-mote when you score a goal is a nice touch although it can become annoying after a while.

This game can’t compete with the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions as far as detail is concerned but it goes some way to make up for this by blessing us with some fantastic action. A good way of describing 2010 FIFA World Cup on the Wii is to say it’s FIFA Street but with more players and less tricks. You’re able to pull of some tricks but I found myself dribbling most of the time as close control will have you cutting right through the opposition defence like a hot knife through butter. At the end of these mazy runs is the chance to score a goal fit to win any game except here you’ll be duplicating it time and again. You shake the Wii-mote to shoot the ball and if your momentum meter has filled the resulting strike will be thunderous. Shaking the Wii-mote is also used to win the ball in the air, be it from a kick-out, a crossed ball, or a corner, and timing is everything. Freekicks can also produce some jaw-dropping goals from ridiculous distances. After starting the run up a well-timed shake of the Wii-mote will have your player smashing the ball at goal with more swerve than the great Roberto Carlos could muster.

Fun is the name of the game, well, not really, the name of the game is actually 2002 FIFA World Cup: South Africa but you get what I mean. This version isn’t as detailed or overall as good as the others but it does provide instant thrills and the distinct possibility of a very enjoyable gaming session against the AI or even better against a friend.

7/10

Other TTB Posts Like This One

• Review: 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (PS3/Xbox 360)
• Review: Madden NFL 10 (Wii)
• Review: FIFA 09 (Xbox 360)
• Review: Need for Speed Nitro (Wii)
• Review: FIFA 10 (PS3/Xbox 360)