2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa by EA - Video Game Review
мая 28, 2010
As the start of the FIFA World Cup™ approaches the coaches of the teams going to Germany this year, find themselves in very similar situations and all facing the same large looming question of whom to take with when they go to play for football soccer’s most coveted prize: bringing the World Cup Trophy home to their fatherland.
However there is one national coach that seems to be unworried: Anibal Ruiz. A Uruguayan by birth, this 50 year-old football trainer is eager to prove to his adopted country that he is a trueborn son by bringing home to Paraguay the prize of all prizes. He is confident that his team will be well prepared after playing their friendly games against Mexico, Norway, Denmark, and Georgia. You can see a determination in his face; instead of the furrow of thought most coaches have on their faces at this time before the tournament. Determination that he is sure will propel his team to do better than the second-round exits that Paraguay has had in the last two World Cup encounters, first in France in '98 and later in Korea/Japan in '02.
Reflecting on his teams draw to meet England in the first round of the Cup, Ruiz again showed his determined face stating, “What is it that every team at this level aspires to? Playing against the very best, that's the only way to prove how good you are. We need to prove ourselves. Paraguay is a big-game side. Obviously, we are aware that England is a great side, but I maintain that it is the best thing that could have happened and the players agree. It's a bonus to be playing them first; it won't allow us a moment's overconfidence. From now until the World Cup kicks off, and during the tournament itself, we need to be totally switched on and focused to avoid making even the slightest error.”
Ruiz has taken not only a very determined view on the upcoming tournament but has also taken a very realistic view and knows exactly what his team should expect in the upcoming tournament and is also very aware of the need of his players to be aware of what is upcoming. Paraguay’s recent friendly match with Wales was according to Ruiz “Extremely positive.” Claiming that more than anything the match gave the team a chance to meet and go over a few things, and remember how important it is that the team is all on the same page. When all the players are all coming from different systems of play from their separate club teams it is important to give them time to adjust to the national team play, and there is no question that Ruiz understands this notion.
Having already decided on 18 of the 23 players on his team Ruiz only has a few more decisions left to make regarding the team. One of those is Rogue Santa Cruz. With his recent injury there is some small question on whether he will be able to paly at a 100 percent or not. However, both Santa Cruz and his doctor are very optimistic about his ability to play in time. Santa Cruz says that he will be ready to play by April 15, which would give him nearly two months of practice before the tournament starts. As for Ruiz, he is satisfied with that date and the confidence that Santa Cruz and his doctor show and is certain that Santa Cruz will be ready in time.
This year one can expect to see a different sort of team from Paraguay, one that is well organized and well coached. Focusing their offensive strategies on width and penetration instead of direct passes—as they have done in the past. If they make it past the first big hurdle in England expect this years team from Paraguay to go far.
from: Juliss Blog
Catti-Bries Site
Braelyns Weblog
Fifa have confirmed that they have found no basis to the allegations made by Lord Triesman concerning a plot to bribe World Cup referees.
Triesman was forced to step down from his posts as chairman of the Football Association and England’s 2018 World Cup bid after a national newspaper published his comments.
He was secretly recorded without his knowledge by a former friend suggesting that Spain could drop its own bid to host the 2018 tournament if Russia helped corrupt officials at this summer’s tournament in South Africa.
England’s bid team immediately moved to distance themselves from the comments and Triesman was swiftly replaced by former FA chairman Geoff Thompson.
World football’s governing body launched an investigation into the comments, headed by Ethics Committee chairman Claudio Sulser, and found that they were without foundation.
A statement from Fifa read: “Following the publication of these reports, the Fifa Ethics Committee asked Lord Triesman and the Football Association to provide their comments on the matter.
“According to the statements received by Fifa from both parties, Lord Triesman commented on “speculation circulating among journalists in Europe about conspiracies around the world” in a private conversation with a friend that was taped – unbeknown to him – and then passed to a UK newspaper.
Speculation
“In his letter to Fifa, Lord Triesman explained that this speculation was not an allegation on his part but was reported to him in a private capacity and was not known by either the Football Association or the England 2018 Fifa World Cup Bid Committee. This was confirmed by the Football Association.
“Lord Triesman added that the speculation expressed does not reflect his view or that of the Football Association or the England 2018 Fifa World Cup Bid Committee, and that the comments reproduced in the UK newspaper were never intended to be taken seriously.
“By means of letters sent to Fifa and to the football associations of Spain and Russia, the Football Association and the England 2018 Fifa World Cup Bid Committee have unreservedly apologised for and expressed their “bitter regret” at the declarations made by Lord Triesman in his private capacity.
“In addition, Fifa has been in contact with the Russian FA and the Spanish FA and received correspondence from both associations on this matter. Fifa has also examined all of the information received from various sources. Following this thorough investigation, Fifa has found no indication that there is any basis to the allegations reported by Lord Triesman.
“In the light of the above-mentioned circumstances, the chairman of the Fifa Ethics Committee has decided not to pursue this matter any further.
“However, he emphasised that it is essential to the integrity, image and reputation of Fifa and the competitions that the conduct of the member associations and the bid committees during their bid preparations complies with the highest standards of ethical behaviour.
“The Fifa Ethics Committee will remain vigilant to ensure that ethical conduct and fair play is respected in the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 Fifa World Cups.”
FIFA's Facebook Game Launches, Threatens Productivity
Having only been revealed by EA a couple of weeks ago, Playfish's FIFA Superstars game has gone live on Facebook. And I must say, it's rather good.
Not good in the way a real FIFA game is. But good in the way a Facebook game - built for football fans, not farming fans - should be.
At its core, Superstars is a football management game. If you start at Football Manager, work your way down to FIFA Manager, then strip most of that away, you're getting close. You build a team, you get some players, you set training regimes then you set them loose on other teams, a game's outcome determined not by arcade skills, but by behind-the-scenes number crunching and statistical combat.
While the depth of the game is limited, the key appeal comes in the fact it's free to play, makes Facebook integration a big part of the action and has some slick presentation that's neither too “hardcore” to put off the casual user, nor too cutesy to put off fans of the “real” FIFA series.
From what I've seen having picked at its edges all day, benefits will of course be had by those willing to pay a little extra to get better players, but provided you've got enough friends playing the game there's enough for free-riding players to do that unless you want to be really competitive you won't need to pay a cent.
What I really like, though, is how the game asks you each and every time you win a match whether you want to tell Facebook about a win or accomplishment or not. I've been playing all day, and said no every time, leaving my friends in abject peace.
That said, I'm a considerate human being. A dickhead who likes to boast about every single win may soon try your patience. But then, that may be more of a problem with your friends list than it is with the game…
On a related note, FIFA Online, EA's more skill-based attempt at luring you away from a day's work, has also gone into open beta today. You can check it out here.
[FIFA Superstars]
Send an email to the author of this post at plunkett@kotaku.com.
Some of the writers from TVHE have grouped together with other football fans to write a football blog. The current focus of this blog is on the 2010 Fifa World Cup. It can be found here:
http://vuvuzelaventing.wordpress.com/
On the blog they go through their views on the different World Cup groups, and who they think will end up taking out the cup. All very interesting. I suggest you go along and have a look – they currently have posts up for groups A, B, and C.
Go the All Whites
The buzz has been growing and growing, and just in time for the World Cup of Soccer, Playfish and FIFA have launched their new FIFA Superstars game on Facebook, and it’s good. The game is a soccer management game, and doesn’t have any live gameplay yet, but the simulation mode looks fantastic and the game uses the FIFA license to include every real soccer player and team you can imagine. If you enjoy soccer, you’ve got to give this one a shot.
The game revolves around choosing players for your team, developing a strategy and then engaging other teams in ‘league matches’ or in tournaments. The game starts by asking you to conquer the Junior C league by playing a series of matches against other teams. The main strategic element a player will encounter is ensuring that their strategies and roster are set up to properly defeat the other team’s strategies.
Once you launch into a game, you see a play by play of the key plays of the game. These plays are acted out in full quality graphics and look fantastic. There aren’t too many animations yet, but as with all social games we can expect that to grow as the game succeeds.
Once you win a game, you gain experience and gold, which you can use to buy ‘transfers’ that give you a set of great players. The feel of buying a transfer is that of buying a pack of cards: you’re not sure what you’re going to get but you know that if you buy the ’silver’ set rather than the bronze, you’ll get better players. You can also use gold to buy coaches and upgrade your stadium.
Per the match consideration, a player only can play a certain amount of matches per day. If you want to accelerate faster, you need to buy Playfish Cash to get more matches.
There’s more to the game, and we’ll have a full review soon, but for now, give the game a shot!