I got a chance to play a lot of Fifa 2010 on the Playstation 3 this Christmas thanks to my nephews and nieces. During this time I learnt two things. Firstly, that it’s not a real recession when sisters that you know would have been hit badly can still pull out three Nintendo DSs and a PS3 between then. And secondly that the Fifa franchise has changed very little since the last time I had my hands on it.
What I mean by this is that despite things like 360 degree dribbling, all the cool new tricks you can do and the custom set pieces, you still have difficulty with attacking players running the ball out of the pitch no matter how hard you pull on the analogue stick and players that you’re not even controlling will randomly foul your opponents for no apparent reason other than to give the computer a chance of a close range free kick. Frustrating is an understatement.
Another glitch is that when you score a goal, the scorer and the rest of your team in close proximity run to the stand to celebrate, but if the goal posts are in the way they just run aimlessly into them and jog on the spot, like pixelated idiots, taking away any sense of realism the game might have had.
However, all of this pales into near insignificance when the old school Fifa addictiveness kicks in, combined with the cheap thrill of taking your team (Stoke City in my case) to Manchester United and smashing them up 4-0, taking you to the top of the Premier league.
On the easier settings, the tournament mode is a walk in the park initially, but even here the artificial intelligence can awaken as it learns to adapt to your style of play, leaving you infuriated by a 0-0 draw at home against Sunderland and baying for the next scalp to return your dignity. This gives the game a lot of longevity, but this is multiplied by a million when you start to look at the multi-player options, improved manager mode and online possibilities for footy heaven.
Fifa 2010 on the Playstation 3 is a lot of fun and will keep you coming back for more for the rest of the season in the very least, but it is by no means flawless.
FIFA 2010 review: 3.8/5
Would have been a lot higher but for the glitches.
