FIFA10 (X360)

A football season isn’t complete until the battle of the videogames has taken place – and first to strike a blow this season is FIFA10.

For many years, Pro Evo has stolen a march on the Electronic Arts offering, but there are signs that FIFA is now starting to tick more of the boxes.

As well as the usual slick visuals and trick-laden gameplay, there’s now more of a footballing experience than ever before. Teams can be caught on the counter attack, powerful strikers can muscle their opponents off the ball.

There’s still the old problem of beating a man being overly reliant on intricate step overs and the route one fans will struggle to recreate the Wimbledon glory years, but the opportunity to outpass your opponents does exist.

The one thing FIFA will always have over its Pro Evo rival is the licence for players and teams – and this does make a difference at the initial stage. When you buy a football game you want to play as the idols out there, but long term it doesn’t have a massive factor on the decision making process.

Much of the joy of football games in the modern era is multiplayer – traditional and online. And FIFA ticks the boxes. One v one on the same machine has a fast-paced feel to it, while online has plenty of clever facets to keep you going.

Lag is virtually non-existant and offers you a whole new challenge has you face up to the faceless and try to pit your footballing wits against all sorts of different opponents.

FIFA10 has always been sexy football, making the beautiful game truly beautiful. But like Steven Gerrard, it’s now adding a bit of bite to its undoubted talent and will leave football fans with a real decision to make when it comes to buying a footy title.

Being first to the punch, as FIFA is, could yet prove to be the decisive factor.