FIFA Soccer 10 Review for PlayStation Portable (PSP)

System: X360, PS3, Wii, PC, PS2, PSP, DS	Review Rating Legend
Dev: EA Canada	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: EA Sports	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Oct. 20, 2009	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-2	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Everyone	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

The same story rings true with the audio. While the voice acting is great from the announcers, and most of the broadcasting pretty accurately simulates what it's like to listen to a soccer match, there's nothing here we haven't seen before. It's mostly the same old dialogue that's repeated just a little bit too much so that it's noticeable once in a while. The track list is pretty vast, but it seems to be catering mostly to European gamers, although occasionally you'll hear a reggae song or some Latin American pop.

FIFA Soccer 10 screenshot

The gameplay is what truly matters, though, and FIFA still delivers with some of the most complete gaming options available for any sports game. The fantastic Be a Pro mode has returned from the last game, which places you in the shoes of a single player for the entire season. You play games as only that player, and you level up by playing well, winning games, and completing goals in each match.

The only issue with this mode is that matches can get somewhat boring. When you're only allowed to control a single player, you're really forced to choose between your own fun and your team's well-being. You can call for the ball all the time and take control, but your team is likely to suffer. And conversely, if you stay in position and let your teammates handle the ball most of the time, then you're going to have a downright awful time. It's possible to find an agreeable medium, but it would have been nice for EA to have addressed this in the new version.

There are also multiplayer options via ad-hoc and wireless connections, although we had trouble even connecting to EA's server much less finding a lag-free match.

The fact is, FIFA 10 just plays way too much like FIFA 09. And when you consider that last year we said that FIFA 09 was way too much like FIFA 08, you start to realize that this series has been doing nothing but lateral motion for the better part of three years. Since then, there have been no significant steps forward for the series, and we're hoping that the next iteration will be a better effort. Still though, it's worth noting that if you haven't played either of the last two iterations, this is a great soccer simulation, and it's worth a place in your library.

By Andrew Groen
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.8

Graphics
FIFA 10 still looks great, although it's not a huge improvement over the last two games. Some players still look nothing like their real selves.

3.6

Control
Soccer is somewhat tough to control with the PSP, but FIFA 10 handles it pretty well by implementing a simple control scheme that cuts down on control pad clutter.

4.0

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
There is a rather expansive soundtrack with a wide range of songs, most of which are at least decent. In-game commentators are good, responding well to on-screen events, although they often repeat themselves a bit too much.

3.5

Play Value
FIFA 10 is still a great soccer game like its predecessors, but the problem is that it's just not different enough. There's a lot to do in the game, and tons of licensed teams and players, but series veterans will feel like they've been here before.

3.9

Overall Rating - Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

More Responsive Gameplay - Various areas of the game have been enhanced to allow for a more fluid experience. Heading and crossing have been improved, player switching is now more effective, skill moves are now easier to pull off, players now have the ability to auto-evade slide tackles in certain scenarios, and quick free kicks have been added so the user can keep the game tempo going.

Be A Pro: Club and Country - Take your player from the beginning of his career to the peak of international stardom in the new revamped Be A Pro mode. Grow your professional player at the club level and work your way into your national team in one of the most grueling challenges of any professional players' career.

Updated collision system - New collision avoidance system means that players are less likely to get in the way and collide with team mates.

Improved teammates support - Team mates are now more intelligent, providing a greater level of support. Support runs are now more effective, and there are increased passing and crossing options as a result.

Improved goalkeepers - Goalkeeper AI intelligence has been improved, so that keepers now make more authentic decisions, with improved variation in shot stopping and deflections. They are quicker off their line in 1 on 1 situation, and behave in line with their overall team styles.