2010 FIFA World Cup

The system for saving penalties has also been revamped, and in this instance it's a big improvement over FIFA 10. "The keeper can dive early to get to the extremities of the goal. If you wait for the kick to be taken before you move, you won't be able to leap as far but you might be able to make a reaction save by reading where the ball is going," explains Humber. "Even if you dive in the right direction and the ball is behind you, you can still reach back and make the save."

So, let's move onto the all-important World Cup mode, which allows you to pick from 199 teams on a fully rotatable 3D map and attempt to bring home the grandest prize of them all. You can play through the qualifiers, tinker with your formation in pre-tournament friendlies, or just head straight for South Africa to duke it out with the world's elite. You can even sit through a live draw and watch as plastic balls are plucked from an urn. Here's hoping we're spared the strained banter between clueless Hollywood A-listers and humourless FIFA executives that make these otherwise austere occasions such cringe-fests.

As well as the World Cup, there are also 50 scenarios from the World Cup qualifiers to play through, including 'that' game every Irishman is still trying to forget. If attempts to drown the memory in a cauldron of black stuff have failed to exorcise the ghosts, you can try to get even here. Humber also promises that during the World Cup we'll be able to download scenarios from the previous day's matches and see if we can change history.

Of course no modern-day FIFA game based on a major international tournament would be complete without Captain Your Country mode, in which you bid to lead your nation from the front while fighting the temptation to give another squad member's missus a lesson in ball skills. There doesn't seem to be much new to talk about in this department, but the mode is as welcome as ever, especially when the prize is to see your player lift five kilos of 18-carat gold above their steaming coiffure in front of an audience of billions.

Online play will involve the eponymous tournament and a new mode that allows participation in a league and cup tournament. There'll be 10 leagues, with promotion to the next tier gained by earning 16 points in a single season, while eight will see you drop to a lower division. The cup tournament will pit teams from all leagues against each, making for the mouth-watering prospect of some giant killing escapades.

On the pitch there have been numerous nip and tucks since FIFA 10. Improvements of note include the ability to take the ball on your chest, spin and run with it. Attackers now appear hungrier to get on the end of crosses, while AI defenders seem slightly savvier. Top-class attackers also appear to strike the ball with more spin.