For more on 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, check out our full 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa review. Or, for more of the best Xbox 360 games for an 8 year old, why not try our Family Game Finder
2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is the official tie-in game of the 2010 World Cup. Based on the same mechanics as the incredibly popular FIFA games, but themed exclusively around the World Cup, you'll be able to take a team of your choosing (from a choice of 199 international squads!) from qualification all the way through to the finals themselves, making World Cup history as you go.
Letting up to four players play together, either all on the same team, or against each other, accessibility has been a big part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup push. New features include a two button mode, which boils the complexity of FIFA's controls down into two buttons (A passes, B shoots), a Captain your Country mode, which locks you into the boots of a single player, rather than letting you play as the whole squad, and, of course, vuvuzelas.
In terms of accessibility, if your child can handle a normal FIFA game on the 360 or PS3, there's nothing they'll particularly struggle with here - beyond choosing their teams and setting up a game, there's little in the way of reading, either. That said, younger players who're new to football games may find some of the intricacies a bit of a challenge to begin with - it isn't immediately obvious which way you're supposed to be shooting, for example, and it could also be made more obvious which player you're controlling. For those just starting out, it can also be far too easy to accidentally foul someone if you press the tackle button at slightly the wrong time, but in general, this is one of the more accessible football games out there. With the ability to play together as a family and take on the world, this could be the perfect World Cup companion - or another great footie game for the family.
As a football game, there's nothing for parents to be concerned about in 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa - it's thoroughly family friendly fun.
Age Ratings
Format Reviewed: Xbox 360
