Screenshots :.
FIFA 10
360
Matt
07-10-2009
"Where's Gerrard? No, seriously, WHERE IS GERRARD?"
"Cross it son!"
"The Dutch are back and all licensed again"
"Older screenshot, hence old alliances."
"Bah, ruddy United fan."
"Smell my armpit!"
"Older shot again - we still have Alonso. If only :-("
Right, this might not be the usual way to start the review, but Rafa Benitez, if you are reading, please take note of this. Picking players like Lucas and Riera for the team in real life might be all well and good, but there’s an issue with doing it when it comes to playing FIFA 10. See, what with the live squad updating and such the knock on effect is that I then have to try to play with them in game with my career player, and I swear if one of them misplaces a pass or does something inept and I get marked down for it again then there is going to be trouble. Big trouble. Think of that next time you pick your team, eh?
With that portion of moaning over, it’s pretty much positive from here on in. See, EA have made enough adjustments and tweaks to make this version of FIFA the best to date. It certainly makes the bad old days where EA would continually hash around with gimmicky features seem a long, long way away, and it’s now undoubtedly the market leader when it comes to football games – something you have to hope that Konami can rise to at some point.
Away from such old rivalries and from a point of view completely focussed on EA and their product there is much to praise, both in terms of the options and the football itself. When I comes to the on field action the most obvious enhancement is that the players now how 360 degree movement as opposed to last year’s 8-axis offering, making for much more control of where you’re moving.
Initially this doesn’t seem to be so much of a change, but a quick flick back to FIFA 09 confirms that the main reason you don’t really notice much is that the players now do exactly what you think they should do, rather than you having to compensate. Making clever little angled runs and dinking in-between defenders is now possible with practice, although as per usual you have to take momentum into account when it comes to such matters. It’s now at the stage where it feels completely natural, and hence chances are you won’t really be aware of it until you go back to the old system for a quick try.
This also rings true when it comes to collisions and the way the players react when they come into contact, with stronger defenders often besting the Craig Bellamys of this world in tussles and jostles. In most respects this is very much a good thing; if FIFA 09 had a major issue it was that you could use pace to get yourself out of pretty much any tactical issue, often to the point where you could just cram the defence and midfield and just have one solitary lightning quick forward to feed off through balls all day long. By emphasising the physical side of the game more, EA have attempted to balance this out and it mostly works, although at times it does get a little frustrating to see it happening more often than not.
You do eventually get around such issues though, and quick, accurate passing is often the most fruitful tactic. Still, something that is most pleasing of all is that the overall game feels like football should; you can graft away and try to open up the defence by pinging the ball about here and there, you can run at defenders and see if you can use skill to beat them, you can try the long ball tactic if you’re a fan of Bolton… pretty much everything is open. The shooting also feels pretty genuine and, as with other aspects of the game, becomes quite instinctive after a while, with you getting used to how various spin and speed of the excellent ball physics will affect your aim. When you do manage to score a 30-yard half volley (as I did against Jay, ho ho ho) you really do appreciate it though, as although it’s a pretty easy system to use, the screamers are reasonably rare.
One slight let down is how seemingly average the game looks graphically this year, which is somewhat puzzling. It’s by no means an ugly game at all and when it comes to viewing the match from the standard view it’s passable, but when you view replays you start noticing plenty of jagged edges, some truly awful crowd effects and some rather ugly texturing. It’s a bit of a shame as otherwise it looks pretty smooth in the ways the players animate – watching Torres perform a beautiful side foot chip over a despairing Petr Cech looked harrowingly realistic – and in terms of the framerate, which runs smoothly throughout play. Can’t have everything I suppose.
Off the field there is an extensive array of options and modes to wade through should you wish, from the usual exhibition and tournament creation offerings through to the rather detailed but strangely soulless manager mode and the rather more interesting Be a Pro and Virtual Pro modes, which are reasonably identical but with a couple of subtle differences. The former allows you to create a footballer or take on the role of an existing one for four seasons of matches, during which you will only control that one player as you attempt to gain experience points that allow you to level up in one of the many skill attributes on hand.
It works pretty well, and is somewhat addictive too. Having created myself as a rather standard forward for mighty Liverpool I grafted for two-dozen matches in the reserves before I had performed well enough to level my stats up to a point where I could play with the full team, and after a single season I had done so well that I was offered (and took, surprisingly) a move to Real Madrid to star alongside Kaka, Ronaldo et al. Gaining the experience is simply a matter of doing the job you’ve set yourself; if you are a forward then you are expected to assist and score, in defence break up moves and such, and midfield is a mixed bag depending on which position you play.
Having tested out the defensive midfield option last season I took it upon myself to become a striker this time, and much fun was had. Having said that, the mode also showed that it still suffers from the same old issues now and again; initial matches with the reserve team are an exercise in patience as your team mates consistently dwell on the ball too long or ineptly boot it out of play when passing to you would have been easier, and at times the scoring system that affects your rating is too draconian, often marking you down for things like having a shot blocked even if it goes for a corner, or being out of position even if you are the only person there and manage to hassle the opposition out of possession. It’s not quite spot on then, but it’s close.
The Virtual Pro mode is something slightly different in that you create a player (possibly using your own face pasted in if you can make sense of EA’s slightly muddly account twinning thing) and can then use him in all available offline and online game modes, during which you will unlock stat bonuses by accomplishing various things during games, like scoring your first goal or completing a set number of passes for example. It’s a slow process, but with the added bonus of being able to go online and play in virtual clubs as you find your feet it’s really rather rewarding. The option of keeping track of your stats throughout your career is also a nice little touch added in.
The online options are vast and pleasingly involving, with the most enjoyable mode being the Pro Club Championship, which offers you the chance of taking your created player online and joining up with a squad of other online folks and working together in ranked matches to gain experience and climb the rankings. It’s pretty much as close to getting the football career most of us wanted but were too crap to achieve, and being able to move to higher clubs that make an offer to you adds another layers to this. As long as you end up in a team who don’t run around the pitch chasing the ball like a bunch of 8-year old schoolboys the chances are that this is the mode you’ll get the most enjoyment out of online.
Obviously, should you wish to keep things rather simpler and just indulge in one-off matches against folks then that’s catered for too, with the game being pretty solid and lag free. It can never beat having your mate right there in situ as you send a 40-yard curler straight into the top corner and run of screaming never to return, but if you’re a little short on human company it’s a great way of getting a game against a slightly more human opponent.
As an overall package it’s so packed full of content and options that it’ll certainly last you until next year, and given that it’s the best version of the sport to date that’s a huge added bonus. That’s not even to mention the little touches; the arena that masks the game’s loading times and allows you to practice shooting, the hugely in-depth create options, the live season offering that will keep the squads and players updated as real life dictates (although you have to pay a small fee for each league). Heck, even the commentary is good fun, if a little out-of-place on occasion.
Even if a football game does turn out to be a bit of a dud, chances are that our obsession with the game will see it selling a fair few copies even so. The years where EA had to sit back and rely on that are seemingly well and truly dusted, thankfully, with FIFA 10 being another accomplished step up from a decent predecessor. It’s not perfect as discussed, but it’s another big step in the right direction and a game that it will take a colossal step from anyone to match. Game over, Konami? We’ll see.
With that portion of moaning over, it’s pretty much positive from here on in. See, EA have made enough adjustments and tweaks to make this version of FIFA the best to date. It certainly makes the bad old days where EA would continually hash around with gimmicky features seem a long, long way away, and it’s now undoubtedly the market leader when it comes to football games – something you have to hope that Konami can rise to at some point.
Away from such old rivalries and from a point of view completely focussed on EA and their product there is much to praise, both in terms of the options and the football itself. When I comes to the on field action the most obvious enhancement is that the players now how 360 degree movement as opposed to last year’s 8-axis offering, making for much more control of where you’re moving.
Initially this doesn’t seem to be so much of a change, but a quick flick back to FIFA 09 confirms that the main reason you don’t really notice much is that the players now do exactly what you think they should do, rather than you having to compensate. Making clever little angled runs and dinking in-between defenders is now possible with practice, although as per usual you have to take momentum into account when it comes to such matters. It’s now at the stage where it feels completely natural, and hence chances are you won’t really be aware of it until you go back to the old system for a quick try.
This also rings true when it comes to collisions and the way the players react when they come into contact, with stronger defenders often besting the Craig Bellamys of this world in tussles and jostles. In most respects this is very much a good thing; if FIFA 09 had a major issue it was that you could use pace to get yourself out of pretty much any tactical issue, often to the point where you could just cram the defence and midfield and just have one solitary lightning quick forward to feed off through balls all day long. By emphasising the physical side of the game more, EA have attempted to balance this out and it mostly works, although at times it does get a little frustrating to see it happening more often than not.
You do eventually get around such issues though, and quick, accurate passing is often the most fruitful tactic. Still, something that is most pleasing of all is that the overall game feels like football should; you can graft away and try to open up the defence by pinging the ball about here and there, you can run at defenders and see if you can use skill to beat them, you can try the long ball tactic if you’re a fan of Bolton… pretty much everything is open. The shooting also feels pretty genuine and, as with other aspects of the game, becomes quite instinctive after a while, with you getting used to how various spin and speed of the excellent ball physics will affect your aim. When you do manage to score a 30-yard half volley (as I did against Jay, ho ho ho) you really do appreciate it though, as although it’s a pretty easy system to use, the screamers are reasonably rare.
One slight let down is how seemingly average the game looks graphically this year, which is somewhat puzzling. It’s by no means an ugly game at all and when it comes to viewing the match from the standard view it’s passable, but when you view replays you start noticing plenty of jagged edges, some truly awful crowd effects and some rather ugly texturing. It’s a bit of a shame as otherwise it looks pretty smooth in the ways the players animate – watching Torres perform a beautiful side foot chip over a despairing Petr Cech looked harrowingly realistic – and in terms of the framerate, which runs smoothly throughout play. Can’t have everything I suppose.
Off the field there is an extensive array of options and modes to wade through should you wish, from the usual exhibition and tournament creation offerings through to the rather detailed but strangely soulless manager mode and the rather more interesting Be a Pro and Virtual Pro modes, which are reasonably identical but with a couple of subtle differences. The former allows you to create a footballer or take on the role of an existing one for four seasons of matches, during which you will only control that one player as you attempt to gain experience points that allow you to level up in one of the many skill attributes on hand.
It works pretty well, and is somewhat addictive too. Having created myself as a rather standard forward for mighty Liverpool I grafted for two-dozen matches in the reserves before I had performed well enough to level my stats up to a point where I could play with the full team, and after a single season I had done so well that I was offered (and took, surprisingly) a move to Real Madrid to star alongside Kaka, Ronaldo et al. Gaining the experience is simply a matter of doing the job you’ve set yourself; if you are a forward then you are expected to assist and score, in defence break up moves and such, and midfield is a mixed bag depending on which position you play.
Having tested out the defensive midfield option last season I took it upon myself to become a striker this time, and much fun was had. Having said that, the mode also showed that it still suffers from the same old issues now and again; initial matches with the reserve team are an exercise in patience as your team mates consistently dwell on the ball too long or ineptly boot it out of play when passing to you would have been easier, and at times the scoring system that affects your rating is too draconian, often marking you down for things like having a shot blocked even if it goes for a corner, or being out of position even if you are the only person there and manage to hassle the opposition out of possession. It’s not quite spot on then, but it’s close.
The Virtual Pro mode is something slightly different in that you create a player (possibly using your own face pasted in if you can make sense of EA’s slightly muddly account twinning thing) and can then use him in all available offline and online game modes, during which you will unlock stat bonuses by accomplishing various things during games, like scoring your first goal or completing a set number of passes for example. It’s a slow process, but with the added bonus of being able to go online and play in virtual clubs as you find your feet it’s really rather rewarding. The option of keeping track of your stats throughout your career is also a nice little touch added in.
The online options are vast and pleasingly involving, with the most enjoyable mode being the Pro Club Championship, which offers you the chance of taking your created player online and joining up with a squad of other online folks and working together in ranked matches to gain experience and climb the rankings. It’s pretty much as close to getting the football career most of us wanted but were too crap to achieve, and being able to move to higher clubs that make an offer to you adds another layers to this. As long as you end up in a team who don’t run around the pitch chasing the ball like a bunch of 8-year old schoolboys the chances are that this is the mode you’ll get the most enjoyment out of online.
Obviously, should you wish to keep things rather simpler and just indulge in one-off matches against folks then that’s catered for too, with the game being pretty solid and lag free. It can never beat having your mate right there in situ as you send a 40-yard curler straight into the top corner and run of screaming never to return, but if you’re a little short on human company it’s a great way of getting a game against a slightly more human opponent.
As an overall package it’s so packed full of content and options that it’ll certainly last you until next year, and given that it’s the best version of the sport to date that’s a huge added bonus. That’s not even to mention the little touches; the arena that masks the game’s loading times and allows you to practice shooting, the hugely in-depth create options, the live season offering that will keep the squads and players updated as real life dictates (although you have to pay a small fee for each league). Heck, even the commentary is good fun, if a little out-of-place on occasion.
Even if a football game does turn out to be a bit of a dud, chances are that our obsession with the game will see it selling a fair few copies even so. The years where EA had to sit back and rely on that are seemingly well and truly dusted, thankfully, with FIFA 10 being another accomplished step up from a decent predecessor. It’s not perfect as discussed, but it’s another big step in the right direction and a game that it will take a colossal step from anyone to match. Game over, Konami? We’ll see.
9/10