Folks, it’s that time of the year again. That’s right, it’s time to take a look at the football game that we’re all going to be playing for the next year or so. Well, at least until the official World Cup edition of FIFA is released, in which case we’ll pay full-price for it, enjoying for the whole duration of the tournament! Yep, it’s all about deadlines, targets, yearly sales figures and most importantly, metacritic scores. Producer David Rutter and EA Sports head honcho Peter Moore had a single objective for FIFA 10: to achieve a 90+ rating on Metacritic. So I’m going to give credit where it’s due. Congrats, boys, you’ve done it. You’ve managed to do what the Pro Evolution Soccer series has done on four previous occasions — but enough about inconsequential achievements. Let’s move on to a more pertinent question: Is FIFA 10 any good?
Purists will argue that the only relevant version of FIFA 10 is the next-gen version. There’s enough weight in that argument. The Xbox and PS3 versions sell more than all other versions of the game combined, and as a result, are the only versions that look like some sort of time, effort and money were pumped into them. The PS2 version is a definite improvement over its predecessor, but remains virtually identical audio-visually due to the hardware limitations of the platform. The official released PC version, on the other hand, is an absolute joke. A simple first-glance at the pitch, for example, is vomit-inducing to say the least. The game is visually on par with FIFA 07, only with slightly better character models. Fortunately, an HD grass patch makes things look a lot better, and it was only after installing it did I take notice of the various gameplay improvements that have been made. Conscious efforts have been taken to remove various bugs and glitches prevalent in the previous PC version, and as a result, it will provide a far more balanced multiplayer experience than before. Since the PC version isn’t that ‘relevant’ any more, I’ll just conclude by saying that it’s superior to FIFA 09 in almost every respect — just make sure you download the HD grass patch.
Moving on to more relevant things, now: the improvements in FIFA 10. On the PS3, FIFA 10 is everything FIFA 09 should have been, and more. EA Canada seem to have settled on a very specific visual treatment for FIFA, and as a
result, the graphics engine has undergone only minor tweaks. The animation now looks more fluid and smooth, and some of the lighting looks better than before. So, in essence, EA has merely been sharpening the graphics since FIFA 08. The new 360-degree dribbling system is a welcome addition, although it just means that you can now also dribble past defenders rather than bisect them with the already overpowered FIFA 09 through-ball. Player-strength is important now (unlike before when it was an irrelevant statistic), so you can expect to see great players like Leo Messi being taken down with ease by a mighty centre-half like Danny Shittu, while defenders like William Gallas, Rio Ferdinand and Carles Puyol are merely pushed aside by a menacing Didier Drogba. EA, I can see that your heart is in the right place, but don’t go playing the ‘simulation’ card when it’s ‘fun’ that you actually aim to deliver.
FIFA 10 is all about fun. Forget simulation, forget realism and forget it’s complex new gameplay mechanics. FIFA 10 promises lots of goals, a great multiplayer experience and good, wholesome fun. That’s what it’s about. Don’t be fooled by the marketing communication. FIFA 10 is exactly what FIFA has been about since FIFA Soccer 96. Your defenders still look like idiots most of the time. Your goalie is still prone to some serious blunders. Your strikers will still hit the mark from some ridiculous angles, while missing an open goal. When you’re sitting in front of your TV screen playing FIFA 10 with a bunch of friends, you’ll feel like you’ve done this before several times. Then you’ll remember scoring that outrageous goal from midfield in FIFA 2002, the 20-odd Marseilles-roulette’s you performed successively in FIFA 99, or the time you were losing 8-0 to your friend in FIFA 97, after which you deliberately had half your squad red carded just so that the game would change the result to 2-0. FIFA 10 epitomises the arcade-fun which was synonymous with the series in the past — even if it does so in denial. I must admit that I have misunderstood FIFA the past few years. This PES-esque veil of simulation and realism was all very misleading.
Verdict
The best football game in the market, not because of its realism, but because the authenticity of the experience it delivers. A staggering amount of licensed club and international sides, leagues, stadia and commentary from Martin Tyler and Andy Gray (in the PS3 version) make this the definitive virtual football experience. FIFA 10 more than does justice to the high standards set by the previous iteration.
—videep@gmail.com
