FIFA Informer: FIFA 10 Review

 Orlando J . Lewis

Gameplay 9/10
Perhaps enough has already been said about FIFA 10’s gameplay throughout the build up to its release, but just to clarify, the final build of the game is to huge relief not as arcadey and eccentric as the demo suggested.  The overall gamespeed appears to have been reduced, allowing for a more controlled and stable feel for the user.  It is only now that innovations such as 360 degree dribbling add value to the gameplay.  Before, this was lost in the ping-pong style football that the demo alluded to – a strange and slightly odd decision to provide a demo that was so different to previous builds and the final copy.  Nevertheless, the current gamespeed still allows for silky and fluid plays and player movements.  Other innovations not seen in the demo include the “Create a Set Piece” facility, which when practiced and perfected in the arena is a hugely satisfying tool when executed on matchday.  Reluctant to unleash the facility for online gameplay, it provides suitable gametime for the avid football geek.  Other tweaks in the set-piece setup include the ability to drive the ball along the floor and corners possess more whip when delivered.  Matched with impressive and highly authentic ball physics attacking options remain diverse, however, this comes at a price for defensive play.

Defensive play seems noticeably difficult yet again this year.  However, instead of attacking players being able to heavily outrun defenders as we witnessed in FIFA 09, in FIFA 10 breaking the defence with one-touch passing and highly impressive ‘curved’ and intelligent player runs often leaves defenders helpless.  The defending AI is just as frustrating with illogical pressing, which often causes gaps to exploit.  In addition, the set-piece innovations lead to a lot more goalkeeper confusion and their AI positioning being often very suspect.  Defending will obviously never be more exciting than attacking, but the lack of hard fought and close shave 0-0 scorelines is a slight concern for the true football fan.

Online Gameplay 9/10
The overall feel here is fortunately very close to an offline game.  Obviously depending on connection speeds, the overall lagging issues seem to have been resolved and at this early stage there does not appear to be any major weaknesses.  A diplomatic option for both users to agree on ‘End Game as Draw’ is a welcome addition, along with the ability to see online points and stats at the conclusion of a match.  Still though, a ranking is not displayed and would be a little less confusing for the user if all the points and levels were just converted into one simple ranking number.



Manager Mode 8/10
Albeit a mode which has been heavily revamped and improved, Manager Mode is always prone to criticism given the fact FIFA 10 was never designed to be an all-encompassing football management game.  Nonetheless, the effort to achieve an exciting mode for football lovers is impressive.  Numerous bug fixes and obvious issues have been sorted, which results in realistic match simulations and transfers.  A slightly unforgiveable bug, however, is that only 5 subs are available to English Football League teams, when we all know clubs at this level now have 7!  I am hopeful the rest of the ‘bug fixes’ promised from FIFA 09 have indeed been fully rectified and not just replaced with others.  Whilst on the subject of authenticity, the ability to rename stadiums to the generics is beneficial.  Fortunately too, Holland are now a fully licensed team!



Live Season 2.0 / Pro Club Championship / Virtual Pro
As for the other bits and pieces that will keep us hooked on FIFA 10, it is a simple case of ‘time will tell’.  Given the fact some of these online features are updated weekly and require weekly commitments, the concept of Live Season 2.0 is definitely something to look forward to.  With a huge amount of data being provided on a weekly basis, this is something that should be worth a purchase.  A dynamic and real-time online innovation, building on the foundations of FIFA 09’s Live Season, ‘rewriting football history’ is definitely something that has great potential for FIFA 10. Customisation and generally more flexibility and freedom is definitely something that FIFA 10 has started to embrace finally.  Utilising the online market, FIFA 10 appears to offer some exciting prospects regarding Pro Club Championship alongside Virtual Pro.  Allowing for the first time in a FIFA title, game face technology allows for accurate facial depictions of your own ‘Created Player’.  Whether it be your own face or a footballing hero from the past, the scope for taking your player online will be an exciting venture.  All we can hope is that the facility is bug free and easy to use, yet, be warned I cannot seem at the moment to be able to delete my created player!

Overall 9/10
FIFA 10 is by no means a revolutionary or totally radically different from FIFA 09, but this is exactly what was craved. Building upon previous successes and learning from certain failures in the past, FIFA 10 is finding its way to become a perfectly balanced and tweaked football simulator.  Gameplay is refreshing, fluid, realistic, free-flowing and most importantly enjoyable!  Personally, the other online gimmicks add to the longevity of the game, but if the gameplay were poor in the first place the rest would be pointless.  Therefore, FIFA 10 has prioritised effectively and succeeded in providing a game with limitless enjoyment for both the football fan and even non-football fan alike!


For those want to play me my gamertag on PS3 is ojlewis2000

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