The "Retro Game Reviews" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
This thread has been linked to the game 'FIFA 10'.
Having been a life long fan of the FIFA series, I always anticipate the annual release of the game every year. FIFA games usually deliver to their audience, by delivering a game that has better graphics, better atmosphere and a better gameplay engine to its predecessors. Sadly, FIFA 10 came along and broke, for me, the10 consecutive years of fantastic football simulation that I had enjoyed on the PS1, PS2 and Xbox 360.
After playing my first next-gen football title, FIFA 09, on the Xbox 360 last year, I couldn’t believe how much the game had developed. Players were no longer restricted to the eight directions of ’99, or could slide tackle the keeper whenever they felt like it. The game became a simulation, something that was meant to feel real rather than something you play. After playing 09 for hours on hours, I could only dream about the potential of FIFA 10. There was so much that could be done. EA also realised how far football simulation could be taken. So what was one of my all time favourite games became a realistically boring, slow and impossible simulation.
It’s the first time you’ll have heard a reviewer say this, but FIFA 10 is just too realistic. The new physics engine is supposed to replicate real football, in terms of player movement, ball movement and physics, which it does, which is why I hate it. No longer is passing a simple button, or shooting for that matter. Your pass will go miles off or your shot will be in row Z if you’re just a millimetre off target with the analogue stick. Players fall over with the slightest of contact, when the 11 men of ’99 used to be able to take flying kicks to the face before scoring a brilliant goal. The modern game of football has turned into something horrible, where players fall over for anything, money controls who wins and referees make horrendous decisions. So my plea to EA; don’t try and make the game anymore similar to the modern game, because it’s horrible to watch, let alone play.
I’m not saying that the game shouldn’t be developed, it should, but as something that’s fun to play rather than extremely realistic. Some of the best games stick to the basics, and stick to their strong points. One part of the game that could be greatly improved, which I wrote about in my very first review (FIFA 09) was the commentary. A year on, and the commentators are still ridiculously aweful. Goals are being celebrated, while 2 old men talk about the new Wembley stadium, which is not new anymore, so the reference doesn’t work. The amount of commentary you hear over and over again is ludicrous. You’ll have Andy Gray telling you about his old footballing days every match. To be honest Mr Gray, I don’t give one, you should really be talking about my fantastic goal.
My biggest gripe with this game is the referee. I’ve already talked about how easy players go down. Well the referee will give a freekick for just about anything, so much so that the only way to really get the ball back is to let the other team score and keep possession from kick off. If the computer gets a freekick anywhere between 18-30 yards, you might as well take the ball to the centre spot, because they’re going to score, and the worst thing is, you can’t stop them. The wall is about as useful as David Beckham’s hairstyle.
So, a new physics engine, which is realistic, but horrible for a game; a referee who has been bribed by your Xbox 360/PS3 and the same old farts from the previous games. I think you can guess my verdict.
FIFA, in my opinion, has the football gaming market shut off now. PES is never going to catch up with it, and they are the only other major competitors. So EA probably won’t give a thought to what the fans want. I can only hope they take a step back with FIFA 11.
6/10
After playing my first next-gen football title, FIFA 09, on the Xbox 360 last year, I couldn’t believe how much the game had developed. Players were no longer restricted to the eight directions of ’99, or could slide tackle the keeper whenever they felt like it. The game became a simulation, something that was meant to feel real rather than something you play. After playing 09 for hours on hours, I could only dream about the potential of FIFA 10. There was so much that could be done. EA also realised how far football simulation could be taken. So what was one of my all time favourite games became a realistically boring, slow and impossible simulation.
It’s the first time you’ll have heard a reviewer say this, but FIFA 10 is just too realistic. The new physics engine is supposed to replicate real football, in terms of player movement, ball movement and physics, which it does, which is why I hate it. No longer is passing a simple button, or shooting for that matter. Your pass will go miles off or your shot will be in row Z if you’re just a millimetre off target with the analogue stick. Players fall over with the slightest of contact, when the 11 men of ’99 used to be able to take flying kicks to the face before scoring a brilliant goal. The modern game of football has turned into something horrible, where players fall over for anything, money controls who wins and referees make horrendous decisions. So my plea to EA; don’t try and make the game anymore similar to the modern game, because it’s horrible to watch, let alone play.
I’m not saying that the game shouldn’t be developed, it should, but as something that’s fun to play rather than extremely realistic. Some of the best games stick to the basics, and stick to their strong points. One part of the game that could be greatly improved, which I wrote about in my very first review (FIFA 09) was the commentary. A year on, and the commentators are still ridiculously aweful. Goals are being celebrated, while 2 old men talk about the new Wembley stadium, which is not new anymore, so the reference doesn’t work. The amount of commentary you hear over and over again is ludicrous. You’ll have Andy Gray telling you about his old footballing days every match. To be honest Mr Gray, I don’t give one, you should really be talking about my fantastic goal.
My biggest gripe with this game is the referee. I’ve already talked about how easy players go down. Well the referee will give a freekick for just about anything, so much so that the only way to really get the ball back is to let the other team score and keep possession from kick off. If the computer gets a freekick anywhere between 18-30 yards, you might as well take the ball to the centre spot, because they’re going to score, and the worst thing is, you can’t stop them. The wall is about as useful as David Beckham’s hairstyle.
So, a new physics engine, which is realistic, but horrible for a game; a referee who has been bribed by your Xbox 360/PS3 and the same old farts from the previous games. I think you can guess my verdict.
FIFA, in my opinion, has the football gaming market shut off now. PES is never going to catch up with it, and they are the only other major competitors. So EA probably won’t give a thought to what the fans want. I can only hope they take a step back with FIFA 11.
6/10
Page:
Butch wrote:
It seems impossible to buy a
> fantastic players, regardless of what you offer.
On top of what Butch said, raising your manager rating might help too. I'm a 4 star manager but my little Rangers team won the champions league last season without any superstars and they beat Man U 2-0 last night. My highest profile signing was bringing Carlos Cuellar back to Ibrox.
It seems impossible to buy a
> fantastic players, regardless of what you offer.
On top of what Butch said, raising your manager rating might help too. I'm a 4 star manager but my little Rangers team won the champions league last season without any superstars and they beat Man U 2-0 last night. My highest profile signing was bringing Carlos Cuellar back to Ibrox.
Sonic Chris wrote:
> Also noticed a new one in manager mode recently. After losing to
> Atletico Madrid in the Europa (real life), I decided to manage
> them on the game. I started bringing together the best team of
> young players that I could, and 2 of these players included Messi
> and Rooney. I accumulated enough money to buy one of these guys
> and pay them fantastic wages, so I put a bid in for Messi at
> first. He was having none of it, despite me paying him
> ridiculously high wages. So I tryed Rooney. Exactly the same
> response. My Atletico have won every game in the season thus far
> (some by 1-0, some by 8-0). It seems impossible to buy a
> fantastic players, regardless of what you offer.
Win some stuff, players wont come to you unless you are a decent, successful, side. Having a high level negotiator as well will help.
> Also noticed a new one in manager mode recently. After losing to
> Atletico Madrid in the Europa (real life), I decided to manage
> them on the game. I started bringing together the best team of
> young players that I could, and 2 of these players included Messi
> and Rooney. I accumulated enough money to buy one of these guys
> and pay them fantastic wages, so I put a bid in for Messi at
> first. He was having none of it, despite me paying him
> ridiculously high wages. So I tryed Rooney. Exactly the same
> response. My Atletico have won every game in the season thus far
> (some by 1-0, some by 8-0). It seems impossible to buy a
> fantastic players, regardless of what you offer.
Win some stuff, players wont come to you unless you are a decent, successful, side. Having a high level negotiator as well will help.
Oddly enough, alot of people I've talked to say the World Cup game is FIFA 10 with extra clips. I've only played the demo, but it seems to play alot nicer in comparison to FIFA 10.
-Referee
-Commentators
-Tackling System
-AI Freekicks
A summary of things that have killed FIFA 10.
Also noticed a new one in manager mode recently. After losing to Atletico Madrid in the Europa (real life), I decided to manage them on the game. I started bringing together the best team of young players that I could, and 2 of these players included Messi and Rooney. I accumulated enough money to buy one of these guys and pay them fantastic wages, so I put a bid in for Messi at first. He was having none of it, despite me paying him ridiculously high wages. So I tryed Rooney. Exactly the same response. My Atletico have won every game in the season thus far (some by 1-0, some by 8-0). It seems impossible to buy a fantastic players, regardless of what you offer.
-Referee
-Commentators
-Tackling System
-AI Freekicks
A summary of things that have killed FIFA 10.
Also noticed a new one in manager mode recently. After losing to Atletico Madrid in the Europa (real life), I decided to manage them on the game. I started bringing together the best team of young players that I could, and 2 of these players included Messi and Rooney. I accumulated enough money to buy one of these guys and pay them fantastic wages, so I put a bid in for Messi at first. He was having none of it, despite me paying him ridiculously high wages. So I tryed Rooney. Exactly the same response. My Atletico have won every game in the season thus far (some by 1-0, some by 8-0). It seems impossible to buy a fantastic players, regardless of what you offer.
I really enjoyed FIFA 10, and i have to say they have improved South Africa 2010 aswell, plays a bit better and Managers are seen, and they look really good. Capello looks as good as you could wish really!
Plus online World Cup is loads of fun! I would have said FIFA 10 was the best (well my favourite) football game i have played, South Africa is probably better, but just not as many teams of course
Plus online World Cup is loads of fun! I would have said FIFA 10 was the best (well my favourite) football game i have played, South Africa is probably better, but just not as many teams of course
jubbamhc wrote:
> Aaron Lennon?
Got it in one.
> Aaron Lennon?
Got it in one.
Butch wrote:
> dav2612 wrote:
> I hate it online though but that's because my players seem to
> have concrete boots and are incapable of holding onto the ball
> or
> taking it past an opponent. It turns into a rushed one touch
> passing game for me with the end result being around 5 nil.
>
> In the few games I have played on-line I've found a quick
> passing game to be the best tactic. A better one is to stick your
> quickest player out wide and run rings around the defence :)
Aaron Lennon?
> dav2612 wrote:
> I hate it online though but that's because my players seem to
> have concrete boots and are incapable of holding onto the ball
> or
> taking it past an opponent. It turns into a rushed one touch
> passing game for me with the end result being around 5 nil.
>
> In the few games I have played on-line I've found a quick
> passing game to be the best tactic. A better one is to stick your
> quickest player out wide and run rings around the defence :)
Aaron Lennon?
I really need to play it to find out what I think of it. That's if TescDVD realise that a game that on top of the priority list is more important than a DVD at the very bottom of the list...
dav2612 wrote:
> I hate it online though but that's because my players seem to
> have concrete boots and are incapable of holding onto the ball or
> taking it past an opponent. It turns into a rushed one touch
> passing game for me with the end result being around 5 nil.
In the few games I have played on-line I've found a quick passing game to be the best tactic. A better one is to stick your quickest player out wide and run rings around the defence :)
> I hate it online though but that's because my players seem to
> have concrete boots and are incapable of holding onto the ball or
> taking it past an opponent. It turns into a rushed one touch
> passing game for me with the end result being around 5 nil.
In the few games I have played on-line I've found a quick passing game to be the best tactic. A better one is to stick your quickest player out wide and run rings around the defence :)
FIFA 10 has taken me by surprise. I tend to get bored of football games to quickly but decided to make FIFA 10 the first football game I've bought since Road To World Cup 98 (back in the days when my nation was capable of going to a world cup). I'm still playing FIFA 10 and I really enjoy it. I would agree with some of what you say, my crosses are pointless, my corners are pointless but I can ping my passes about with relative ease.
My main grip would be the power bar for shooting. Anything other than a tap when you are near the box and it's heading into orbit.
I hate it online though but that's because my players seem to have concrete boots and are incapable of holding onto the ball or taking it past an opponent. It turns into a rushed one touch passing game for me with the end result being around 5 nil.
My main grip would be the power bar for shooting. Anything other than a tap when you are near the box and it's heading into orbit.
I hate it online though but that's because my players seem to have concrete boots and are incapable of holding onto the ball or taking it past an opponent. It turns into a rushed one touch passing game for me with the end result being around 5 nil.
I'll have to agree with you about the referee, sometimes. I've had, and witnessed, some ridiculous decisions. A penalty and a red card for a tackle which not only got the ball (and 100% of the ball), but didn't even touch the man (didn't even make him stumble, never mind go over). This was in the 5th minute. In an 8 minute per half 2 vs. 2 multiplayer match.
However, *my* biggest gripe is what seems to be a morale system. Far too often, things seem to go the winning side's way. This, again, is near infuriating when playing multiplayer. An example of this is when I took a 1-0 lead at "home" in a 4-player league. Tottenham vs. Man City. Suddenly, the match was no longer tight, all loose balls, passes (from both teams) were going to me. A Shay Given who had been amazing throughout the tournament and for the main period of the match...crumbled. A 3-0 lead that was taken into half time quickly turned into 7-0.
The opposite had happened just two games earlier, as I folded to a 6-1 mauling at the hands of Chelsea (away, might I add).
However, *my* biggest gripe is what seems to be a morale system. Far too often, things seem to go the winning side's way. This, again, is near infuriating when playing multiplayer. An example of this is when I took a 1-0 lead at "home" in a 4-player league. Tottenham vs. Man City. Suddenly, the match was no longer tight, all loose balls, passes (from both teams) were going to me. A Shay Given who had been amazing throughout the tournament and for the main period of the match...crumbled. A 3-0 lead that was taken into half time quickly turned into 7-0.
The opposite had happened just two games earlier, as I folded to a 6-1 mauling at the hands of Chelsea (away, might I add).
Page: