FIFA 10 is in no way revolutionary but proves you can improve a game no matter how perfect the previous one seemed.
Original review:
After playing FIFA 09 non-stop for a year I became very used to how things worked. In fact, I could swear the game was perfect since everything did what I wanted it to do.
Enter FIFA 10...
Seasoned FIFA veterans may be surprised to see that the game and movement of the players feels much different than before. It flows much better and feels 'softer', much like a human body and its movement should feel. Players aren't perfectly controllable robots like before. As perfect as I thought FIFA 09 was I guess it actually wasn't because this is even better.
Though it takes some time to get used to...
I'm not reviewing the entire game with all of its extra modes. I'm just reviewing the actual gameplay as well as the graphics and sound.
Graphically the game looks great compared to before. The textures are much more crisp and the crowd looks much more real. The animations are much more fluid and flow well into the next animation. You start to get a feeling that the players no longer use seperate animations but, of course, they do.
Sound is a bit less impressive and, quite honestly, I can swear FIFA 09 actually sounded better. Something about FIFA 10 isn't hitting quite right with the on-field sound. The musical score is great as always but I admit FIFA 09 had a better album...
On-field gameplay is great. It feels fluid and real and things such as crosses and corners take much better planning than before. Curving the ball is easier which actually results in many over-done curves so perhaps 'easier' isn't the right word. A great new feature is players bumping into each other actually affects the other player and can even draw a foul. No more running straight into a defender to try and steal the ball!
One improvement I love is the custom tactics menu system now shows a small graphic that displays what your selections will do on the field. So when you adjust a slider to suggest you want more passing then the graphic will adjust too and show you a better indication of what your guys will do. It also gives a small explanation right beside it. It's a very nice addition.
9.5/10: Sure sound is a bit lacking, crosses and corners have to be precise to pull off now, and there is no UEFA Champions League, but the game overall is the best package yet and will give FIFA fans another great year of fun.