FIFA 10 (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

It's that time again for another of Electronic Art's yearly updates, this time being the FIFA franchise. EA haven't had the best of luck with the series on the console and have struggled to make a substantial offering comparable to the versions on the other consoles, much like their other sports games. This year's title ditches the attempts at realism in favour of a more arcade-y style of gameplay. But does the game benefit from a change of pace or does it feel more like EA have scored an own goal?

Gameplay

This year's title has gone against the idea of realism and taken a step towards being more arcade-y. The reason for this was to provide a more streamlined yet fast paced game and it does provide that but it also feels very withheld in comparison to the other versions with those versions feeling more fluid whereas this doesn't quite hit the same notes. While the base mechanics remain the same, there have been some changes that feel rather strange. Passing doesn't come anywhere near to being reliable as it should and setting up through balls is problematic. Shooting has seen the biggest change, with the game going into slow motion when you shot at goal. This has been implemented for reasons to help make the multiplayer controls and gameplay more accessible but when playing in single player, it feels odd and unnecessary. It's used for various areas outside of this as well, such as free kicks and corner kicks and while it still feels weird to have the game go into slow motion at these moments, it does make slightly more sense when you aren't in control of the ball. For free kicks, for example, your opponents will line up the shot and once hit, the game slows down and if the shot is good, the ball will light up in green prompting you the shake the Wii-mote to save the ball. Shake too early or too late and it'll be in the back of the net. The same mechanic is used in corner kicks where you shake the controller when the ball lights up to attempt to score or prevent your opponent from getting that change. It's an interesting mechanic and certainly works but those looking for something more realistic would be best advised to stick with previous entries on the console.

Previous iterations on the Wii have seen EA bring all the modes and features of the other versions along with some mini-games thrown in to provide a very fleshed out experience. This year, however, it seems as though EA have played it safe. Gone are the usual and staple modes such as Season and Be A Pro and in their stead come what can easily be taken as a rather thin layer of gaming. You're usual Play Now mode is here, rebranded this time as Hit The Pitch and like all modes, gives you access to a huge selection of teams, around the 570 mark, from 30 leagues as well as a good number of international teams thrown into the mix. The biggest mode on offer this time, with the absence of the Season mode, is Battle for Glory: a modified manager mode where you have complete control over all of the aspects governing your team as well as being able to take to the pitch and actually play through the season. Here, you'll have freedom of choice of all of the league teams available and you'll have to work your way through the season meeting specific criteria to impress the CEO and the other members of the board if you want to keep your job. For the most part, these criteria will come down to finishing in a certain place within the league or getting promoted but there are secondary criteria that affect the overall playing of your team.

Prior to each match, you'll be greeted with a screen which will give you the opportunity to pick from a selection of 3 stat improving tasks and should you complete the chosen task, you'll be granted a small increase to your team's overall stats but should you fail to complete it you'll take a decrease. Successfully completing these tasks not only grants you stat enhancements but also grants you points which can be put towards another of the game's new inclusions: the booster packs. After collecting a certain number of points, usually 4, you'll get the opportunity to choose two booster packs and with these, you can combine them or use them as they are to provide increases to things such as player speed, goal keeping skills or help with fatigue and injury. It's a nice inclusion but would have been more beneficial if the game had included the Be A Pro mode where this would have been more effectively used.

Battle for Glory is the most fleshed out of the modes on offer but at the same time it feels rather hollow and this comes through because of the new gameplay style. Outside of this, your only other mode is Tournament mode where you can play through any of the available cup competitions and alongside this there are your online options.

Controls

You have three control options available to you here. You can choose to use the Wii-mote on its own, where the game will control the players' movements and you merely aim using the pointer to select where you want to pass and shake to shot. It's simple and works well but the other control methods available, which include using the Nunchuk or the Classic Controller, are better as they allow you freedom of reign over who you control and where to put the ball. But whichever setup you choose, they all work extremely well with even the shooting mechanic which, mapped to a shake of the Wii-mote, works as well as it should do.

Graphics

This year's iteration of the FIFA franchise sees EA taking the visual presentation and bringing it in line with that which they started with Grand Slam Tennis. Gone are the attempts to try and make the PS2 quality graphics look as realistic as they can on the Wii's hardware and in their stead, comes a more visually accentuated look held together by cel-shading. It's a style that will inevitably split fans who were hoping for a more realistic look but the overall feel and look is pleasant enough, providing good character models, although repetitive and recycled features seems to be an issue with the players from the lower league teams, that are animated exceptionally well. Stadia look the part but again, it's the more world recognised stadia that look the best with the others looking rather basic in their graphical fidelity. Yet across all stadia, the crowd looks exactly the same: a 2d pixelated mess that would perhaps have been acceptable in earlier titles this generation but not now. All in all, though, the game's graphics look good and the style generally works for the new play style that EA have brought in for this year's Wii title, but unfortunately there are some issues with slowdown.

Sound

EA have foregone the usual licensed soundtrack in exchange for a simpler set of techno based tracks. Normally, this wouldn't have been an issue if they had taken more time to provide more extensive game modes but the tracks just feel flat and will begin to irritate the more you hear them. Luckily, the commentary maintains its high quality with Martin Tyler and Andy Gray exchanging quips and comments that feel natural, if only a little slow in their broadcast at times. The crowd also does their part to maintain the atmosphere with the shouts, cheers and jeers of the crowd going hand in hand with the commentary to make a believable atmosphere.

Special features

Online makes a return again this year, courtesy of EA's Nation setup. You have the options of playing against friends or anyone from around the world in either 1 on 1 ranked and unranked matches as well as 2 on 2 unranked matches, with two players one each console. Besides these somewhat basic options, you have extensive leaderboards. It's a shame that the online isn't up to the same level as Tiger Woods 10 but it's still good and getting a match is significantly easier this year than it was last. There are still some lag issues online but they're not particularly game ruining.

Final comments

FIFA has come a long way on the Wii but FIFA 10 feels like a step backwards. It fails to provide the most staple of modes and what it does provide is minimal for both single and multiplayer options. The bare to the bones approach may please some but others will be wondering where the modes have gone in comparison to last year. The new, more arcade-y style of gameplay suits the new visuals and does provide its fair share of entertainment but it does need some tightening up, much like the game as a whole, should this be EA's proposed continuing style for the game on the Wii. It's not a bad game by any means; it's just that there are better attempts out there, from competition and from the same developer.

Pro: New gameplay style makes for faster paced matches, visual style is very good, online is much better than last year's
Con: Severe lack of modes, non-licensed soundtrack is poor, arcade-y gameplay won't be to everyone's tastes
Final score: 7.3

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