FIFA 10 (PS3)

Rated by Bruce Banner, London on 24th February 2010

Who would have thought that the day would come when I .. a die hard pro evolution soccer for life would go over to the dark side that is FIFA! Well this momentous occasion has happened and I have to admit I'm glad I made the change. For the last few years any real pro evo fan, those that have been with the franchise since the days of International Superstar soccer deluxe on the SNES in my case, would readily admit that the once great game has not made the transition from PS2 to PS3 well. I would even go as far as to say its been a fairly lazy effort as they seemed quite willing to not get the basics right. Anyway, having not ventured near a FIFA game since the days of my PS1, I still had visions of an overly simplistic, shoot from anywhere no atmosphere experience. Well how times have changed FIFA has matured into a smooth, elegant experience of the beautiful game that is footie. Free flowing attacking football, the odd goal mouth scramble, defensive mistakes and unbelievable misses all add up to the excitement. Together with a bucketload of teams and various play options this is what I expected from the PS3 and what I expected from PES. FIFAs management mode is like Master League on steroids lol Only in my first year as I'm playing every match, but I can see the class shining through. Don't get me wrong there are a few annoying faults like the amount of times the ball hits the ref or the post! After the first few times this just gets plain annoying! Graphically I cannot fault it, but again the crowd effects just aren't BIG enough .. but perhaps that is because I'm playing with Spurs! lol If you are looking for a footie game on the PS3 then I guess that FIFA 10 is your best option for now until the PES bods wake up and get their act back together. Oh and before the PES fanboys start yes I have played PES 2010 and no I wasn't overly impressed. But I am hoping that PES goes back to the glory days and puts out another quality product.

Rated by M. Dommett, London, UK on 5th October 2009

On the pitch the game is great, the only real problem is that keepers come off their line far too easily leading to multiple lobbings. Double tapping triangle to keep them on the line doesn't work as well as it used to. Players lack individuality but that has always been an issue. As i say though, make no mistake, on the pitch it is a great game. I don't really play online as people are only ever Man utd, Barca, Inter and this time the Uber team is Real. There is a filter this time which helps but most are still the above and reports of quitting and one tactic football are still rife so i stick to offline. Many would say how it plays on the pitch is all that matters and usually i would agree but the problems off the pitch are so bad that it takes away from the experiece in a way i cannot ignore. Especially in the manager mode which is the core mode. I will not list them as they are too many but just look at the EA and other forums to see all the MM issues. The MM was advertised as being revamped and it has ended up so unfinished and clearly untested (or tested by idiots) that to accuse EA of lying, false advertisment and betrayal of trust is not ott. The other unfortunate thing here is that EA have a terrible record of patching game modes. EA do patch gameplay issues when pressured but modes including last years MM are usually left alone no matter what I will state so noone gets me wrong that the actual game of footy it plays is class, it really is, if there were no problems with with the modes then i would give 5 star for the game and 4 star for fun (4 star as the online community is immature and pathetic) but the game is unacceptably untested and unfinished that it falls short of greatness. I am also disgusted that none of the main reviews mentioned this stuff which it is their duty too, yet another reason not to trust the critics. It was also hyped far too much, bugs or no bugs but that is another story.

Rated by John, Erfurt, Germany (expat) on 14th October 2009

First things first: FIFA 10 plays a cracking game of footy. When you're on the pitch it's sublime- I haven't played a football game properly since ISS on the SNES and FIFA 10 feels just as fun and accessible whilst providing deeper options for those who choose to use them. Sadly as others have mentioned, the game is riddled with bugs - ranging from minor graphical glitches which spoil the presentation to crash bugs and major game breaking bugs in tournament or manager modes. I've developed console games professionally and I just can't understand how this game passed through QA. It's broken - as simple as that.

Rated by Tom Cat ©, Earth on 3rd October 2009

Its becoming harder and harder for EA to improve the FIFA series since theirs only so much you can add. And now that they've thankfully stopped adding silly new features which used to sell the product (remember 'Off The Ball Control'?...), they've found the time to make an already great game more realistic through simple improvements - not massive additions. The most immediate of these is the brand new 360-degree player control which adds a whole new dimension to the game which, I must confess previously, didn't trust the hype. What makes this 360 movement unique for the simulation is that the computer players can now move about in any single direction they like. For over a decade, those mindless CPU players seem to have been stuck on a grid of Left, Right, Up, Down. Its now a thing of the past! Controlling your own players with the 360 movement does indeed take some time to get used to - not for the fact its difficult, but so you can achieve the best out of the new control. This addition under-pins plenty of others. With 360 control comes a whole host of new animations for Jostling (when being shoulder barged), for controlling the ball, which the FIFA players now seem comfortable to control on any part of their body, whereas in previous games I've noticed players don't like heading balls down or using their thighs. Running animations have been spectacularly improved to a degree were each player as a unique way of striding - also noticeably the way in which players intercept the ball, where they can stretch out and control the ball with the outside of their feet, perfect for wingers. The goalkeepers too benefit new animations from the 360 movement, and look less like robots and more like athletic... Well, men! With all this though comes the challenge element of gameplay, which has been vastly raised as a benchmark. Stepping into the game on Professional difficulty was surprisingly too much even as an avid player, and I was required to go back to basics with Amateur mode. This isn't a flaw - its an improvement, as the gameplay has so much variety that you will be back on your feet jumping when you do score that winning goal. And with better ball physics and more realistic shot movement, your goals look spectacular, average or plain jammy! Manager Mode has a cleaner interface with an apparent improved transfers foundation, which may be the case as Wigan no longer offer me £35 million for Wayne Rooney. Tactics remain the same, though their is the option to manage your set-pieces which, although is nice, doesn't offer too much effect unless you really plan it well anyway during gameplay. Finance is a lot more realistic, and you'll be encouraged to spend wiser which was definitely needed. Theirs a whole host of options carried on from FIFA 09, some of which have been greatly improved, but I'd like to think that just nit-picking at the above is in-definitely enough a reason to buy this game. EA have made the right choice of going to the community and asking for what we want; not telling us what were going to have. For this reason, FIFA 10 feels more dramatic and realistic then any title before it and I advise you to get it... Now!

Rated by Bottomlesspocket, South West England on 8th November 2009

Firstly- Good game which is great fun one minute then super frustrating the next to the point of being a joke... -Online, everyone plays as the same teams, Real, Inter, Barca, Spain, Brazil, Chelsea, France, Man U, etc ect. people will choose these team regardless of what team you pick, so its no fun being a lower level side cus chances are you will get beaten easily by Messi/Ronaldo/Rooney/Drogba...this isnt much fun if you are trying to have a decent game, and do something different. ITS PATHETIC BEING THE SAME TEAM ALL THE TIME! -After most celebrations the whole team runs into the back of the net. -The ball hits the bar every game almost, and it feels forced, liek its trying be entertaining but its not. -The referee gets in the way of the ball and then the opposing team can go and score from it- VERY frustrating!! i dont care if this is realism or not! -Soundtrack is hit & miss, some AWFUL songs on there (some kid saying 'wegue wegue wegue wegue about 100 times over) i'm sure everyone would agree here, no matter what musical taste you have. -The defenders are quicker than most strikers, except for the few start players such as Benzema etc. -Keepers get lobbed 9/10 times when clear through on goal -you press a button, then the response time is so slow, the player will do it and by that time it wont be the choice you want, so they end up passing to the other team. These are the most annoying things in any game ive ever played! apart from this its sometimes enjoyable.

Rated by Kantartzopoulos George, Athens , Greece on 5th November 2009

I will say only a few words about this game. I was always a fan of pro evolution since 1995. I hated fifa because it was arcade. Now turn these words upside down. Pro evolution 2010 is arcade and fifa 2010 is the master of all simulations of soccer ever created. Power to pass, power to shoot, power to cross, aim at cross, record set pieces so you can predefine where your players should move before a foul kick, you can choose between manual gaming (total simulation and hard as hell), semi, auto, goalkeepers are really good and real, graphics are like last year but the gameplay perfectness is beyond imagination, the online mode is amazing, even on 10vs10 live players online there is no lag, the modes are way too much and fun, real names and teams, create your face and put it in the game, experience your player as rpg..and many many more. I should write down 4 pages for this game to understand how good this is but I will just say that it will be the best gift you made to yourself this year..

Rated by R. Moffat, Scotland on 14th April 2010

I love this Fifa game! It's the best in the series, it is miles better than Pro Ev. The best things about this game is the all-new manager mode, which is improved. I love manager mode as it never gets boring. Also playing as a virtual pro online is amazing. I love both of these ideas, which makes it amazing!!!!

Rated by Mathias Hald Nørgaard on 28th January 2010

Very nice game. Many hours of gameplay, including great online features! Recommended++

Rated by S. Gerard on 20th January 2010

Fifa 10 is like the other EA sport Fifa games, but better. I loooooove the virtual pro mode. short review, have to go. I have a league to win !!!

Rated by A. King, Birmingham UK on 19th January 2010

Fifa 10 is possibly the best Fifa game i have played, an i have owned them all since '99. Such an upgrade on what 09 which was still a good game. Highly recomment it.