FIFA 10 Xbox 360

Released on 02/10/2009

• FIFA 10 Preview

  Can you kick it?

  Last year EA's FIFA franchise did something that it had been threatening to do for years; it usurped Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer. So much better was FIFA 09 that even players who had once sworn by PES suddenly profaned a new allegiance. That's akin to a Celtic fan suddenly deciding to support Rangers. Gamers are a loyal lot; this sort of thing hardly ever happens.

  Not perfect

  It was difficult to condemn, though, because FIFA 09 deserved the plaudits. Where PES had degenerated into ping-pong to-and-fro, EA's effort had a smooth flow, intelligent overlapping, and physics that made it all remarkably lifelike.

  It wasn't perfect though; one of FIFA 09's big exploits saw people pick Man United, play tons of defenders, and hit long balls to Ronaldo to race in behind the opposition's back line. Another quirk meant that pacey players felt overpowered; so even someone like Andy Johnson in relatively a moderate-skilled Fulham side was practically a worldbeater.

  This isn't reinventing the wheel... FIFA 09 fans will be instantly familiar with the way FIFA 10 plays.

  Having spent a good few hours with FIFA 10, we can happily say that those two little idiosyncrasies have been fixed, and lobbed in together with other refinements that should make FIFA 10 an altogether worthwhile update.

  Refinement is the operative word, though; this isn't reinventing the wheel as football games go, so FIFA 09 fans will be instantly familiar with the way FIFA 10 plays. Passes still have their own power meter; long dribbles are still incredibly difficult and the emphasis is still on counter-attacking play. This time, however, it's more authentic: passes are more prone to going awry; dribbling requires more dexterity and the AI is even more capable of countering your counter-attacks.

  And that's because FIFA is no longer an angular experience. For the first time, FIFA 10 adopts full 360 degree analogue control, leaving behind the eight-way run of past generations to offer a much more organic, but also trickier experience.

  Stick tricks

  It's trickier, because it's more subtle, and because animation has been further refined to represent the little imperfections you'd find occurring on a football field. So, players can turn in smaller increments, but that just means you need even more accurate use of the left analogue (and if you're a D-Pad lover, FIFA 10 is the game to finally make you switch to the stick). Likewise, passing, as mentioned above, is more error-prone, making the radar even more essential in finding your team mates.

  There's every chance that FIFA 10's increased sophistication will open up even greater gameplay possibilities.

  Then there's the fact that the ball now bobbles around more, bounces off players knees, flies through the air faster, and controls differently depending on the receiving position of your player. Add that all to the rebalanced pace – with acceleration on the ball significantly decreased – and what you have is a game that's initially slower, more frustrating and results in many a low-score draw. At least until you've gotten use to it; because when you have, there's every chance that FIFA 10's increased sophistication will open up even greater gameplay possibilities.

  As possibilities go, no one new feature speaks more of FIFA 10's commitment to player experimentation than the Set Piece Editor. Imagine the FIFA replay system, with you able to control player movement, and you won't be going far wrong. You select a player, hit record, and move them wherever you want them, and a blue arrow traces their path. Do this for all of the players you want moved, test it against computer players, then save, and you have something straight from the training ground to use against the computer – although EA still haven't decided if this will make the cut for multiplayer modes. It'd be a shame if it didn't.

  Title favourite

  Where modes are concerned, refinement is once again the buzzword. Of course we can expect the return of Be A Pro, 10v10 online play, and the novel same-screen multiplayer lounge mode. The biggest change though will be in Manager Mode, which for FIFA 10 promises something far closer to Pro Evo's Master League – the one thing PES still does considerably better than EA's game.

  There's a sense then that EA is confident in its game, and yet at the same time wary of its big rival. Will fans switch back to Pro Evo, or can FIFA take the footy videogame title two years running? A lot will depend on improvements made in the Japanese dressing room, because, like we said, gamers are usually a loyal lot, and the temptation to switch back to Pro Evo will be strong for the franchise's long-time fans. PES has disappointed in the past, though, and FIFA 10 looks very, very strong. It's going to be an interesting battle, but there's no doubting that FIFA 10 is the firm title favourite.

  Preview by: Mark '6-1' Scott
  Version Tested: PS3
  Preview Published: 27.08.09

  Published: 27/08/2009

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