Friday, May 21, 2010

FIFA 2010


FIFA 2010

FIFA 2010
From Electronic Arts

List Price:$79.99
Price:$68.98

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from and sold by GoGamer
5 new or used available from $27.99
Average customer review: 

Product Description

Overview - On the heels of winning 25 international gaming awards with FIFA 09, the top-selling football franchise from EA SPORTS is surpassed with FIFA 10. Responding to consumer feedback from more than 275 million online games played, FIFA 10 refines an already potent game engine, focusing on what matter most to fans.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #2060 in Video Games
  • Brand: Electronic Arts
  • ESRB Rating: Everyone
  • Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP
  • Format: DVD-ROM
  • Dimensions: .26 pounds

Features

  • 360? Dribbling -The first-ever true 360 dribbling system in a football game provides finer dribbling
  • Freedom in Physical Play
  • Player Urgency - Improved urgency AI logic, with over 50 new movement cycles
  • Improved Trapping Intelligence - Players now have a better awareness of where the easiest
  • More Accurate Passing - Players better analyze space resulting in pinpoint passes

Customer Reviews

FIFA PC =/= FIFA Xbox360/PS31
This game is the same as FIFA 09, the gameplay hasn't been updated much and it is surely not running on anything like the new FIFA 2010 engine that debuted on FIFA 2010 Xbox360 and PS3. It is claimed that there is 360 dribbling, this is a farce, the players don't move nearly the same as the console versions and the physical play is lacking. Furthermore, the passing is not nearly as crisp and still players will pass directly to opponent players. The list of problems, glitches and other issues continues, this is a series in need of a complete overhaul on the PC.

The graphics are horrid, the 'widget' system is still intact and the team customization options remain bland and sub-par at best. EA has continue to release lackluster PC incarnations of the FIFA series and it continues this tradition here. Avoid this game and either buy it on the Xbox360 or PS3, the true versions with 360 dribbling, physical play, and everything else, or Pro Evolution 2010, whose PC version is actually quite excellent.

Do not give EA money for this disservice to its customers, they need to be punished and see that more than a passing effort needs to be made in the PC port.
FIFA 10: good, but not as good as you might hope...4
I fell in love with the Fifa based football game when I bought the 08 version about a year ago. I was missing home and since it's nigh on impossible to get a rugby game here in the USA, I decided a soccer game would substitute.

08 was not bad, a bit clumsy in terms of player behavior and of course there were the physics of player movements etc, which were a little mediocre. Enter the hype of Fifa 10 and I couldn't wait.... Having drooled over the development videos and the eye candy of all the new features on EA's website, I was eagerly looking forward to an improved product. Alas, alack, it was not quite to be.

Definitely there have been some major strides between the 08 version and 10 - 10 is an immensely better product. The collision system is pretty awesome and the physics is handled quite well. The replay movies and up close renderings of the players' features is quite amazing. The graphics on the PC are a little less spectacular than I imagined, and many 09 fans complain that the graphics engine is little more than a re-hash of the 09 game. The blistering features seen in the Xbox 360 engine are not apparent in the PC game and that was disappointing.

Now, I confess I'm still a newbie to the platform, but a quick analysis of the Fifa 10 forums page revealed a bitter stand-off between the PC community and the developers. The console is where this game really shines and was likely intended...such is the nature of many sports franchises it seems. I have read too, that EA Sports toned down the game in PC form to accommidate the weaker PC platforms generally available in South American countries where the sport is huge, but this seems hard to believe.

In short, if you're expecting the game play seen in much of the advertisements, you'll be disappointed.

On the positive side, this is still a really fun game. There are several modes to chose from, including "be a pro" in which you can create your own player and represent your national team. The traditional manager mode is available and delivers a little more information and detail than 08. It's the development of players that I find the most addictive, along with the purchasing of upgrades and more players. It is easy to make mistakes and if you loose too many games and not meet the board's expectations, you may find yourself out of a manager's job. EA Sports also gave your a manager's mode without all the fiddly manager's expectations, so you can simply enjoys playing with your favorite team.

The professional difficulty level is generally challenging enough for me. I've played this game a lot and I've noticed the more team harmony there is the better the team plays. There are still quirks where players make stupid decisions or block each other's shots or passes, often with catastrophic results...defensive play is often mindblowingly annoying. You watch in frustration as strikers glide past your defenders who've bumbled into each other, and I've noticed it's often impossible to select the correct player to make a defensive maneuver to negate an attack.

The team play is generally smarter and teams will operate more complicated attacks and exploit the wings etc, rather than plug their way through the middle of the paddock. This means finding the right strategy to combat even lesser teams.

You need a handheld controller, like a logitech dual action, but I have to confess skill moves using the "trick stick" is not easy to get right. When it comes to beating teams, you need to have a good awareness of player positions using peripheral vision sometimes and be quick to pass and through pass where possible. Once you get a handle on this and can get some acendancy on an opponent, generating a win gets a smidge easier. However, fall behind and it becomes bloody hard to crack an opponents defense.

Sometimes it feels the other team simply shuts up shop and floods the box with so many players there's absolutely no space to attack. That gets furstrating.

The commentary is a little cyclic and generally works...there are some quirks, Clive Tillsley repeats a player's name twice when he threatens to score and there are othe minor bugs in the coding regarding when and where the right comment should fit. It's the same in the 08...

Overall, if you love soccer, this won't disappoint, it just won't blow you away. There are other franchises out there, the PES platform is arguably pretty good too. I can't justify having both. Loads of fun, just not as spectacular as the console version...
FIFA 10 adds a few new features but concentrates on getting the on-field action better then ever before...5
Unfortunately, despite the universal praise we have to knock FIFA 10 down for the complete lack of attention paid to the commentary. Once again, Martin Tyler and Andy Gray provide the punditry, but anybody who has played FIFA 09 will instantly spot the same lines being used again from last year's outing. It's not that it's particularly bad, but if football commentary wants to continue to improve beyond the two-part dialogue between the pair - which it certainly can - then you feel Rutter has to be willing to take a few more risks and show a little more innovation than evolution. Otherwise FIFA 10 is exemplary in the sound and overall presentation. Players call 'man on' and 'down the line'; announcers are heard over the Tannoy and crowds get behind the team with authentic chants. Visuals are once again beyond any competition, with stunningly detailed player models, sublime animation and a nice added depth-blur on close-up scenes.

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