Jumpers for Goalposts: FIFA 10 Review
Last year was a strange year for Football games. On a very personal level, 2009 was the first time I bought a FIFA game in eleven years. My long streak with Konamis football games starting from ISS Pro ’98 and finishing with Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 was mirrored by most of the football gaming population. Konamis dominance throughout the PS2 era is well documented as being pretty unchallenged by EA. But with a new hardware increase came a new level of depth in FIFA, one that Konami just couldnt mirror with Pro Evolution Soccer. 2009 managed to change long allegiances and show a FIFA game that really had evolved and definately hadnt entered this competition to recieve a runners-up medal.
FIFA 10 shows just how far EA are willing to go to regain the footballing top spot. When you first enter the game it looks as though much has remained the same from FIFA 09 its when you start your first match that you realise how different FIFA 10 is. For a start there is awhole new level of control available. The previous 8 directions of controls have gone full 360 degrees meaning the most realistic dribbling of any game, ever. Overall control is unbelievably fluid and players like Rooney, Drogba and Ronaldinho have their own unique flair and style. Basically, the game plays like a dream.
All of last years modes are here. From the new and improved live season to the classic tournaments and cups. A more indepth Virtual Pro mode and a more robust manager mode really add replay value. Online modes are better than ever and the overal community (with replays, screenshots and custom leagues) feels completely fleshed out.
The selection of available teams is staggering. All three English leagues are here as well as the MLS, La Liga, Bundesliga, belgian leagues, swiss, austrian, korean and tons more. Still no support for the J-League however which seems like a glaring omission. What you do gain though is up to date lineups, stats and team reports. On top of this the news bar returns in menus giving you the latest real world football scores, a great addition for the fans.
The game suffers from a few long load times but makes up for it with the renewal of the arena kickabout in between menus. The one major problem with the game is the lack of support for non-default controller configurations after setting up four different controller set-ups the game decided to freeze up on me, a problem which has been well documented on messageboards. However this minor problem is easily avoided and can and therefore should be patched.
More animations, ball skills, arenas and a solid frame-rate make the game feel absolutely complete and where last years title felt like a massive step forward to next gen footballing, FIFA 10 feels like the perfection of next gen footballing. The best football game up to this point.
9/10
