FIFA 10 – Review

There came a moment during our playtime with FIFA 10 when we asked ourselves how we ever doubted EA’s ability in turning out a decent football game. Maybe it was when we successfully split apart Chelsea’s back line with a cheeky one-two, or witnessed one of Ronaldo’s screamers almost burst through the goal net as a result of some carefully conceived build up play.

Of course, these don’t sound like big things – indeed, they’re pretty standard, but they’ve never been pulled off with such fluidity or precision, with FIFA 10’s exactness emulating the look and feel of the beautiful game better than ever before. The build-up to FIFA’s 10’s almost-perfect realization of football has been in the works for the last couple of years, with FIFA 08 and 09 laying down a good framework from which to tighten and polish. And so EA Canada has, delivering a stellar footy experience with FIFA 10 that should put to bed the PES vs. FIFA argument once and for all.

Tight play

Play is far tighter than any FIFA previous (or any PES, come to that), thanks to an incredible new 360-degree dribbling system that allows you to position the ball anywhere at your feet, while new advanced techniques like jockeying offer you more control over your players than ever. The pace of the game feels nigh-on perfect too, with tight midfield battles for possession contending with a sudden urgency as players make daring runs on the break – something made all the better by advanced AI teammates that quickly react to openings. As a result, games in FIFA 10 have all the fluidity and pace of a real football match, no longer held back by poorly tethered animations, stiff directional restrictions or dodgy ball physics.

New elements to impress, such as FIFA 10’s ‘Virtual Pro’ that naturally expands on last year’s ‘Be A Pro’ allowing you to get your face in the game and use your own character in any of the game’s modes, gradually gaining experience through ‘accomplishments’ and becoming a star player. It’s a fantastic addition and one likely to raise a simple smile on the face of any budding footballer. FIFA still has some way to go off the pitch, though. FIFA 10’s menu screen is more confusing than Rooney’s choice in women, while the decision to dump you back onto the main menu after each online game seems rather daft to be honest.

Nevertheless, to think quite how far FIFA has come in such a relatively a short space of time is incredible. FIFA 10 is a near faultless replication of the beautiful game, easily the best FIFA ever created, and possibly the best football game we’ve ever played.

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