Another year means another FIFA title, which leaves me interested to see what new offerings EA has in store for PSP owners with their latest version.  To start, the game features a cleaner menu interface, but still retains the classic game modes from FIFA 09 that made it such an instant hit and, in my opinion, one of the best versions of the FIFA franchise in years.

EA Sports has also tidied up the actual game engine and game options.  For the first time, when you participate in a season you are no longer given the option to choose which kit you want each team to wear before you play, which is a nice touch that has been heavily overdue for many years.  The game is also more accessible to newcomers and experienced FIFA players. It even gives you the option to choose your level of gaming experience, which helps set the difficulty level of the whole of the game.

The game features a well deserved practice mode where you can practice set pieces and matches and help hone your skills. This is also a nice feature that has just been criminally overdue for a game of this nature.  One of the major selling points of FIFA 09 was the Be a Pro mode, where you picked one player and increased their football skills through successfully completing challenges in each match.  The better you got meant the more influence you got over your teammates until you could eventually command your team around your own movements.

This has been further expanded to allow your preferred player to get called up into and play for their respective national team if you are good enough, which then has you trying to win both international and domestic trophies.  This is a very nice addition to an already superb game mode.  The season mode has also been expanded to allow you to also participate in league cups as well as your chosen league, which helps give a fuller football experience.

Graphically, the game has also been improved and it features some nice spot touches such as opponents jumping tackles or jostling for position during set pieces.  The CPU also actively substitutes when it needs to and, for the first time in a FIFA game that I have noted, the referee is as likely to send off a CPU player as they are to send you off.

All these add up to a very polished title.  The game also features a management mode where you can manage your team and even simulate a result before it happens.  Other than all these updates the game is pretty much the same as FIFA 09.  The commentary has been fixed though so that it does not randomly say stupid things at inappropriate times or repeat itself, and there also seems to be more emotion from Andy Gray and Clive Tyldesley.  I immediately jumped into the season mode and was instantly hooked because the matches are closely fought and not the 9-0 massacres you could inflict in previous titles.

I found myself caring about my teams performance and I could tell that playing against the harder teams meant a more challenging experience than playing against the weaker teams.  The game still managed to surprise me though, such as when my team lost to a weaker side in a league cup match.  I also enjoyed the Be a Pro mode with the new additions explained above.  It is still as rewarding as it was in FIFA 09.  One of the best ways to play FIFA though on the PSP is through wireless multiplayer and FIFA 10 does not disappoint on this front either.  Portable football never looked, sounded or played so good and Winning Eleven has a lot to beat with this FIFA offering.

However if you are a solid Winning Eleven fan then there may be nothing here that had not already been done before in Winning Eleven (Pro Evolution Soccer) to persuade you to support the other team.  But if you are a FIFA fan then you will find plenty to get involved with here and most of it will immediately satisfy, as it is clear to see that EA Sports is listening to the fans and is actually improving the game where it needs to be improved, instead of churning out poor updates as they used to.

In terms of sound and music, the game provides an interesting soundtrack although, for once, they seem to have decided that playability is better to have than a decent licensed soundtrack and I, for one, am grateful that they realised this.  It is not often that a new FIFA gets a lot of praise and lots of people accuse it of being EA’s fattest cash cow, but it seems that EA Sports has now put it on a rigorous diet so that one of its most beloved franchises appeals to both old and new fans alike. FIFA 10 does all of that and more, and can be proud to currently be the best football game on the PSP.

9 Ninja Heads out of 10

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