FIFA 10

System: Wii
Developer: EA Canada
Publisher: EA
Genre: Sports - Soccer
Players: 1-2

Another year, another FIFA. Year after year, EA has been popping this title out, and every year we get a title that is slightly varied from the last. Every year, we fall for it. Whether these changes are for better or for worse, we keep giving them our money so they can make more. You are clever EA. Too clever.

FIFA 10 once again brings you the latest roster of international soccer stars from around the globe and places them in your hands. With clubs from the English Premiere League to our very own A-League, you can have Melbourne Victory give Manchester United a really good thrashing. Coincidentally, that is the first thing I do whenever I get a new FIFA game.

Once the game loads, you are immediately presented with an arcadey looking menu with lots of bright colours and big buttons. You can see right away that this is not a game for the serious soccer fan. This game looks like it was made for the Wii and not a rehash of a PS2 title, which is a nice change.


Once you get on the pitch however, things take an interesting turn. All your players are given this strange blocky, caricatured, look. Odd design, but it works for me. Add that to the familiar FIFA gameplay and you have the look and feel of a great arcade soccer game. FIFA has always been about arcade fun, and this time, they wear it on their sleeve. In fact, this works well in their favour.

On to the gameplay. FIFA 10 rewards you as you dominate the field. There is a bar at the bottom of the screen - the Momentum bar - which fills up as you hold possession and take more on-target shots. The more the Momentum bar fills up, every shot taken at the opposing goal will result in a slow-mo power shot. Very, very satisfying, as exaggerated as it is.


In Tournament mode, a nice inclusion is a feature called "Manager Moments". You are given a choice of goals to achieve before each match begins. "Win by 2 goals", "No fouls", "No penalties", and the like. Choose one of those, achieve them, and you are given extra abilities in your next match, like increased speed, better passing or better goal shots. This definitely cements FIFA 10 as an arcade style game on the Wii, and sets it far apart from its PES cousin.

Those of you who have played the other FIFA games on the Wii will be familiar with the controls. The Nunchuck controls player movement, while shaking the Remote shoots. Easy. Advanced moves involve pressing other buttons and the D-Pad to perform sprints, passing and fancy dribbling moves. If the Classic Controller is more your style, you can use that too. Local multiplayer and Wi-Fi come standard, extending the life of the game... until FIFA 11, at least.


Score: 8/10 - "Good buy"
If you are wanting a bit of soccer fun, FIFA 10 is a game for you. With its lack of complete seriousness and heaps of emphasis on the arcade experience, this is a very satisfying title indeed.

Review by Justin Remedios (flaminglemon)