EA has dominated the soccer game scene for almost two decades now, and considering that FIFA 10 has already become the fastest selling sports game, according to EA, at least, one has great anticipation for a series that has seen little evolution over the past few years. Is FIFA 10 the one that’s gonna make the difference? That’s gonna reinvent the series? Short answer: yes. Longer answer, yes, definitely. Basically, it’s FIFA, and for once, it’s noticeably better than it’s predecessor.

FIFA 10 brings a slew of additions to the series, including a brand new “360 degree” player control feature, which means you can move your player in any direction, not just 8 as before, which astonishingly stuck with the franchise from before the analog sticks were introduced, which is now more than ten years ago. Finally, you can use the analog stick to move the player in any 360-degree direction. This means that the actions and movements of players are a lot more fluid and realistic, a huge leap over FIFA 09 (imagine how players used to zig-zag across the scree before?). Coupled with updated and increased amount of animations, it looks even better, almost as if you were watching a real match, if it wasn’t for the commentators and a few other nitpicks.

To take advantage of the much improved gameplay, a few game modes have been added, which still include the main one, career mode, which used to be “Be a Pro” (not the most clever name), where you guide a player (you, obviously) through his career. FIFA 10 adds to that by allowing you to import your own face as well, and thereby renamed it “Virtual Pro”. It still has plenty of RPG features and will definitely satisfy fans of the mode.

This time though, EA is offering paid DLC, where you can spend $2 at the “FIFA Store” and buy an upgrade to your Virtual Player that ups his attributes for a few matches and so on. There’s a sense of nickel-and-dime about this sort of DLC, and even charging for something that should be free, like Live Season updates (almost $10!), clearly, it’s nothing less than a rip off. For manager junkies, the Manager mode has received a good overhaul and now sports a lot more variety and features, and it’ll keep you busy for quite some time.

The sheer amount of content the game packs already though, will ease on the feeling of being nickle and dimed by EA, with the new modes, expanded multiplayer and added features, it’s still by far the most comprehensive FIFA game to date. Technically, it’s the best looking one too, especially considering the new animations and the improved AI. The commentary, like always, is a hit and miss, but for the most part, it’s decent. But the overall presentation is still wonderful, there’s a sense of a real soccer match going on when you’re playing. All things considered, FIFA 10 is the best soccer game out there, and for once, owners of last years edition have a definite reason to upgrade to this year’s edition — it’s by far better and the gameplay itself is reason enough for soccer fans to pick it up. However, the paid for DLC content drags it down a notch, as certain things should be free, as they always were.

The Good:
Immersive gameplay
Stunning animations
Plenty of modes

The Bad:
DLC is nickle-and-dime
Commentary can get tedious

Overall score: 8/10