FIFA 10 Wii (FIFA 10 (Wii))

Member Name: joncarey9

Product:	FIFA 10 (Wii)
Date:	07/11/09 (239 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Anyone can play, fast and fun

Disadvantages: Not much depth, graphics not great

Introduction
===========================
FIFA 10 is the latest installment in the popular FIFA football franchise and the 17th main FIFA title to be released by developers EA Sports. Dating way back to 1993 FIFA, mainly due to its officially licensed status, has become the leader in football games, appearing on all the top consoles and other platforms. This year's release is available on a massive range of computing platforms, including PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PS2, DS and PSP, but for the sake of this review I will focussing solely on the Nintendo Wii version, a version that as you will soon be told differs massively to the other top two consoles.

Despite me being a Wii owner and avid football fan this is this first football game I have played on the console. I've been playing FIFA games since about 1997 and have very fond memories of them. I can't think which year it was but I can remember playing indoor pitch 5-a-side games with my brother in real time 90 minute matches, swapping over at half time, usually playing Brazil against some little country like Vanuatu or somewhere.


Gameplay
===========================
With the Wii's unique control system it's always puzzled me how a FIFA game would play out on it. I just couldn't see how it would work to good without being able to do the trick combos and having the range of control you get with the Xbox and Playstation. EA Sports have solved this problem by starting from scratch, starting at the beginning and building a completely new game especially designed for the Wii. Instead of porting it from another system the controls have been tailor made for the Wii remote and nunchuk.

The first thing which hits you when you fire up the game is just how different it feels, everything has a much more fun arcade like feel to it. If you've ever played any of the FIFA Street games it's a bit like that, just not a bad! I was shocked and a little concerned at first; in fact if I'm being honest I hated it. This was not the FIFA title I was expecting, I wanted realistic game play and beautiful graphics like on the other consoles. But this isn't a game for the "other consoles", this is a Wii game and with that comes a certain style.

Nintendo is all about fun family game play which any one can have a go at; this is what I like so much about my Wii. You can switch it on teach your mum the controls in a couple of minutes and she'll be up to speed straight away. It's not about spending days and nights in a trance trying to beat the next level (although it does have that effect), it's short, sharp, snappy game play. A quick game before work, etc, this is what the Wii is all about.

That being said then I was totally wrong to think that FIFA 10 would be anything but what it turned out to be. The best way I can describe it is as an arcade game, it just has that feel, everything is pretty simple to do and the action is fast and furious. The game has two separate control systems, the All Play Controls and the more advanced version. This is fantastic news for all you Wii newbies and inexperienced gamers out there as it really does open the game up to everyone. The All Play controls use just the Wii remote, and by just shaking and using A and B you can do pretty much everything with your team, its simplicity at its finest. Your players are controlled by the computer and you are in charge of passing, shooting and tackling. For those of you with a need for more control however the Nunchuck can be attached to give you complete control over everything in the game, you can do pretty much everything you can do in the other console versions but with the Wii making it more fun, you feel much more involved with the game. FIFA 10 can also be played using the Nintendo Classic Controller is you prefer a more traditional method, but unfortunately there's no option for the old Gamecube controller this time around.

The game play is very much focussed around the "Momentum meter" which appears at the bottom of the screen. By playing attacking football and maintaining possession it builds up and up until it peaks, allowing you to perform better tricks and have more powerful accurate shots, with slow motion visuals when doing so. It's not realistic, but if that's what you're looking for this isn't the game for you, what it is however is a lot of fun, especially when playing online or against a friend.

From the main game menu you are presented with several different options of how you want to play the game, first up is the "Hit the Pitch" option which allows you to play a quick exhibition match against the computer or a friend. Teams, stadiums and game length can all be selected and modified so you can play with the side you want where you want.

Next up is the Game Modes menu where you can choose from Battle for Glory, Tournament or Online. Battle for Glory is FIFA 10's manager mode, think of it as Football Managers baby brother, just with the option to play the matches instead of just watching. The options are pretty basic with a transfer market and the ability to complete certain match tasks in order to collect "Game Boosters", things like extra speed and no fatigue, which can be added to your team for the next game. I'm not really sure I like this addition, there's just something about being able to upgrade your players like evolving Pokemon which doesn't play to well with me. The Tournament mode allows you to do as the name suggests and play in a range or tournaments from around the world and finally there is the online feature, which I will come to in a bit. FIFA 10 also has a training mode in order for you to practise your free kicks, penalties and skills on the pitch, quite handy for when learning the control set.

I've not counted them all but there are apparently 50 stadiums included in the game, ranging from the biggest European venues down to a whole host of generic small stadiums and practice arenas. With the team your playing as league status directly relating to the capacity style stadium they would play as.

As well as this there as more than 500 teams available to choose from, including 41 national teams and all the big leagues, except unfortunately the Russian Premier League which is included in the PC, PSP and PS2 versions but for whatever reason none of the others. This is a bit of a shame as on several occasions I've wanted to play as a Russian side, but there's enough choice to still give you enough alternatives.


Online
===========================
The online option is where I think this game is at its strongest, you can compete in a 1 vs. 1 ranked or unranked game, as well as a 2 vs. 2 match which will feature you a three other players from somewhere in the world. If you've played a game online before you know that there are faults, sometimes the game is slow and laggy if my opponent has a poor connection, and you still get the bad losers who quit when you're giving them a hammering. It's a really fun experience though, playing against another human gives you the sort of real competition the CPU fails to produce, you're in a real match, every mistake you make will be pounced upon, the games are often really tight and there's nothing better than taunting your opponent with air horns when you've grabbed that last minute goal in extra time.

Something really annoying I've noticed though is about 90% off the people I've played against have always been Barcelona, it's so annoying! People think just because they are statistically the best team in the game you must always use them. Try something different for a change. You also get the idiots who purposely choose a kit colour identical to the one you've picked, meaning all the players look the same. This is something you'll always get though so don't let it put you off, it's just the nature of the beast with online gaming.


Graphics
===========================
Mind blowing graphics are not the Wii's strong point, they can never compete with the likes of the Xbox and PS3 so it's not much off a surprise that visually FIFA 10 is pretty poor. The graphics are not much better than an old Gamecube or PS2 title, but this isn't what the game is about really. It's perfectly playable and not disgusting to look at or anything like that just a little on the disappointing side.

The style is very cartoony and caricatured, with square shoulders and chiselled jaw lines, but this all fits the arcade style of game play perfectly. This looks and feels like a Wii game, a game made especially for Nintendo and not copied for somewhere else. This is a lighter style of appearance which can only help in attracting new players, it doesn't feel intimidating for people who have not played FIFA before, not played on a Wii before. It's family, friendly and fun all wrapped up into a complete visual style.


Sound
===========================
The Wii version of FIFA 10 is completely lacking in any licensed music which had so much been a part of previous games. Instead we get bland background tunes to our menu screens which are non-distinct and forgettable. This is a real shame as the soundtracks to previous FIFA titles have been something which I have enjoyed.

The match commentary is as usual done by Sky Sports regulars Martin Tyler and Andy Gray, giving you play by play updates through your match. It all sounds pretty smooth and natural as a whole with a whole range of sound bites included, obviously though the more you play the more this commentary becomes predictable and a little irritation as you can predict exactly what they will say when you perform a certain thing on the pitch.


Conclusion
===========================
FIFA 10 is a really fun little game. When I first opened it I was really disappointed and felt I had wasted my money on buying it. But the more I got into it the more I learnt to appreciate its charm. It is a very different experience to other FIFA games, but it is not at all a lesser one. The game play is strong and I feel EA have achieved everything they wanted to do fairly well. The single player mode is one dimensional and I soon got bored with it, but for me its online strengths are what make it such a fun game to play. I've even managed to get my girlfriend to have a go, and the simple controls mean that even she could do well in it, and that's someone with no knowledge or interest in the sport.

If you're looking for a quirky easy to pick up and play game which is open for everyone give this a go. At around £30 to buy at the moment I'd say it's still a little on the pricey side, but when this no doubt drops in price I'd say go buy it if you're a sports fan, it's not faultless and nothing to challenging to really get your teeth into, but a very fun, entertaining game which knows what it's strengths are.

Summary: A fun football arcade game for the whole family