October is not October without an EA Sport’s FIFA release and this has become a routine for some years now. In the recent years Fifa series has been revolutionized dramatically. All this started from the release of current generation consoles, Fifa continued to improve year by year and now with the 4th installation of Fifa on current consoles(excluding Euro 2008), we can safely say it is the ultimate football fan’s dream. Fifa 10 sets the standards hard to follow by the competitors from now on.

So how much exactly Fifa 10 is different from Fifa 09? Well not too much. This will be your answer to the question when you just get started with Fifa 10, but this opinion will change quite quickly when you’ll put some time into it and actually compare it with Fifa 09. This year’s Fifa offers few little changes over previous title but all these add up to offer an experience that is unmatched in its quality, period.

The most obvious little tweak you’ll first notice is the new 360-degree player control. Players restricted to 8 axis movement before move much more fluidly now all thanks to this new mechanic. This makes the whole gameplay that much more fluid, fun and realistic. Other improvements to the gameplay are greatly improved animations and superb AI. Now this makes the play on field much more realistic, players are more alert, intercept more frequently, do more effort to win the ball in air, goalies make more realistic saves and much more.

Player likenesses are stunning.

Presentation as you expect from a Fifa games is top-notch here. Graphics are also improved with some additional weather effects. Player likenesses are better than that were in Fifa 09. Great overall sound and commentary of Andy Gray and Martin Tyler is exciting as ever. Menus do feel cluttered sometimes but do a decent job overall.

Moving onto the game modes, all the usual suspects are back. Arena mode is there with some improvements. In addition to practicing dribbling and other player movements, this time around you can also practice free kicks. You can also create set-pieces here and add different types of runs which you can activate during a game by pressing d-pad. Be a Pro returns again with much more improvements most noticeably My Virtual Pro feature which asks you to upload a digital picture of yours and then it turns into a 3-d of yours fully playable in the game. You can upgrade your character and keep on improving your stats throughout the career. All this makes up for one exciting new feature.

Weather effects are amazing.

Manager mode has been given a significant overhaul too, offering a great single player proposition which removes the errors and mistakes of previous titles offering a breath of fresh air. The main purpose of the mode is same i.e. to fulfill club’s goals but there are enough turns and twists to make this mode one fun prospect. Then there is Live Season 2.0 where you take control of your favorite side and try to conquer the world. Constant weekly updates make it very interesting and fun but the drawback is that it’s a paid service. All multiplayer offerings are superb as you come to expect, online multiplayer is greatly balanced with some important tweaks e.g. player gets penalized for quitting a match and other one is awarded a win.

Overall Fifa 10 offers a superior authentic football experience that is unmatched and raises the bar for future games in the genre. It is one of the best sports game to come out this year and easily the finest football game till date. It’s a must buy for any sports lover and football fanatics in particular.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.