Same as last year although with subtle differences
Before I start with the review, i just need to clear a couple of things up. I have indeed played the full game and this review is not based on a demo, if you have any questions regarding the full game, i will happily answer them for you. If you still don't believe me, wait until you have the game, then check this review, you will see i am telling the truth.
So whats new? Well, not a great deal really, pretty much the same teams as last year with maybe the exception of the Dutch national side, which see's a welcomed return. The first noticeable difference from 09 is the 360 movement, which is a great addition and definitely changes the way the game runs. Players can now make bending runs into space and when taking on defenders with players such as Ashley Young, you get the sense that he can do it easily, as in real life. The biggest difference from 09 and the demo is without doubt the A.I. of the goalkeepers, make no mistake, gone are the days of easy one on one's, the keepers WILL shut you out 9 times out of 10. Although sometimes they do seem god-like and save shots they have no right to, this is not a bad thing as i am sure you will agree that 09 was far too easy to score.
The big thing EA are plugging this year is the new and improved manager mode, and while there is a plethora of new options, not much has changed. In the few hours that i played the game, not once did i have any media interest in my club, usually you are given options on how to address comments, but thus far, i have seen none. When starting a new game now, you have the choice of what stadiums you play your homes games at and have the option to change all the other teams home ground from the main menu. Although, don't expect to change teams that have their proper ground, (i.e. Man Utd) to say, the Nou Camp, as this isn't possible. Also when starting a new game you can change the diffulculty of the clubs board, obviously the higher the level, the less money, time and patience you recieve, making getting results that much more important. The transfer system has been overhauled making it harder to attract players, you now have to take into account your wage structure and transfer budget. I was playing as Real Madrid and tried to attract Franck Ribery, however his wages were way out of my reach, so i would have to lessen my wage bill before going back in for him. Taking into account that he was not interested in signing for my club anyway, which is shown by an interest bar when bidding for players. So in short, don't expect to sign C.Ronaldo for Barnet because it just won't happen. Also, i have noticed that some of the team rosters are not up to date, for example, Richard Dunne is still at Man City and not at Aston Villa, i only noticed this because i support the former. You can however go into the edit mode and change him there, however, its a bit poor from EA not making sure they have implemented the correct changes.
A new mode called Virtual Pro has also been added, which in a nutshell means, you put yourself in the game and can use him in all offline and some online modes to boost his statistics. Also you can download your game-face from EA Sports World AKA Tiger Woods, to make him look like yourself. You have to option to take him on your squad roster when starting new manager mode games. From here you get a basic player, but the more you use him in games, the more attributes you unlock, making him into one of the best players on the game. Don't expect his to be a quick process as there are well over a 100 attributes to unlock and if you play a bad game then your form drops. Its a great idea and adds more longetivity to the game.
The commentary is still spot on, not a lot different from 09 but seems to be more in depth, tracking your resent results and top scrorers. There are also tutorials now, showing newbies and veterans alike how to play the game correctly. I consider myself to be a veteran, but there were loads of aspects that i personally wasn't aware of, so this is worth checking out, all of which is narrated by Martin Tyler which is a nice touch. There is also new custom free-kicks, where you can put together your own set-pieces in order to break down a stubbon defence, i have not played around with this yet so i am unable to comment.
I have scored the game 4 out of 5, mainly due to the fact that there is not a lot of difference from 09, but if you are a fan of football games then be sure to pick it up. There is enough here to warrent another purchase, however, don't expect this to be completely different game, because its not. Thanks for taking the time to read this review, if there is anything you would like answering or anything i have missed, just ask! Thanks.
The First True Football Sim
Firstly without getting into the changes/improvements to the latest version of FIFA I would just like to say what a fun game this is to play. Endless hours of fun can be had playing this with your mates, like all great football games it takes a long time to get bored! If you're a die hard FIFA player, a PES convert (like me) or a first timer then I would regard this as a deffinate purchase. Considering various supermarket chains are offering this for sale at £25 (or there abouts) no one even remotly interested in football should be without this!
For me the most significating improvements are with the movement and set pieces. This is the first football game that is not restricted by standard movement - up, down, left, right & the four diagonals. To be honest at first I didn't really notice. Then I played someone on xbox live who was a very good player, I was 3-0 down within 15 minutes (and I'm not a bad player)! What I then realised is that I was so used to the standard set 8 direction movement that I wasn't taking advantage of the new system (he clearly was). I then started to play as if it was a real game, without restriction and I came back to eventually win the game 5-4. For the first time I really feel like this is a sim of real world football rather than a football game.
This brings me onto set pieces and something I have wanted to be added for years! You can now create your own set pieces, save them and then use them in games. Fair enough shooting from free kicks - nothing new, much the same as all football games. But I personally was so frustrated by free kicks where you where in a position to cross and corners. Players out of position, standing next to the keeper, no one in the box! Those days are gone! You can now (as part of the practice arena) create your own set pieces in a free environment. You select an area of the pitch for the set piece to be taken, you are then given control of the starting positions of all outfield players and you dictate exactly where they make their runs. You can then use 'play' to see if the runs work as you intended and tweak it to your hearts content. Spend some time on these and you can make any set piece your imagination can conjure as well as recreating your favourite real life set pieces - they are a nightmare to defend against if done well.
As much as I love this game their are a few downsides. There has been a lot of attention placed on manager mode (particularly with achievements) which I feel has not been improved since 09 - if your going to plug something to this degree they really needed to make massive improvements, they haven't. Again a lot of the game is based on the BAP and making your own real life player, download the game face from EA world (which BTW I've been trying to do for days, the website isn't working. Why can't we do this with an Xbox live vision camera anyway?) and then taking your player on a career (getting signed for an online club, getting them to the top of various leagues etc.) but for me the BAP mode was never any good and continues to be sub par. The only other gripe I have is with tackles when playing again the computer, you touch them they go down and a free kick is awarded. They two footed tackle you in the box - nothing. This is something I've seen consistently over several games. However if you play a lot against a friend or on Xbox live then this shouldn't be a massive issue.
All in all this is more than FIFA 09 with a spit and polish, this is in my opinion the first true football sim. Play and enjoy.
Best Football Game Ever!
Everything from previous Fifa has been mostly improved since the excellent Fifa 09...New total 360 degress total control of player adds a new and much more realistic game. Preveiously 8 way control on Fifa and PES was the norm, now with 360 control the 8 way control seems so limited/dated once exprienced. Game has improved animation, better management, better control, better online...better everything. The new PES will have to do an awful amount to beat this gem. Best football game ever - highly recommended.
About FIFA 10 (Xbox 360) detail
- Amazon Sales Rank: #8 in Computer & Video Games
- Brand: Electronic Arts
- Released on: 2009-10-02
- Platform: Xbox 360
- Format: Unknown format
- Original language: English
- Dimensions: .26 pounds