The annual nature of Sports games are really starting to have an affect on them. Previous generations and renditions constantly had improvements that could be made and modes that could be tuned. The extra power that the current crop of systems have along with nearly twenty years of improve have lead to some highly polished games. But with them still being an annual release, surely they’ll run out of ideas soon?
The Good
360 Dribbling: Easily the most important upgrade for FIFA 10, if not the most important for years, is the 360 Dribbling. Not only does it allow you more flexibility when playing through a killer through ball when you can arc your run, but it loosens up the whole game. Occasionally a player will become ‘locked’ into running towards a ball. FIFA 10’s 360 dribbling frees this up, with your own judgement into the mix. I guess the one complaint you could have is that this makes previous versions of the game look incredibly old hat. But this is 2010 and who wants to run to a grid any more?
Fluid Substitutions: One of the annoyances of last year’s rendition was the lengthy waits for substitutions in which you were greeted by a wide shot of the stadium to disguise any loading. This year, for the most part, this has been fixed with players coming on straight away with out any interruption of play and nine out of ten times this was the case.
FIFA 10 Makes Previous Versions of the Game Look Incredibly Old Hat
Power As Well As Placement: Another gripe you could have with FIFA 09 was that basically every shot had to be finessed with the modifier on the bumper. This over-reliance on one mechanic has been addressed with traditional shots also hitting the target. Obviously if you blast it from outside the area, it will go flying into row Z but it’s nice to know there is a chance of it hitting the back of the net instead.
The Neutral
Quickly Taken Free Kicks: Pro Evolution Soccer was once the game for your innovation but I’m not going to retread old ground as it’s been documented repetitiously over the last few years. One little tweak PES did bring to the table was the option to take quick free-kicks. Although it’s a bit scattershot and after a few games I still couldn’t quite pinpoint how to initiate one, it’s a worthy edition. Maybe PES did have something when they clearly put on the screen ‘Press LB to take quickly’.
The Bad
Marginally Improved Commentary: Now it might sound like clutching at straws but the commentary in this year’s edition is all too familiar. You’ll probably notice a few extra lines and the greater inclusion of player and team names in sentences lead to a slightly more realistic audio presentation. Still the fact that we have the same commentary with a few extra lines for another year will probably lead to that mute button being deployed. It’s more disappointing than anything else.
Marginally Improved Commentary…Is More Disappointing Than Anything Else.
EA Sports have just about justified another annual release for the beautiful game of the beautiful game. It’s probably a cliché by now but where do they go from here? When do sports games become about their modes and less about the action on the pitch? We might not be able to answer that right now but a few moments with the recent demo of FIFA 10 is more than enough to make us all giddy for another year.
No Comments to FIFA 10 Preview: The Good, Bad & Neutral
by Stevie H
On September 19, 2009 at 9:03 pm
I wish they’d just do a game every 2 years, and in the year between do a DLC update (charge like £12 – £15).
All sports and wrestling games suffer from this problem of not much being different.
by taki p
On September 24, 2009 at 12:08 pm
dead set fifa has always been the best game on all consoles yet fifa 10 seems different there are some fantastic things like 360 dribbling, the substitutions, free kick are more fluent and easier. yet in the demo of fifa 10 i dont understand how every single play is the same in the sense of there attributes for eg you have messi the best player in the world and one of the fastest getting beat by taiwo from marseille. dead set thats not very realistic to me so hopefully the full game is better and this gets fixed up.
reply plz id like to know wats goin ahead
by Dreadlock
On September 30, 2009 at 5:57 am
Fifa 10 is not good enough. Playing fifa is not about dribbling- how could u dribble world class AI and then score a goal? Fifa is actually about passing and strategy. Now when they concentrate on dribbling, they reduce the field size (ration player with field is awkward) and made the field overcrowded with player. Field look extremely small, compare to other soccer games, especially during the corner kick. Tackle has become difficult because defender is not lock to the player who control the ball(no shoulder by shoulder). Overall fifa 10 is about dribbling- yes you can beat the defender because it’s now difficult to control the defend system.
-Hardcore fifa player since fifa02-
by C12
On October 1, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I think Fifa 10 is quite good. the good thing is the dribbling, is immense and the shots,now you can do low hard shot not like fifa 09 going to row z all the time. The bad thing is the commentary IT EXACTLY THE SAME AS FIFA 09!!!!
by Joe Halsall
On October 2, 2009 at 8:36 am
fifa is gay. PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER
by tahir
On October 17, 2009 at 12:33 pm
me an mate playd fifa 10 all night testing d game out c wats all d fuss about fifa being so good.it is a good game but its not realistic .the mor i plyed more bord i got jus not good as pes .i would give rating of 5 and half.skils are great doe
by Sam
On January 30, 2010 at 3:32 pm
I thought there were loads more bad points. The commentary though is terrible, they say stuff from the fifa 08 game which isn’t actually true anymore. E.g Liverpool have never contended for the title, when they just have the previous season. man u still behind liverpool on league titles when they’re not. they’res others but cba
i’m seriously considering PES because some of the play is terrible, like players shooting with they’re left when they’re right footed even though it was actually easier to hit it with the right. defenders are too strong and quick, messi’s should pace them completely and his touch should be amazing compared to others. shootings still not that fluent and neither is the passing at times.
by Dan
On March 13, 2010 at 4:11 am
This might be the worst fifa yet. Moving the player is like trying to move a robot. It just doesnt feel like a footballer. Players cannot aimm shots into the corner, even if you’re accurate with the analog stick. If the shot isn’t finess then there is no accuracy at all; every shot that is not finess automatically goes into the reach of the keeper. And as long as the keeper is mediocre there’s not a chance that the ball’s going in. Sometimes you click a button but the play changes as you click it, and so you no longer want the action that you just called for, well too bad because that action is happening requardless. You end up passing the ball when you’re on a break-away. Gliches are frequent too. Instead of adding a multitude of modes just fix out the major problems in the game. Oh and btw i mute the tv because the music is horrendous. I feel like i’m in mexico.