Let me start with the fact that I've played FIFA since FIFA 96 and while not all these instalments have been perfect for their time, with enough time and getting used to they ended up being enjoyable experiences in the end. And 2010 FIFA World Cup was one of my favourite FIFA spin-offs, I played that game to death 4 years ago and most would agree it was a blast. So I was looking forward to this game.
First the fact that EA decided not to release this game on Xbox One/PS4 is questionable. Why not use the power of these consoles to provide their owners with an authentic experience? Why make them go back to their date consoles to celebrate the World Cup?
But more importantly what I have problem with is the game itself. Everything about it is poor. From how unrealistic it plays, goals that fly in like rockets, the pace of the game to the amount of scripting that goes on behind the scene to make the game "exciting" and the fact that you're sometimes not in control of the match at all. The game plays nor feels anything like real football. If you try to play it like it is football you'll be punished; just go and watch some online top tier matches to see what I mean. If you thought FIFA 14 had problems with chipped through balls, pressing abuse and unrealistic passing, 2014 FIFA World Cup game takes all those issues and gives them a new dimension as opposed to solving them. I do understand that this game is developed for the masses but to water down the game so much so little kids can score screamers from the halfway line is just ridiculous.
Also licensing of this game is laughable. While all the 32 teams featuring in the World Cup have their kit licensed, most other teams have generic team kits, player faces, even player names (Welsh winger Gavin Bleth anyone?!!). How is this an authentic World Cup experience if more than 80% of the teams during the qualifying campaign are generic? Awful.
To sum up, I wish I didn't buy this game. I gave it chance after chance and every time I ended up turning my console off even when I won the match because even when you win you realise it is due to scripting not your actual skill. And this takes away the fun in scoring and winning. Terrible representation of the beautiful game.