The slowdown ruins what could, with a bit of tweaking, been a fantastic game.
The gameplay should be familiar to anyone who has played previous Fifa games or indeed any other football game. the passing is generlly solid, though sometimes passes will mysteriously go wildy awry for no particularly good reason, and the long passing can feel clumsy and unweildy. The shooting and tackling are both solid and work well.
Now, i couldn't go a review of this game without mentioning Pro Evo 5, and that latter is undeniably a better game, game-play and graphics wise. However this comparision leads me to one of the main problems with Fifa: slowdown. In some games, especially in the larger, busier stadiums, and at corner kicks, free kicks etc, where there are many players in the box at the same time, the game becomes near unplayable. The gameplay just doesn't feel as solid as Pro Evo, and while it does a decent job, it just isnt as realistic. However, it is in terms of teams and atmosphere, so if that's what you're looking for: a realistic presentation of the World Cup, then this is the best you're going to get without spending countless hours in the Pro Evo editing section.