Fifa 10 vs PES 2010 Review

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Graphics above: Fifa 10

Fifa 10 has a huge advantage here. While PES has undoubtedly improved it is still obvious that it has far less animations and the animations themselves are no-where near as smooth.

Whilst animation does not directly affect gameplay it does affect the realism of the game and while FIFA 10 has players diving at balls, smooth turns and now fantastic goalkeeper animations PES is still lacking.

In defence players seem very robotic despite the new animations, players in possession of the ball don't turn as smoothly but rather jerk as they turn and the goalkeepers seem to make the most acrobatic of dives just to catch a ball that is moving very slowly and is only half a foot to their left or right.

Another small thing that makes a big difference is that when making tackles on PES the tackling player will stop dead and move his leg forward, something that would defy physics in the real world.

In FIFA a tackle in the same situation would result in the tackling player moving into the player he is attempting to take the ball off of causing a minor realistic collision. PES' main issue is that the player movements look far too scripted while FIFA 10's looks smooth an natural.

FIFA 10: 9/10 - PES 2010: 7/10

Graphics above: PES 2010

PES 2010 has been boasting the better graphics of the two games for a while now so I found this a very interesting subject to review.

First off I have to say that PES 2010 has FIFA 10 beaten in terms of the up close detail. The player faces on PES 2010 have a great amount of detail. Another small yet very satisfying detail are the creases in both the PES 2010 kits and the FIFA 10 kits, as a player runs the creases change and give a very realistic portrayal of movement.

The biggest difference between PES 2010 and FIFA 10 is the new Dynamic lighting. The lighting obviously helps achieve a more realistic look on both players and the shadows on the pitch giving a small visual advantage to PES 2010.

Despite the better lighting and attention to small details on player faces this does not do enough to make it a huge significance between FIFA 10 and itself as FIFA 10's anti aliasing is a lot better giving the overall look of the game a smoother edge and therefore making it look like one flowing image rather than multiple objects layered over each other.

With all things considered both games have very nice graphics but PES 2010 has a small advantage due to it's dynamic lighting and detail on player faces.

FIFA 10: 8/10 - PES 2010: 9/10

Graphics above: Fifa 10

Well this is what it all comes down to, there is no point in having amazing graphics, stunning animations, great music or anything else if the game play isn't on par.

First off I think it is best to talk about the new 360 degree dribbling as this is something that can have a huge impact on both games. It was my understanding that both games have introduced 360 dribbling/movement but upon playing both demo's I could only see and feel a significant difference in one of the games, this being FIFA 10.

In FIFA 10 the movement is outstandingly realistic and gives you a true feeling of freedom. When turning on the ball (or even off the ball) in FIFA 10 there is a slight delay in the turn due to the realistic change of momentum and yet the change feels smooth as it would if you were actually to turn on the ball in real life.

However in PES 2010 a sudden change in direction is greeted with a sharp jolting change. The delay in change of direction is pretty much perfect in both games yet if feels completely different due to the animation/ smoothness of the transition.

The movement in PES 2010 still feels too robotic and the manner in which players react, pass, tackle etc seems to follow suit. In FIFA 10 tackles feel organic and natural to the flow of the game while in PES they feel robotic and like they have a yes/no outcome rather than a bit of a battle as there is in FIFA 10.

The passing is a little closer but on the odd occasion make a pass with the outside of the foot that looks rigid and unnatural while in FIFA 10 the same style of pass is greeted with a more realistic connection with the foot and the ball and the passer realistically follows through the kick. Whilst these are small game play elements they give an overall scripted feel in PES 2010 and the game ends up feeling rigid/robotic.

When it comes to shooting the one thing I was very happy to see in PES 2010 has improved it's shooting a lot. Players tend to hit the ball with more venom from range now as well as being a little more accurate.

FIFA 10 has also improved in this department with long range shots no longer being a 30/70 gamble of whether the ball will hit the target or not. I would say the two games are equal in this department.

The biggest difference in the two games this year in terms of game play comes from the defences. In FIFA 10 the defence are more aware of an impending shot and will try a lot harder to position themselves between the ball and the goal and will also lunge or throw their legs out at shots in attempt to stop a potential goal.

In PES 2010 defenders seem a little less likely to attempt a block or throw themselves at the ball.

The main difference in defence however are the goalkeepers. In FIFA 10 the keepers scramble to recover, will charge down potential threats and generally seem a little more "tuned in". Upon playing PES 2010 I was a little disappointed that on several occasions the goalkeepers would dive for something they could have simply picked up or after making a save would seem oblivious to the fact a striker has bared down on the loose ball and was about to strike.

The summarise the game play I would be unfair not to mention the bugs/glitches that appear to be showing up. On FIFA 10 it is evident that goalkeepers can be a little too aggressive at times leaving themselves vulnerable to being chipped and can also show some bad AI at times. PES 2010 also shows signs of poor goalkeeper AI with goalkeepers launching themselves at unchallenged, slow long balls and even on occasion charging out an attacking player when he has his whole defence between himself and the ball. However for both games this could be fixed for the final release.

One huge mistake by Konami was the missing commentary. Whilst I know commentary can be very susceptible to bugs it is a big part of making a game feel realistic. FIFA 10's commentary is fantastic with the commentators even making small comments on different celebrations and interrupting each other. PES 2010 seems deafeningly quiet without a word said.

Both games have some great game play. FIFA 10 feels more free flowing and organic yet a little too fast still and PES 2010 has a nice pace with some good build up play but still feels a little too robotic and a fair step behind in terms of the animation.

FIFA 10 easily has the more organic/realistic feel to it's game play overall.

FIFA 10: 9/10 - PES 2010: 8/10