FIFA 10 Review
A Review - By Gaetano Prestia
No sporting game has evolved over the past three years as much as FIFA Soccer from EA Sports has. For a few entries it lingered behind Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer, which offered a more realistic soccer sim experience for gamers. However, EA Sports have quickly propelled the franchise to new heights, and with FIFA 10 we get quite possibly the greatest football game ever. We were teased when Euro 2008 hit shelves, offering us a small insight into what we had coming with FIFA 09. While that game lacked the depth of a full-blown FIFA title, it set an example through the gameplay. Now the series has set a standard not only for the franchise, but also for every soccer game out there.
It’s really impressive how much the series has improved over the past few years, a standard of which EA Canada really needs to take with their NBA Live series. The developer has evolved the gameplay into a spectacular overall experience, one that is now miles ahead of PES in terms of pure enjoyment. Playing a match in FIFA 10 just has a distinctive feel about it, with the same sort of emotion, grace and aggression that is often seen when watching a real-life match. Everything from the crowd chants, to the dynamic weather system (which very impressively influences the gameplay quite significantly), to the mind numbingly hard higher difficulties: FIFA 10 doesn’t quite feel like a unique experience, but it does feel like it’s in a league of its own.
The effort that has been poured into this title is bar none probably the best ever for a sporting title (with the exception of the sensational NFL 2K5). It’s quite obvious that every member of the development team has a genuine love for the sport. If that’s not obvious through the continuous improvements in gameplay over the last few years, then it’s through the spectacular presentation and amazing soundtrack, which seems to compliment the sport of soccer absolutely perfectly.
The best and most notable improvement in the gameplay has to be the 360-degree dribbling, which rids the experience of the sometimes frustrating 8-axis controlling. You can control a player in any direction on the field and this definitely makes for a more fluid and realistic experience when controlling the ball. The 8-axis dribbling directions were always one of the more notable frustrations of previous games and the development team has stamped it out completely for this year’s game. Not only have they gotten rid of it, they’ve replaced it with a fully functional and error-free movement system that works perfectly. You may not notice it if you’re a sprint-happy type of player, but if you like to slowly build up your way towards goal while dribbling past opponents, you’ll notice how solid the controls are.
There are plenty of other improvements in the gameplay, all of which aren’t overly obvious but when combined really help propel the overall experience. The ball physics just seem to have been tweaked slightly, with crosses and lobs reacting far more realistically to the weather and your actual placement using the analog stick. If you’re running down the wing and cross the ball in just as you’re about to run out, the ball will enter the box on the tightest of angles as the player struggles to position it well. Obviously if you’re quickly changing the direction of your player they’re not going to get the best kick off.
While there is a stronger sense of realism tied in with the way you tackle the match, the changes with the ball physics actually make the experience a lot easier. There’s better button integration when it comes to the power of your kick and you’ll quickly be able to master how long you’ll have to hold a button down to hit a specific target. This is most notable during crosses, as you’ll rarely over-kick the ball and miss your players completely. This was a common occurrence in previous games, as the speed of the controlled player often contributed to the strength of the kick. This is still the case in FIFA 10, but there’s a far more solid representation of ball placement, making goal-scoring tactics simpler and more enjoyable to learn.
The realism spreads out onto the actual teams that take the pitch as well. If you have Liverpool going up against Arsenal, expect a tussle right up until the final stanza (unless you’re playing on the easier difficulty). Each team is represented really well in the game and there is a definitive consistency in the competitiveness. Obviously if a Premier League team goes up against an A-League team there’s going to be a blow out. However, if teams are matched evenly across each facet of the pitch, defensive and scoring tactics become absolutely crucial. You may think this is an obvious aspect, but often in sport games we see random results and inconsistencies in the quality of the opponents. If one team has a 1-star rating and the other has a 5-star rating, there really should be no contest. In FIFA 09 you could go be in that exact situation and sometimes see the 1-star team play like a 5-star one - that just doesn’t happen this year.
Unlike its nearest competitor, FIFA 10 has a strong, fully licensed presentation. Each team has their own home, away and alternative strips and players all seem to be in the right places. National teams are also fully licensed with the correct kits.
Live Season 2.0 heralds the return of the criticized mode from last season with immense improvement. Last year was clearly just a testing phase for the feature and EA have really stepped it up a notch this time round. It aims to seamlessly bring in data from all around the world, updating team rosters, formations and players, as well as player and team statistics. This leads the way for an even more realistic experience, as you can choose your favourite team and help lead them to glory using players with updated stats based on how they’re actually playing in real life.
The main team practice area has been improved, allowing you to practice set pieces with your players and even create your own pieces for submission to the gaming world. While this mode isn’t overly deep, it does give you the opportunity to create your own tactics.
Of all the modes, Manager Mode has seen the biggest improvement, offering a far more challenging and realistic experience than the one offered in the past. In previous years, Manager Mode was rather illogical in its execution, giving you the chance to sign, loan and scout superstar players at will with little to no bargaining skill required. This time round, you really have to understand the needs and wants of each player if you want to resign or bring them on board, and you’ll often come across a player who is incredibly difficult to deal with. Some players refuse to resign during the season but will happily do so once the season is finished, which in theory may help represent the player’s interest in seeing what other clubs may offer him. The team board now has a difficulty rating which ultimately influences how strict you have to be on club finances. While a timid board won’t mind only having a few hundred coins in the bank, a strict board will look for you replacement if you don’t have over 50 Million. For example, Chelsea has something like 60 Million pound in the bank at the start of Manager mode. If you choose the easiest board difficulty, this is more than adequate. Choose the mid-range board difficulty, and it’s merely OK. Choose the tough board and it won’t be enough and you’ll quickly have to pump more money into the club coffers. This means winning more. Furthermore, team sponsorship doesn’t automatically mean weekly cash. You’ll get a one-off payment when you sign a sponsor, but future payments only come through if you win. Lose or draw an away match and you’ll go a week without any cash coming in. If you’ve got a strict board, they’ll get on your back about not winning and not achieving a profit for the week.
The transfer period has also been given a slight tweak. Once upon a time you could just search for young guns and sign them on, knowing they would eventually become superstars. With FIFA 10, you’ll rarely find a young player that wants to move during the season, unless their team actually has them up for loan or sale. If they do want to move, you’ll need a near-perfect negotiator to get them in your team colours. Offering extra money and a lengthy contract won’t assure them coming over. Furthermore, your team will have to be winning if you have any chance of signing a superstar. In previous FIFA games, you’d occasionally come across a player that wasn’t interested in playing for you. But most of the time, no matter how poor your team was traveling, offer them the right amount of money and percentage per goal or clean sheet and they’d sign on. That just isn’t possible anymore.
Be a Pro makes a return, although it doesn’t really offer that much of an improved experience over the one offered last year. You can create your own player using your face with EA’s Game Face, and the leveling up system works well for the most part. You can include your player in Manager Mode and online, which is great, but the real pleasure comes in controlling your player against tough AI opponents and getting their skills up as high as possible.
The Final Verdict
FIFA 10 is as perfect a soccer game as you can get. EA Sports seem to have perfected the genre and pushed the franchise well above its nearest competitor in PES. The gameplay is superb and improved on the seemingly perfect gameplay from last year’s game. Manager Mode has been improved for the best and there are still the same old mode favourites to keep FIFA regulars happy. Online mode is great with minimal lag, although Team Play can be a bit rough around the edges with so many people playing together. What it comes down to is the gameplay and playing FIFA 10 is an absolute treat, especially if you’re a diehard of the sport.
Gameplay
9.1/10
Deep, solid gameplay with consistency throughout.
Graphics
8.0/10
Nice character models and a cool, slick presentation.
Sound
9.2/10
Martin Tyler and Andy Gray return, again, with some great commentary, although it hasn’t changed for about five years. Crowd sounds are great and the soundtrack complements the sport.
Value
10/10
Manager mode is deep and challenging, there’s online, League 2.0 (which is constantly being updated), Be a Pro and Tournament mode. You could play this right up until FIFA 11 next year. There’s nothing more you could ask for in a soccer game.
Overall
9.0/10