There’s something to be said about the concept of releasing stand-alone, tournament-based sports games like “2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil”. On the one hand you could easily say that the fully annualized editions are flagrantly superior, but you’d be missing out on the character that a game like this offers you. One could just as easily argue that titles like FIFA 14 are so massive and filled with options that it’s often tough to know where to start. Likewise, if you’re after a title that accurately captures the spirit of a particular event, what better way to accomplish that than with a specialized title devoted to it, eh? That’s essentially what 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil is – a focused football title that allows you to experience the impending international sports event for yourself, in a virtual way, of course.
The only major additions to the actual matches are cosmetic ones. Naturally, all the World Cup stadia are featured in the game (as are others from around the world such as Wembley and the like), but the managers of the 32 teams who qualified are also present in the game, and they appear in cutscenes looking suitably chuffed or despondent depending on how the match is going.
There are also occasional shots of fans clad head to toe in their nation's colours, either cheering from the stands or from home, with slightly odd and underwhelming cutscenes showing big groups of supporters watching giant screens in locations all over the world. None of these extra presentational flourishes do anything to evolve the football game genre but they do at least go some way to getting you in the World Cup mood.
What makes World Cup Brazil a different proposition to other recent FIFA games is the care and dedication that have gone into the little details. You've got the option of choosing between two prerecorded radio stations as you navigate menus, both of which are excellent and add colour to events by way of dissecting your future opponents and commenting on the journey teams took to reach the World Cup.
It's best to consider 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil as a less serious, more accessible accompaniment to the main FIFA series. Focused more on giving you a good time than on advancing the quest for realism in sports games, this is a football game that's perfect for fans who are looking for a way to pass the hours between World Cup matches this summer.
