FIFA 10 (Xbox 360)

Before I start with the review, i just need to clear a couple of things up. I have indeed played the full game and this review is not based on a demo, if you have any questions regarding the full game, i will happily answer them for you. If you still don't believe me, wait until you have the game, then check this review, you will see i am telling the truth.

So whats new? Well, not a great deal really, pretty much the same teams as last year with maybe the exception of the Dutch national side, which see's a welcomed return. The first noticeable difference from 09 is the 360 movement, which is a great addition and definitely changes the way the game runs. Players can now make bending runs into space and when taking on defenders with players such as Ashley Young, you get the sense that he can do it easily, as in real life. The biggest difference from 09 and the demo is without doubt the A.I. of the goalkeepers, make no mistake, gone are the days of easy one on one's, the keepers WILL shut you out 9 times out of 10. Although sometimes they do seem god-like and save shots they have no right to, this is not a bad thing as i am sure you will agree that 09 was far too easy to score.

The big thing EA are plugging this year is the new and improved manager mode, and while there is a plethora of new options, not much has changed. In the few hours that i played the game, not once did i have any media interest in my club, usually you are given options on how to address comments, but thus far, i have seen none. When starting a new game now, you have the choice of what stadiums you play your homes games at and have the option to change all the other teams home ground from the main menu. Although, don't expect to change teams that have their proper ground, (i.e. Man Utd) to say, the Nou Camp, as this isn't possible. Also when starting a new game you can change the diffulculty of the clubs board, obviously the higher the level, the less money, time and patience you recieve, making getting results that much more important. The transfer system has been overhauled making it harder to attract players, you now have to take into account your wage structure and transfer budget. I was playing as Real Madrid and tried to attract Franck Ribery, however his wages were way out of my reach, so i would have to lessen my wage bill before going back in for him. Taking into account that he was not interested in signing for my club anyway, which is shown by an interest bar when bidding for players. So in short, don't expect to sign C.Ronaldo for Barnet because it just won't happen. Also, i have noticed that some of the team rosters are not up to date, for example, Richard Dunne is still at Man City and not at Aston Villa, i only noticed this because i support the former. You can however go into the edit mode and change him there, however, its a bit poor from EA not making sure they have implemented the correct changes.

A new mode called Virtual Pro has also been added, which in a nutshell means, you put yourself in the game and can use him in all offline and some online modes to boost his statistics. Also you can download your game-face from EA Sports World AKA Tiger Woods, to make him look like yourself. You have to option to take him on your squad roster when starting new manager mode games. From here you get a basic player, but the more you use him in games, the more attributes you unlock, making him into one of the best players on the game. Don't expect his to be a quick process as there are well over a 100 attributes to unlock and if you play a bad game then your form drops. Its a great idea and adds more longetivity to the game.

The commentary is still spot on, not a lot different from 09 but seems to be more in depth, tracking your resent results and top scrorers. There are also tutorials now, showing newbies and veterans alike how to play the game correctly. I consider myself to be a veteran, but there were loads of aspects that i personally wasn't aware of, so this is worth checking out, all of which is narrated by Martin Tyler which is a nice touch. There is also new custom free-kicks, where you can put together your own set-pieces in order to break down a stubbon defence, i have not played around with this yet so i am unable to comment.

I have scored the game 4 out of 5, mainly due to the fact that there is not a lot of difference from 09, but if you are a fan of football games then be sure to pick it up. There is enough here to warrent another purchase, however, don't expect this to be completely different game, because its not. Thanks for taking the time to read this review, if there is anything you would like answering or anything i have missed, just ask! Thanks.

Hey there,

I've played Fifa 09 from the day it came out to the day I bought the new Fifa 10. As an experienced Fifa gamer, I believed while EA Sports tried to improve some features of the game, they sort of went the other way.

I love manager mode in Fifa 09; however it's been altered completely. Good points are players have to have interest in your club in order for them to join. Also, if they see you already have a player playing regularly in their position, they'll be reluctant to come. One more good point is that the salary is very restricted, i.e. this time there's separate funds available for wages and separate for transfers, when last time they were all in one.

Now for the things I don't like. They have changed the 'auto-growth' option; now you're not allowed to turn it off! I find it annoying because I like to use my XP Points where I want them. They also have a morale option for the players now: at first I thought that's a good thing but how wrong was I! Most of the time the players are unhappy (for unknown reasons) and their Current Overall drops, e.g, Walcott who's 81 will drop to a possible 74! That's a really big chunk and this affects how they play in matches! When it comes to renewing your own players contracts, for unknown reasons again, no matter how much money/more years/less years/bonuses you give them, they decline it!

I would recommend Fifa 10 to anyone who has been a Pro fan because it very realistic and the graphics are also amazing, plus you don't have to edit the names of players or teams lol. Though for people who already played Fifa, I would say try before buy!

I have to confess I don't mind online play but it isn't my favourite aspect of FIFA - too many kids who quit when you go two up and leave you hanging. FIFA 10 even has a built in Achievement for those who do it enough times which tells you something.

I like the Manager Mode and FIFA 10 has an improved version of the one I played to death in FIFA 09.

First off you create your own Pro and in Manager mode he will follow you from club to club. I actually found the Premiership a bit too easy so started with Bournemouth in League 2. I'm currently on about season 7 or 8 (Bournemouth sacked me after 12 game........) and it is a good tough challenge.

The let downs for me are the commentary. I do like Martin Tyler but smug Andy Gray sets my teeth on edge - let's hope he won't be back. The trouble is sometimes at the end of a drawn match you will be told 'And that's the third match in a row they have lost'. What?

Also isn't this the same 'banter' we heard in FIFA 2009? And most of the 'new' commentary only concerns the weather effects.

The weather consists of sunny, raining and snow, and the annoying thing about the snow levels is the pitch is TOTALLY white - even in the non leagues they clear the pitch and use an orange ball. If your ball selection for the whole game is white you will struggle to see anything in the 'snow'.

Bugs in the Manager Mode are mainly that newly generated players (replacing retiring) sometimes generate without a name. They have a name on their shirt but nothing on the team sheet nor in the commentary.

Another bug is that you can have an Assistant Manager who picks the team, but even if switched off he will switch your players around - sometimes you only notice as you start to play a match, so you have to ALWAYS check the team.

Those niggles aside this is a good footie game with enough options for anyone - I haven't even bothered going into Ultimate Team yet. You find the part of it you like and play.

Worth the money whilst it is round a tenner but remember the bugs.