Every four years, something wonderful happens in the football world. The culmination of 18 months of qualification, countless hours of training and preparation, and costing even more than a Wayne Rooney Ladbrokes tab; the FIFA World Cup is THE highlight of the football calendar. So what better way to celebrate this most momentous of occasions than with the second EA 360 footy game in less than five months?

Yes, the big money men at EA Sports have crafted yet another FIFA title for the unsuspecting millions to throw their hard-earned cash at, complete with a house-load of licences, Clive Tyldesley on commentary and a perfectly realised Ronaldinho ponytail. The tournament is wonderfully presented, the atmosphere and sound absolutely superb, and the visuals perfectly acceptable in hi-definition (aside from some rather ropey player likenesses). But the overriding factor is that it’s just not as good as Pro Evo. Nowhere near. Again.

It’s difficult to avoid those immortal words when reviewing a FIFA update. It’s just the truth. Unlike, say, a fighting game, which is a representation of something that never really happened – people fight, but not normally in a two-dimensional plane or on big square platforms – football already exists. Therefore, any videogame recreation of football will automatically be judged on how faithful it is to the source material. Pro Evo is getting closer every year. FIFA, well, isn’t.

It only takes five minutes of the first match to realise how familiar this territory is. After the obligatorily pleasant EA loading screen – now with added ‘facts’ about ‘countries’ – the match starts, and is as uninspiring as ever. Spray a couple of passes around the pitch and the same old problems again rear their ugly heads. Players feel far too light off the ball, but far too heavy when on it; the ball spins, dips and bends in completely unnatural ways; animation is simultaneously sub par and completely over the top; and, crucially, at no point does it ever feel like you’re involved in a game of football. It feels like you’re playing FIFA soccer. And that doesn’t feel too good.

FIFA concentrates solely on the moments in football that make the back pages of the papers or the opening credits on MOTD. The Lampard screamers, the Cristiano Ronaldo stopovers, the Buffon wondersaves and the Essien legbreakers… all can be seen in one game of FIFA. What EA has once again failed to realise – and the very key to why Pro Evo is so successful – is that these moments should be few and far between. That’s what makes them so special. No one is going to come to work after a hefty FIFA session and relay stories of incredible goals or mesmerising runs. Everybody already knows about them.

Getting deeper into the gameplay mechanics, it’s clear that the latest FIFA is perhaps even more lacking than before. Shooting is about as subtle as Graeme Souness, giving players a choice between a piss-weak dribbling effort or a wildly inaccurate bullet, and the accompanying animation is genuinely ludicrous. In fact, we’re pretty sure that FIFA 97 had the same shot animation. That’s nearly a decade of laziness.

Passing, on the other hand, is marginally better. With a bit of skill, and a large dollop of luck, it’s possible to string together a pleasant passing move, but all too often balls miss their targets by acres, or player movement is so stagnant it completely impedes the concept of graceful play. By far the most efficient way of creating a chance is to simply send a striker on a surging run, then lay him in with a jab of the through-ball button. The defenders’ positioning is so inept as to simply let the striker run through time and time again. Well, if you will motion capture Titus Bramble, what else do you expect? (This may or may not be true. And by that, we mean it’s not).

FIFA World Cup’s saving graces come in the shape of the always excellent right stick first touch, the aforementioned superb presentation, and the fact that there is no other soccer game (bar another FIFA) currently available for the Xbox 360. If taken with a pinch of salt and played with a few like-minded friends in the midst of World Cup fever, it’s possible to have a vaguely entertaining evening in the company of EA’s latest effort. If you’re a disciple of Pro Evo, however, you’ll find the game far too lightweight, unrealistic and tactically inept.

World Cup is a game best left to the masses. The sad fact is, that no matter what we might say, it’s going to top the sales charts. On every format. Just don’t be one of the people who helps it there.

Jon Denton