FIFA 10 Review

Written by: Darren Cartledge Posted: 6th November 2009

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Wii go to football.

FIFA 10 Details:

	Sports
	PC/PlayStation 3/Xbox 360/Nintendo Wii/PSP/Nintendo DS
	EA Sports
	EA Sports

Out Now

1-4

I consider myself to be some thing of a FIFA veteran playing every instalment in the series since the original FIFA International Soccer released on the Mega Drive way back in the early nineties. But I've never played the series on the Nintendo Wii! So this year I thought it was about time I kicked off with the Wii version.

So after being impressed by the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version of the game, would FIFA 10 work on the Wii. From the outset it’s obvious that the Wii version is lighter then its big console counterpart. As with most Wii games its design seems to revolve around the pick up and play philosophy and it’s immediately clear that the game is a lot more accessible. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions seem to be geared towards providing a realistic lifelike playing experience, the Wii version on the other hand seems to have gone in the complete opposite direction, offering a more action orientated version of the beautiful game. The Wii version of the game feels more retro and it could be said that it harks back to the franchises history during the days of the SNES and Mega Drive.

Whilst this may not make the game sound instantly appealing that isn’t to say it’s a bad game. Games tend to be a lot more open and spectacular goals are plentiful. Fancy seeing Chelsea thrash Liverpool 7-3? It is something of a strange contrast when you’re use to the simulation version of the game, but yet it can be extremely good fun, especially when playing with other gamers. That is, once you get used to the games controls which do feel a little unnatural. This is mainly due to the fact that shooting at goal is performed by shaking the Wii remote. Maybe it’s just my natural instincts to push buttons but shaking to shoot just didn’t feel right to me.

The “lite” feeling of the title is also evident in the games visuals, the game almost has a cartoon styling about it. With players looking a lot more like caricatures then actual life like representations of thel games stars. FIFA 10 on the Wii also feature a lot more vibrant colouring then other versions and its overall presentation can’t help but make me feel the game is aimed at a much younger audience then the PS3 or Xbox 360 versions of the game.

Gameplay in the Wii version isn’t the only aspect that the game feels lighter, the game modes are some what lacking in comparison to other versions. It features a tournament mode that allows you to play through a regular season, the game does also include a take on the management mode you may have seen in other FIFA games although it is much, much simpler and generally easier to use. The game does have online play and I must say the performance of the online mode on the Wii is flawless, so much so it can often feel like you’re playing someone on the same console rather then over an Internet connection.

It’s fair to say that the Wii version of FIFA 10 doesn’t feature all the bells and whistles or polish of the big console version and is something of a lightweight version of the series. If you own either the Xbox 360 or Ps3 and are a keen football fan then the Wii version isn’t the right choice for you. However, if you’re more of a casual gamer, which most Wii owners tend to be then FIFA 10 on the Wii may just be what you’re looking for allowing for instantly accessible games that most will be able to simply play from the off.