The Addicting Sensible World of Soccer or the Realistic FIFA 10? [PART 2]

Sensible Soccer was released in 1992, and whilst playing modern FIFA games it can be a bit funny to think back at the first FIFA, FIFA International Soccer (a.k.a. FIFA 94), released in 1993 - a mere year after Sensible Soccer! Though the hype was better than the game, it did have some original features, like the isometric view. Because of that view being much more zoomed in than other views utilized at the time, FIFA 94 was graphically one of the best games of that era. But the lack of gameplay made it drown in between loads of better games. However, the FIFA series didn’t die. Not at all…

Being in possession of the official FIFA license, EA Games knew they could make some seriously big bucks off of this. Since 1993, we have had one FIFA game every single year, with relatively minor changes from version to version.

There are some exceptions to that though. The first being FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 (FIFA 98), with a highly refined graphics engine, and much better AI. The team rosters were getting more and more accurate and impressive, and FIFA 98 was the first of the series to use a licensed soundtrack, including the unforgettable Song 2 by Blur.

Then came FIFA 99, my personal favourite of the series pre FIFA 08. Boasting a complete revamp of the gameplay as well as the graphics. Things looked better with animated faces as well as other cosmetic details, and things felt better with the snappy gameplay. Add the European Dream League (a fictional super league with all the greatest European teams) and a much bigger number of leagues and players (including the “Rest of World” block, containing major teams whose leagues don’t appear) to the list of improvements, and you’ve got a fair idea of how much FIFA 99 differs from its predecessors. Who can forget pulling the referee strictness bar to the lowest, then hammering the nasty tackle button? Ah… good times.

FIFA 2000 was also mention-worthy… mention-worthy bad. Arcade-like gameplay with terrible set pieces and a general cheap feeling to it… actually, let’s not talk about that one. FIFA 2001/2002 introduced power bars for shots, then for passes and crosses. FIFA 2003 had “completely new gameplay and graphics”, but wasn’t really interesting anyway. FIFA 2004 had secondary divisions. FIFA 06 was another one with “completely new gameplay and graphics” but not really, and is only worth mentioning because of its name, 06 not 2006. Oh, and the career mode, consisting of what I think was fifteen years as a manager (that gets to play the game as well, obviously, just like on SWoS). The carrer mode system wasn’t nearly as good as it is today though.

Now, finally, FIFA 08. The previous FIFA games were largely inferior to Konami’s International Superstar Soccer Pro and Pro Evolution Soccer (though superior to other 3D games like This Is Football), sans FIFA 99 which ruled. (Hard.) But FIFA 08 proved to be the year of FIFA. It was a much more polished effort then ever before. Its key introducing feats were the be a pro mode, where you play as just one player (in friendlies offline or online) and the arena mode, where you play as a chosen player against the keeper, sort of like a training mode. The arena mode doesn’t sound like much when put into words, but it makes loading screens a lot of fun! Especially compared to watching a bar filling up… Pretty much everything else about FIFA 08 was polishing. Said polishing yielded great results, i.e. a damn fine game that beats the hell out of previous efforts as well as rival games. This was the first FIFA that promised “completely new gameplay and graphics” that actually had completely new gameplay and graphics that were memorable.

When FIFA 09 came, it could only get better, and wow… it got better. With insanely improved physics, including a collision system where you actually felt like strength, pace and body build actually mattered, as well as much more unpredictable ball physics. The be a pro mode was a lot better as well, allowing you to play through several seasons with your pro, who would improve his skills throughout the career. It introduced several new features as well, but those were heavily overshadowed by the vast improvements to the core, the gameplay and the 10v10 online play (only the goalkeepers being controlled by the AI, or by one of the players playing as “All”) It was simply glorious.

So guess who pre-ordered FIFA 10, and made sure to get it two days before its official release? I’m guessing that wasn’t just me. Because FIFA 09 left everyone craving more, and FIFA 10 duly delivered. The manager mode is changed around a lot, mostly for the better, thanks to the developers actually listening to the fans. There are more and certainly smoother animations and a more diverse gameplay altogether, in addition quite the few new modes, including utilizing the arena mode as a gateway to set pieces customization and classic training modes.

But what really caught my attention were two things. The virtual pro mode, allowing you to create yourself (or someone else, for that matter), and take him through the be a pro mode, manager mode or whatever else you want. You can even use him online in 10v10 matches! You can also create your own teams consisting of yourself and other people’s virtual pros. It’s so well executed, it’s incredible. You can also upload your face and change different cosmetic stuff. It doesn’t really matter as much to me, but it’s nice to have those choices to ensure that your player both looks and behaves unique.

The second thing that caught my attention was how much they’ve actually done. Though it’s not all that noticeable at first, you’ll soon notice the effects of 360-dribbling > 8-way dribbling, as well as how the AI is way more unpredictable and realistic. Every match plays out like you’re watching a match on the TV, and it can actually be far more entertaining than watching an actual match! I play it on slow instead of normal, because the normal (and especially fast) mode is a bit too unrealistic in my honest opinion. The effects of 360 dribbling are much more obvious in slow mode as well, given you have more time to react and you can push the ball around much more precisely.

So there you have it. FIFA 10 sports unmatchable realism as well as a big bunch of sheer fun, and the next game of the series will probably do so to - as well as add new stuff and more realism. FIFA 10 is simply the definite game of its type with the impressive physics, great entertainment value and about a thousand different game modes. SWoS on the other hand, is the king of 2D arcade-likes with snappy, addicting and highly entertaining in its own right gameplay. But which one is the best? They are both kings. I’ll leave for you to decide which one is the more king. Please oh please spam this post’s comment field. I dare you.