Once EA finds a nice frame of reference for their sporting titles, they seem to ease into fixes and tweaks rather than overhauls. It makes sense, of course, to never fix what ain't broken. Since the addition of separate ball physics in the FIFA series, EA has gone to great lengths to spice the game up a bit with new additions like their Be A Pro, or playing as one of 11 in an online match.
Those things work, and they're all solid efforts in the picture that is FIFA in recent years. So where does 10 stand out? Where does FIFA 10 become its own game worth a purchase?
Basically it's all in the nuances. The subtleties of the beautiful game expressed in FIFA 10 are what make it a winner. Player animations during defense, tackling or positioning are more realistic. Character models make more natural animations when handling or approaching the ball. Rather than the ball seeming to gravitate towards the user, the user's character will actually stick a foot out to gain possession. And it's not that this happens only sometimes; it works all the time.
The only issue here is that it's become even more difficult to win the ball from opponents. Players will realistically jockey for position while the ball seems to just whimsically continue downfield. Defense is no longer about being aggressive and forcing a tackle, it's about playing position and anticipating passes. It's an issue because I'm just no good at it. Yes, it's more realistic, an no, FIFA isn't losing points here... I'm just damn frustrated!
An actual complaint concerning all these additions to realistic gameplay is the unavoidable nuisance of control. Leave your game on the startup screen without pressing start and one of the commentators launches into a tutorial video. There's a whole slew of them, and without these badboys I would have likely missed out on most of the gameplay adjustments.
But these tutorials bring up a problem with FIFA's realistic style. Complication stands up for all to take notice. As our announcer is detailing something like positional defense for FIFA 10, he'll start to tell you which buttons to press at which moments. After the first string of commands, he'll move right on to the next. Before the video's over, you won't be sure at what moment you're supposed to hold the Left Bumper in conjuction with LT and the A button. Sure, you'll get a general gist of what combinations affect what mechanics, but these tutorials do little to lessen the complications found in the robust gameplay. So while you may mean to press LB+LT+A in order to make a tackle, you'll wind up pressing LB+LT+B to call in a teammate. Confusing? It is! The wealth of tweaks and do-dads concerning on-the-pitch movements will lead you to literally weeks of adjustment as you try and learn how to do things like the big boys on TV.
In this writer's world, all Be A Pro modes from EA most be compared to those of the NHL series. Sorry, that's just the way it is.
After about a week playing with my Pro in FIFA 10, I found that I enjoyed a lot of the ways this series deals with things when compared to the excellence of NHL. Rather than a report card after each period (well, you get one of those too during halftime), players get a status bar along the bottom of their screen. The bar gets hit and dinged with positives and negatives that correspond to your play on the field. Bad positioning and it's a red minus, good tackle and you'll earn a green plus. Your bar fills up as you play. It's actually extremely rewarding and it carries an addictive thrust that I think can be equated to numbers pouring out of a victim in an RPG or +10s in Call of Duty's multiplayer.
Your Pro is leveled based on your abilities, not on how you distribute points. Rather than putting experience towards passing, you'll pass well and level up your passing ability. And it works outside of the Be a Pro mode. Wherever your Pro is playing, he's earning experience. This is something the NHL series needs, and I hope they take a tip from their brethren studio.
Another nice addition is the Assistant Manager in Manager Mode. He's there to handle roster adjustments and squad changes based on things like energy level. It's a fantastic addition to those more concerned with on the field action than handling names in a chart.
The online play is just as solid as it was last year. Sure, playing with idiots standing offsides practically the entire match hasn't changed, but that's hardly EA's fault. It was tough to put together a fully manned match, but from what I played there wasn't much lag to be had. I have yet to be defeated by an exploit, so the standard cheats seem to be missing from the bag. Let's hope it stays that way for at least a little while.
FIFA 10 is another solid outing for the series. Recently they've been taking the world by storm and practically blasting Winning Eleven out of sight and mind. On American and European shores, anyways. They game's sold infinitely well, and it's for good reason. FIFA 10 is EA's best attempt to-date done; touting refinements rather than a revamp.
CraveOnline Rating: 9 out of 10.
+.5 if you absolutely adore soccer (or football or whatever...).
