Goal.com Special: FIFA 10 Review

FIFA's frontmen. Look how cute! (and outdated!)

Just over a week in, here’s my full breakdown of the game that has been marked on my Leicester City calendar for months. New to the whole review format, I’ve made my own. Five main categories with grades out of ten for each, some quick pros and cons, then my overall rating. Enjoy!

Presentation

The game itself just looks nice. Everything is clean and well-organized. It’s easy to find what you’re looking for and isn’t difficult to just get out there on the pitch and get a game going. This in many ways is no different from previous FIFA years, which isn’t really a bad thing. Always one of the most user-friendly game developers out there, EA Sports has a knack for making things easy. I like that. For my money, the inclusion of the Arena, a few years ago now, was a masterstroke by EA Sports. Making it the loading screen between matches and otherwise? Even better.

There have been a few tweaks though, that I find quite nice. Many of the stadiums have been updated and now have multiple weather conditions. This is definitely something fresh and is a welcomed addition. I also enjoy the personalized feel to the manager mode, with the logo and jersey of your team displayed throughout. Makes you feel more part of the club instead of just seeing darkened screens every which-way.

I can’t really decide if I’m comforted by how similar things are from years passed or if I’m upset by it. It’s a bit of both really. I’m going to have to give the presentation a 7/10.

Graphics

On par with the presentation, the graphics in this year’s game are quite similar to last year’s. The player model’s are almost identical, it seems and little was done to upgrade the look of things.

Uh oh Petr!

The in-game animations are almost exactly the same as 09, with the substitution breaks, goal celebrations and player entrances being exactly replicas of the old game. Again, not devastating, but I would have liked to have seen something added, maybe some fan interaction that the players seem to love these days. I do like how there is a distinguishable away team support section in the grounds. I don’t believe that was in the old game, but is a very cool feature that should have been standard for a years by now.

Game face has been added, which means my ugly mug is now officially part of the game. For some reason I look slightly Asian, but it’s noticeably me. Very cool stuff. I’ve done it with the Tiger Woods games before and is a very cool touch that makes the game feel more personable and uniquely yours.

On a HDTV, FIFA looks amazing. If I didn’t have my contacts in, it could be the real thing. My mom can’t even tell the difference. For that, I give the graphics a hap-happy 9/10.

New Features

I can’t remember a version of the game that has added so much to it as this one. Around every corner there seems to be something new or updated that I hadn’t noticed before and that I can officially classify as totally cool.
To start out with, being able to pick and name your stadium in manager mode is fantastic. I cannot understate this anymore. Playing as Leicester at El Bombastico or whatever the silly stadium was called, just doesn’t seem to fit. Picking out one that looks most like Walkers Stadium and then naming it such is huge for supporters of smaller clubs like myself.

Hit it, Pirlo! Go on then!

Manager Mode itself has been completely redone, which so far, I am a huge fan of. Gone is the player growth that sees certain players improve between 5-10 points overall in a season. Nope, not anymore. This year the players advance at a steady level and it is directly related to their position, age, psychological attributes, etc. This is a much-needed change from last year, as I could honestly get Matt Oakley over a 75 if I tried hard enough. He’s crap! The transfer system has been improved, too, which helps to add to the authenticity of the mode. Oh, and kit number modification is back as well. Bonus!

The Virtual Pro experience is another strong addition that EA Sports should be proud of. Coupled with the game face, Virtual Pro does its best to put you in the game. You make your player, pick your team and you’re off. Playing across multiple modes, your player can complete various accomplishments to help his growth as a footballer.

Live Season has also been given a face-lift, and I hear it’s much-improved. Unfortunately, I’m cheap and don’t want to spend the moola to buy one of them. You got one for free last season on PS3, not that way this year apparently.

The biggest and best update though has to be to the arena. Now it’s much more than a one-on-one shooting gallery, the Arena has become your virtual training ground. Doing things from practicing set pieces and scrimmages to the all-new create set piece option, the Arena is finally a place to hone more than your dribbling skills. Big hand to EA for this.

Overall, there are a bunch of little updates and some nice major ones, which equals a pretty deep game to fiddle with. New Features gets a 9/10 from me.

Gameplay

If you’re a true gamer, which many of you are, most of the other stuff I’m writing about really doesn’t matter. You want to get out there, hit the pitch and make the magic happen. You’re going to be pretty pleased with FIFA 10 if that’s the case.

Leaps and bounds ahead of 09 and dare I say PES2010, FIFA 10 delivers a truly amazing in-game experience. From the dynamics of passing the ball to your teammate to jostling with a defender for the ball, FIFA 10 feels above all else, real. Wait, isn’t that the point? Yes, it is and EA Sports have come as close as you can get in this day and age.

Led by the ability to dribble in all of the available 360 degrees, instead of the eight directions offered previously, FIFA 10 makes you feel like a footballer. Player movement is improved, slide tackles look authentic, goalies are no longer (as) stupid...it just feels like a footy match.

Shooting is improved and you have to be much more controlled with your shots or they’ll end up in the cliched row Z. The long shot has returned as well, so instead of scoring all your goals inside the 18 like the last few versions, you can now let loose from 25-yards and hope for the best. Don’t try it with anyone below an 80 though, will probably reach the aforementioned nosebleed row.

My favorite aspect of the gameplay, and I understand this is very general, but just the movement of the players seems so true to life. They move consistently and when pressure is applied, they react accordingly. Only drawback though is that there are a few AI issues, such as players moving to loose balls, not a major concern however. Nothing but dimes for the gameplay, 10/10.

Experience

As my roommate would attest, FIFA 10 has a lasting appeal. Sneaking games in whenever I have the chance, my Xbox hasn’t had a dull moment in the nine days or so since I traveled droopy-eyed to Walmart for my copy (which was later returned thanks to EA Sports amazing generosity).

In other words, FIFA can be played over and over and over again. Simple as that. It’s a great game and you want to keep on pushing, improving your game, getting better at the little things...just like the real game. I’m not sure if that is sad or not, but hey, whatever makes you happy, right?

Theo being Theo

Whether you are trying to improve your virtual pro, or rise through the ranks of the manager mode, there is something for everyone. Online play is great as well, with the 10v10 club teams and various tournaments going on.

If you want to relax and just knock the ball around for a bit, hit the arena and go to town. The possibilities are really endless with this game and that’s what makes it so great. 10/10 for the experience, without question.

Pros & Cons

Pros: Amazing gameplay; authentic feel; personal touch; vastly-improved arena; stadium naming ability; comprehensive skill moves; long shots; jostling.

Cons: Tired animations; inaccurate player ratings; quirky AI; goofy-looking names and numbers on jerseys; five-man bench; no handballs among other actual game happenings.

Overall - 45/50: A-

I’d list video games on my top five passions, probably in the fifth slot, with soccer being number two. The fact that they have both come together in such an amazing game makes me pretty dang happy. Waiting for months to get my hands on it, FIFA 10 hasn’t let me down. After a week of consistent playing, it hasn’t even come close to boring me yet, and I’ve primarily been messing with the Manager Mode. To think how good this game is, I can’t even imagine what’s in store for FIFA 11. An amazing game, from top to bottom.

Shane Evans is an associate editor of Goal.com. His regular features The Full English and Fish & Chip Shots run weekly on Goal.com USA.

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