FIFA 2010

If you pre-order this from shopto.net you get entered into a draw to win a Premier League season ticket. They don't actually have any, they just buy one for you, if there are any left at the club you want. Maybe some guy with Blackburn as a second team will get lucky, I'unno.

asda £24 on launch day, apparently; that'll do me

9.3 on ign uk; 9 on eg

If last year saw FIFA knocking PES off its perch, this year it's chasing it around the birdcage with a plank of wood and a sledgehammer.

Video game representations of Wayne Rooney always neaten up his facial irregularities so much he ends up just looking like a slightly balder Danny Murphy.

if you pay all that money to get ign to write you a press release, you would hope they would at least proof it first. "pretentions".

http://www.easportsfootball.co.uk/media/play/video/9624829

Full game needs to come out just to rid me of fucken botched demo goalkeeper AI

switched to dynamic cam for a laugh, actually feels quite nice
http://www.easportsfootball.co.uk/media/play/video/9626365

"The biggest thing we did this year is we stopped giving [the commentators] a script – they get no scripted lines from us. Everything you hear them say in the game comes straight from them. We create the scenario, give them a context and they look at the situation and play off each other, using their own words."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/6219427/FIFA-10-The-sound-and-soul-of-football.html

"MacPherson explains that this is made possible because the commentary now has separate AI which 'listens' to the all the information coming from the gameplay. It also checks the information coming from the tournament manager and other areas of the game. But rather than just responding with something, it assesses the information and it may decide not to say anything immediately, or it may pick out what it thinks is more relevant to the bigger picture. Rather than talking about a tackle or a pass, it may choose to talk about your team’s winning or losing streak as it pertains to the season or the competition at this particular point."

seriously impressed w/all of this. stuff like this is brilliant

"In the past, you used to just hear a generic shout and it was a nice part of the atmosphere," says MacPherson. "Now, when a player’s running into space, he’ll call for the ball and you’ll hear it in the game – and you’ll hear it in the right language."

I hope they devote a chunk of time to the computer AI next year

I wondered about the chants last year; licensing Go West is pretty dedicated, but getting Hey Jude just seems like a new level of more hassle than it's worth.

I hope the stuff in that article pans out as well as it could, because a lot of the commentary on the demo is still pretty cornball, especially when you end up dropping the controller to put your head in your hands because you realise they're having another Wembley Discussion.

ha, the demo commentary file is understandably tiny tho but yeah 7 years did you really believe it would happen I have a lot of fond memories as you know

Wasn't sure if "I hope I get to shout goal in it a few times" was some kind of chirpy injoke dig at the crap/inexplicable "I thought you were going to shout goal at the other end" line

I think the fundamental thing the commentary programmers miss is that people tend to play a few games in a row and where the commentary gets most annoying isn't in the variety of things said, but when you have to hear it say the same thing in exactly the same way time and time again across games. It would add so much if the could record basically the same descriptive lines that come up in almost every game, but differently, with different inflections or whatever - that's where you would get some much needed variety and a more human feeling.

nice (I'm playing on amateur btw cos I'm trying to learn all-manual controls)

manual shooting is v.masochistic but v.satisfying

A couple of the reviews linked on Metacritic say the commentary is actually good.

Remember when games used to do the "that's a great goal by <loading> CANTONA"? Surely we should be making progress in that area instead of all this "That's a great finish by the player in question" "Yes, the football team that he plays for will be very pleased with his performance today" stuff.

I know they have chat about big name players but I'm not convinced Rob Earnshaw and Jon Stead are gonna be getting specific enough love.

I actually prefer bad commentary to 'good'/slick commentary: PES4's "no quarter being given nor asked!" is still a classic

"what's that? goal!"

"He's heeled it backwards."

"A heel pass."

"They're stroking it around looking for an opening."

"And he smacks one!"

"It's a ding dong battle between these two teams."

"Put in!"

anyone agree w/stephen ireland being a 78 when gareth barry is an 84?
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/1056/imag0027c.jpg
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/5969/imag0028m.jpg

No, can't agree with Tevez being equal to x1 Gareth Barry either. Go four across the middle and get Petrov in there (based on tonight's irl performance).

so fellow nerds, you excited yet? If anyone's playing this on ps3, hit me up.

I AM VERY EXCITED

Shops (Game in Islington, at least) opening at midnight. Had no idea this happened for games. Well done thread, I think I've been convinced to get this for the Wii.

don't get it for the wii!!! get PES if u have a wii

this is crucial - if u own a ps2, PC or wii get PES; if u own a PS3/360 get FIFA

Oh ok!

I might just get last year's PES then, at least I won't have to move Alonso back.

(but why's it no good on the wii? Obviously it's not as powerful as PS3/360, but why do they even bother making games that aren't as good as they want them to be? Naive casual gamer asking big questions.)

well actually I thought the wii version was still running the ps2 code (fifa on PC runs the PS2 game iirc and so did last year's wii version). the 360/PS3 versions have a full new physics-based engine... but reading around seems the wii version is difft. this time out so maybe I spoke too soon...

I'd maybe wait for a review or two of the wii version before deciding? I know for a fact tht PES2009 on the wii is great tho, and can probably be had for pennies now

Re: Ireland/Barry - Are the overalls an average of all the other stats? Cos a bunch of em probably aren't important depending on your position, could just be that Barry is high because of his versatility and insane penalty-taking chops, Ireland could still be more stacked in terms of likelihood of scoring goals and having a major impact on a game

here's an early hands-on for the wii vn.
http://uk.gamespot.com/wii/sports/fifasoccer10/news.html?sid=6213397&mode=previews

I mean like it didn't matter what yr overall was in FIFA 09, if you were a central midfielder you weren't gonna do fuck-all unless you're fast

they really need to work on player individuality next yr

this post from the fsb forums is on point:

"I think nearly everyone here grew up on PES or around it, but today's PES fans seem to think we know nothing about it or that we're missing out on some incredible gaming experience by not sticking by the franchise through hell or high water. Fact of the matter is, I personally know A LOT about PES and what made it so popular.

I used to buy every magazine in the build up to PES3/4/5/6 (not including every ISS, yes, every one) and even imported the sole release of the Gamecube PES (Winning Eleven 6 final evolution).

I'm prepared for the backlash/angry emails because of this next sentence, but I feel I'm correct.

The main "feel" of PES and the "individuality" comes from 4 main running/dribbling animations. Yep. Remember? You could choose them for any player in the game in the edit mode (from PE6). I remember it being one of the main factors that elevated PES beyond the rest at the time cause Freddie Ljungberg had his own style of run with little nuances on how he controlled the ball.

The second point is the player faces. They've always, ALWAYS looked better in PES. It's what defined the ISS series (You know? international Superstar Soccer. Emphasis on the SUPERSTAR). Koppers actually LOOKED like Kluivert and Allejo actually LOOKED like Romario even way back in the SNES days.

The third part is presentation. Konami have always had the best goal replays and game intros. They've been using the same camera's for the replays and celebrations for years now. The sequence of banging in a goal into a water-ripple-like net and having the game cut to a TV-Style camera angle to watch (in realtime) your players celebrate and then going over the goal from 2 other angles and then coming back to the goal celebration in slow motion, and then giving you control of the replay, has been around in the ISS/PES franchise for yonks. From PES6 they've given us over 70 different real life celebrations you can do and you could always choose them in edit mode.

Lets also not forget the league/cup celebrations that last for ages with the ceremony of medal presenting and running around the pitch with the cup.

All of this adds to the personality of the game. I called it "mystic" cause no one ever bothers trying to explain it. Above is the truth and I feel it can be bettered. Maybe that's the reason for the hostility i normally receive for posts like this?

For me, all it would take would be for EA to add 4-5 new dribbling animations that could be assigned in edit mode as well. One for each kind of player:

- Burley/Strong but skillful player dribbling (rooney/podolski/ibrahimmovic/Drogba/Ferdidand/etc)
- Light/fast player/skillful (lennon/robben/walcott)
- Strong/Less skilled (Terry/Puyol/Cannacaro/etc)
- Average skill.

That's pretty much how the 4 skilled lined up in PES6. (go check it out). Each has their own reaction to kicking/running/turning/trapping. Pretty revolutionary for it's time and they use the same formula to this day. If EA mimicked this for Fifa11 with that next gen animation and physics engine powering these new Fifa's (using inverse kinetics) I feel that would be enough for individuality (AI is a whole other issue ).

Next though, for individuality, is seeing your players lift a trophy at the end of the season. It would add tonnes to the game. It's so underrated. Imagine lifting the ACTUAL Premier League title with the Barclays banners and fireworks etc? EA have the licence so we haven't even seen a 3D model of any of the trophies being presented in any footy game. Sad isn't it?

ha, secret achievement:

Bad loser 0G
select to quit & forfeit 5 xboxlive matches when losing

But aren't all games reviews paid-for guaranteed-at-least 8/10 PR nonsense. Is there actually a good/reliable games site? I don't know who to trust.

Anyway, no mention of 360dribbling on the EA wii site, and this:

“Strike it System” set pieces
The new set piece system will utilise the Wii Remote™ creating tense head to head battles on penalties, free-kicks and corners. Each player must time the shaking of their Wii Remote™ perfectly in order to either score or defend free-kicks, penalties and corners adding to the excitement.

hmmm I don't think all reviews are moneyhatted but a lot are. u can normally guage by the metacritic score but yeah word of mouth is the best review imo. from tht gamespot hands-on it seems like EA have abandoned any notion tht FIFA10 on the wii is actually a football sim, it's apparently arcadey as all hell. probably more in common w/mario strikers then than PES

PES on wii is still a sim; and the controls are amazing but take a little getting used to.

compare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvzGgG3jsxM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNWUml4aSXk

I'm very excited by this. Will probably get it tomorrow since I haven't been able to go back playing to 09 since I've downloaded the demo of 10...

I really like the look of the point and pass stuff on PES, and I'm more used to PES over the last 7 years or so, so I'll probably go with that one, thanks for the vids and that.

Mind's made up by PES having lovely Fernando Torres and Messi on the cover, rather than Rooney and Frank. Also, it's not out 'til November so i can get away with buying something else in the meantime (maybe Beatles Bandgame).

I've bought the Wii versions of PES both last year and the year before, and this year's looks much the same. It's a good version of the game. Last year they also added back in the ability to use the traditional control method if you so desired. What really makes it stand out though is the Wii controls, and the way they allow better passing and an ability to create nice runs into space on the fly, the ability to control players off the ball easily. It can get a bit overwhelming having that much control though.

However, after watching the video (above) of the year's FIFA on Wii, I'm interested, just because it looks different - a little more game like and maybe a little more appropriate to the Wii. I like the idea of changing things up and making the game play a little more arcade-like... with things like a super meter(!). Definitely will wait for reviews, but it's on my radar now, especially because PES just looks identical to last year's game (which I already have). Cozwn - has anybody written up this year's new tweaks?

for FIFA or PES wii? dunno, I only really follow the PS360 versions of each

http://img.skitch.com/20090930-8np8jwhwast89p6men941tqc6h.jpg

PES Wii - just curious what they are claiming to have tweaked this year to make it incredibly better than last year's edition?

sounds interesting; I haven't heard anything about that tho

sadly, PES wii tends to get (unfairly) overlooked in all the yearly hubbub and carping between the two factions : /

nah - I was just joking - I'm sure it's basically exactly the same as last year.

Since they allow you to play defense in PES Wii 09 (you couldn't really do anything in 08) and added the missing modes like Master League, I'm not sure what big improvements they could make. Also, 09 came out in like March - they haven't had a full year's development (10 will be out in November).

I doubt I'll be getting it just for updated rosters.

EZ - do you have a feeling about the FIFA Wii gameplay video above?

Mixed thoughts - like the look of the players (just a touch cartoony, in a good way), didn't like the camera angle or sound effects, both of which I assume are tweakable. Don't like the idea of the momentum meter or unblockable shots; I like the fact that PES on Wii can be a pretty hardcore sim. Player control looked pretty decent, which can sometimes be frustrating in PES.

I think there's a place for something between the madcap lunacy of Mario Strikers (which is really fun, if you haven't checked it out) and PES. I don't think I'd buy but might rent it to give it a go.

playing this now - SO EXCITED