FIFA 10

FIFA 10

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FIFA 10 - WALKTHROUGH AND GAME HINTS
by
QuadraticSilk

Hi everyone.I saw that there were no walkthroughs or game hints for FIFA 10
 for PC on this forum.So I thought I might contribute some for the sake of
 my brothers in the FIFA community.

There's not much to this game for a walkthrough like an FPS,with all the 
levels and all.This is a straight forward football simulation.And for 
ardent FIFA fans like me loyal to the EA Sports label from 1994,you know 
clearly what I'm talking about.
I'll split this FAQ/Walkthrough into sections for the sake of readers.They
would go something like this :

1. Improvements over FIFA 09 (from a gamer's POV)
2. Gameplay and Ways to score
3. Comparison with PES 2010 (FIFA's only real opponent out there)

Now,I'm not the best FIFA gamer ever.But I'm pretty good though I haven't 
been able to use the Multiplayer option much due to my slow internet 
connection sometimes.

1. Improvements over FIFA 09
----------------------------------------
a) Visuals : - The game looks better than the previous version ofcourse.
The players are better defined (especially Kaka,Henry,Walcott and Rosicky).
They dont look undead like the previous versions.There's no Intro video,
so that was a disappointment.The graphics on a mid-level graphics card is
 satisfying but a higher end like the 8800 or above will render excellent
 visuals.There are new animations built into the game,like players falling
 down and showing fake emotions(lying down and holding a leg in pain etc.).
One funny animation was how a defender reacted when I shot the football 
onto his balls(yeah thats right) and saw him catch his groin and go down.
New dribble moves are also incorporated.Stadiums look better (especially 
the Wembley,Emirates,Old Trafford and the San Siro..but still no Bernabeau)
 with better lighting,responsive crowds and feel.The eruption of the crowd
 after the home team scores a goal is fantastic.It makes you feel you're 
actually there.The response from the crowd is very realistic when there's 
a foul,injury or a substitution.The crowd chants are also authentic.The 
referees haven't changed much,there's mostly only one referee for all the
 games in a certain league.And one referee looks exactly like Thomas 
Rosicky! Be sure to select the "output video quality,output video 
resolution" etc. to "high" for the best results.This works even in 
mid-level cards like the 8600.Its interesting to note that this may 
be the only 2010 release that can still be played on a 6xxx series card.

b) Controls : - Controls are more responsive.The length of your key press
 now almost exactly defines your pass or shot.It has been refined from that
 of FIFA 09 and this gives more control over your lobs and through balls.
I've found that turning the "manual throughballs" to "on" doesn't do much
 in terms of gameplay.But when it's turned off the player to whom you 
through-pass the ball cannot be controlled for some time till he starts 
running towards the ball.Serious gamers may feel some difference when you
 turn on the "manual cross" option especially if you want to cross the ball
 to the second striker or the "thrid man" running towards the far post who
 has a better probability of scoring as the goal keeper would often be 
covering the main striker running towards the near post.Timing the header
 is not actually necessarily,tapping the shoot button as ball nears the 
striker almost always ends in a fairly well headed ball.

c) New game modes : - EA Sports always comes up with something new in every
 edition and FIFA 10 is no exception.In FIFA 09 they came up with 
"be a pro" and to say the least it was exciting to play as yourself 
for the club you cheered for,being in the pitch and co-ordinating moves
 with your real world teammates.In FIFA 10,there's an option of playing
 for your club as well as for your country (Jai Ho!). I would suggest that
 you start playing "be a pro" in a lower difficulty like semi pro or 
professional so that you get a hang of the game and be used to the third
 person camera(the camera starts shaking when you're in the face of goal,
so it becomes difficult to aim a shot without considerable practice).A new
 mode called "season" has been added where you can play an entire season 
with your team in real life format(yes,it includes ECC games too).But you 
can only play the current season.

d) Miscellaneous : - There are more improvements in the team management 
section like "custom team styles" where you can customize every detail of
 your team's playbook and decide how they should play.For e.g,if you are a
 nervous defender,you can turn on the "clear ball from defence" option so 
that if the opposing team is putting pressure on your defensive line,the 
defenders tend to clear the ball faster rather than converting it into a 
counter attack which can be tricky.Also,if you like playing your centre 
midfielder ahead,you can create a box with him and the two strikers,to 
which one of the striker can fall back and confuse the defenders.The 
gameplay is not that difficult,gamers with experience of the previous 
title or FIFA 08 should see themselves graduating to the "legendary" 
difficuly in no time.The defenders jostle for the ball better,and tend 
to win most of the airballs.They also attack the forwards from behind who
 are shielding the ball,and 3 times out of 5 win the ball without much 
difficulty.This is good for that fact that no player gets to keep 
possession for too long and make the game boring(if you've played 
multiplayer and seen people just running with the ball,I'm sure you 
understand what I'm talking about).

EA Sports have listed a long list of improvements for the game,but 
personally these are the only things I found interesting.They claim 
there's some revolutionary 360 dribbling system,but I haven't seen 
much of it in the game.I usually try a lot of special moves,but they
 pull off almost similarly like FIFA 09.The control over the ball has
 improved no matter what.No doubt.There's also some gmae-breaking snags
 like the player getting "stunned" for some time after a tackle(usually
 the defender,duh),goal keeper running forward without any input(usually
 when the opposition lobs a long ball into the attacking third),
inconsistent referees etc.

Now let's check out some ways to beat the game.There are certain ways
 I play that help me score easily and faster.I usually play a half of
 4 minutes on "legendary" difficulty with game speed "fast".That's the
 hardest this game can get.Still I get score lines like 4-0,6-1 or 
sometimes 8-0 most of the time against teams with ratings of 4 and above.
I'm sure most of the FIFA fans would be scoring better than me but I though
t I would just share some tips anyway.Some of you can post some 
improvements so that I get to improve my game too.Here we go.

2. Gameplay and Ways to score
---------------------------
a) Build a team with good team chemistry - Having a team with good team
 chemistry helps you play better and score better.The players now 
understand each other better and position themselves accordingly.You see
 that most of your crosses are anticipated and headed home by the strikers,
midfielders distribute the ball better and defenders fall back and employ 
the off side trap wisely.I had a dream team in Manager mode with Real 
Madrid,yet I couldnt score as I did with the current Arsenal side which 
clearly had a better team chemistry and understanding.Buying new players
 every now and then will not improve your team chemistry.Try buying a 
player or two and play them with the regualr team as much as possible.
Training days improve team chemistry,so be sure to plan them in your 
calendar in Manager mode.

b) Play the players in their specific positions - You should always see
 what the player's preferred position in his bio before placing him in 
your team.If he's a wing back,don't place him at centre back in your team.
You can see his overall rating falling down by atleast 5 points.For 
e.g,Philippe Lahm is a LWB,when you place him in the CB position his 
overall comes down to 82 from 87.Players play better in their preferred 
positions.You have a better chance at scoring if strikers are placed at the
ir respective RS or LS positions(keep in mind the ability to curve the ball
 around the goal keepr to the top corner from the edge of the box.If he's 
in the wrong side he can't use his preferred foot to do this).

c) Possession is everything - Pass the ball around.The more time you have
 possession,the better chance you have at scoring.Don't try to stage a 
one-man show by dribbling around much with the same player and trying to 
break into the attacking third.Defenders are smarter in this game and you
 would most often lose possession.Lobs are riskier than ground passes,so I
 suggest do the passes more often and use the lob when you find a player 
unmarked or making a run.

d) Long balls - This is very important.If you have a striker up and ready
 to make runs,you should make use of this feature.When you have possession
 in midfield,see your radar and spot a target man up ahead in the attacking
 third.Then press the goal keeper charge/player run button and then the 
through ball button.You'll see the midfielder(or the defender whomsoever 
has got the ball)lob a long ball up the field and the striker would already
 have been making a dash for it.The length of the second key press(the 
through ball button)will define the length of the long ball,if you overdo 
it the keeper will have his hands on it.But if you time it right,more often
 than not the target man will break free of the defenders(who had no clue 
about the beautiful long ball you just lobbed in)and run to the ball 
arriving from down the pitch leading to a one-on-one situation with the 
goal keeper.

e) Crosses - This is another way to score goals easily.If you have a 
regular 4-4-2 formation,there will be two strikers ready to head the ball
 when the far left or right midfielder crosses the ball in.With the 
"manual crossing" turned on,you can vary the length of your key press and 
feed the ball to either of the strikers at the near or far post 
respectively.After you have released the ball,just keep tapping the shoot
 button as the ball arrives and use your arrow key to the far end of the
 keeper.This is usually my favourite way of scoring goals.Keeping the 
goalkeeper charge button pressed when you tap the shoot button will result
 in a finely placed header rather than a blast onto the net.This makes for
 a better highlight reel in the end.Also,if you see that there aren't any 
defenders in the line of the cross or ahead(sometimes they try to catch up
 behind the striker leaving a straight line between the crossing midfielder
 and the running striker open)then try a low cross.A low cross will travel
 almost near the ground without rising much,skimming the pitch.To do this,
quickly double-tap the longball/cross button instead of keeping your finger
 pressed on it for a normal cross.The midfielder will deliver a low cross 
to the striker and all you have to do is press the shoot button before the
 ball arrives you.In this way,the goal keeper won't have enough time to 
react to the shot and most of the time will result in a goal(If you're a 
premier league fan,you have seen Fabregas delivering low crosses to van 
Persie or Nani to Rooney.Looks beautiful,don't they?Well..you can do it 
now too!).

f) Shots - The way you take shots also determines whether it's going to end
 up in the net or not.The goal keeper is pretty is good in "legendary" 
difficulty but can be beaten most of the time if you take shots right.Blast
ing away with your sweet spot is not always the best option of scoring goal
s(you may score,but then it wouldn't be called the beautiful game,right?).
I would suggest the finesse shots are the best.The chip comes next.Let's 
see how to do it.Keep the goal keeper charge button pressed and then press
 the shoot button to execute a finesse shot.The striker(or whomsoever has 
possession)will place the ball with the inside of his foot along the ground
 if your second key press(the shoot button)is short.This is a difficult 
shot for the goal keeper to block.If you press the shoot button(while press
ing the goal keeper charge button)a little longer,the player would place 
the ball a little higher.This shot if executed correctly to the far post 
when the goal keeper is covering the near post will curve and hit the top 
corner(like Agbonlahor's shots to the far side of the goal,if you remember)
.For me,this was immensely satisfying as I was getting bored scoring 
through straight laces shots.But as I said earlier,you have to let the 
striker play in his preferred position so he can do this thing with his 
preferred foot.I suggest you practise in the training ground before you 
take it to the pitch(especially on multiplayer)as it can make or break your
 game(borrowed from FIFA itself!).Now let's come to the Chip shot.This is a
ctually a snag in the game I think.You can keep scoring using this shot as
 the goal keeper would most often charge at you even if it's not a 
one-on-one situation,and all you have to do it is to chip the ball above 
him and score.It's easier than all previous editions and I have even done 
it from zero angle(just next to the goal line on the side of the goal).For
 a chip shot,you have to keep the cancel/dummy move button pressed and then
 press the shoot button.Aim using the arrow keys.Be sure to press the shoot
 button for a longer time,because otherwise the chip won't be "high" enough
 and the keeper would latch onto it.But if done well,this is an easy way of
 scoring even in "legendary" mode.As I said,the keeper will start charging
 at you,the moment you see him making his move press the cancel/dummy move
 button and press the shoot button(remember,for a slightly longer period of
 time)to see the ball chipped over him and slowly bounce into the net for a
 goal(Oh..it's in the net!).The animation of the keeper trying to reach to
 the ball by moving backward and finally falling over himself is 
interesting to watch too.

g) Long rangers -  It's easier to score long range goals in FIFA 10 than 
FIFA 09 or FIFA 08(in my experience,maybe there are hardcore players out 
there who does that regularly in those editions too! Cheers!). This can be
 done effectively if you are positioned in a corner of the penalty box or 
just out of it and there's less crowd in the box.Aim using the arrow keys 
to the opposite far corner of the goal post and press the shoot button for
 a slightly longer period than your normal goal scoring shots.If you time 
it right,the ball will blast past the goal keeper to the far side top 
corner.Long shots are also affected by the players who take them.For e.g, 
Fabregas or Ribery who have better long shot capabilities(Denilson and 
Steven Gerrard are exceptionally good at long shots)will most often score
 than other players like Park Ji Sung or Benayoun etc. Defenders usually 
have weak long shot capabilities except players like Lahm.The long rangers
 also work when the ball volleys and curves aways from the keeper at the 
last moment.As I said,these can be pulled off by players with good long 
range capabilities.See the players' bios so you know with whom and when to
 take a long shot when the opportunity arises.

h) Team mentality and in-game tactics - The team mentality decides how your
 team is playing at the moment.It can be accessed through "team mentality"
 button while in mid-game(go to controls screen to know which is your team
 mentality button).If the arrow is up,it means your team has an attacking 
mentality at the moment.The players are going to make more runs,put pressur
e on the defense and co-ordinate more counter attacks.If the arrow is down,
it means your team has a defensive mentality at the moment.They are going 
to fall back more often,guard their men more,keep the offside trap and rest
rict forward runs.I suggest you start with an attacking mentality till you
 score a couple of goals.The opposition is going to come back hard on you 
after your goal and you are most vulnerable just after scoring,so switch 
to a defensive mentality for sometime after scoring a goal and let things 
settle down for a bit.Once you see the game is in flow again,switch to 
attacking and go for more forward runs,long balls(as I said earlier,running
 a forward ahead and lobbing a ball long to him) and counter attacks.Use 
the in-game tactics menu to vary your stlye of play.Its usually controlled
 by the Num pad keys on PC.There are four styles you can try including 
Counter attacks,Box overload etc. But most of the time you won't need this
 unless you really enjoy being a tactician(which I do!).There are some 
useful hints in the "tips and hints" section about the various tactics you
 can use in the game and I suggest you make full advantage of it.

i) Special moves - Now comes my favourite part. I love doing special moves
 and it's a very handy trick up the sleeve to keep the defenders guessing 
the wrong way.FIFA 10 has some cooler special moves though I don't know the
 names of most of them.Go to controls screen,and configure your "trick 
modifier" key(Note that it should be near to your action keys like shoot,
pass etc. You can configure whichever key you like). Now in the game when
 you are near a defender and wants to perform a special move,keep the trick
 modifier pressed and press the arrow keys quickly.Different combinations 
of arrow keys(e.g , left,left,right or left,front,right etc.) will let you 
perform different special moves.Just do them quickly and with right timing 
you can beat the defender in the most beautiful way.Not all players can 
perform all special moves,it depends on the rating and abilities of the 
player(Players like Torres,Fabregas,Ronaldo and Nani can pull off some 
really cool moves).If you have only one or two defenders ahead of you,a 
timed special move will almost always result in a one-on-one situation with
 the goal keeper(I've heard you can fool the goal keeper also using special
 moves,but I haven't tried it yet).

j) Miscellaneous - Mastering the first touch will greatly improve the 
chances of scoring in FIFA 10.I play with only the keyboard,I never liked
 the new keyboard-mouse configuration of FIFA 09 and 10.In my PC,the first
 touch control is Shift.When you are receving a pass,before you get it 
press the first touch key once so that if there's a defender behind you the
 player will touch the ball into space around him but not into the defender
.In this way,the defender can be fooled or prevented from taking the ball a
way from you as soon as the pass arrives to you.Shielding is also useful 
when you don't have support in the box and you're waiting for player to 
arrive from midfield.Press the sprint button and keep it pressed without 
moving.The player will shield the ball with his body from the oncoming 
defender and when you're ready just press pass and the direction in which
 you want the pass to go.Remember,don't shield the ball for too long.The 
defender will finally find a way to snatch the ball away from you.Man 
Marking is also a great way to keep opponent strikers at bay and keep that
 clean sheet of yours.This can be accessed through the "team management" 
screen before a game.Just be sure not to select that defender and make him
 run behind some midfielder who's in possession of the ball.This leaves the
 opponent striker whom he was marking open to target passes or lobbed balls
.The radar at the bottom of the screen is also a nice friend you have in 
the game.Keeping a look on the radar will let you know when a player is 
making a run or who's open without a marking etc. This comes in handy when
 you want to lob long balls up the pitch to find your target man.

Finally,I want to say that practice will definitely help if you want to 
master the game.Spend some time at the training ground,hone your skills and
 get up there an compete with the best(if you have a fast internet 
connection,not like me!).I hope whatever I wrote here will help you in 
doing that.Before I end,I'd like to compare FIFA 10 with Pro Evolution 
Soccer 2010 and tell you what I thought :


3. FIFA 10 vs PES 2010
---------------------
a) PES 2010 has better graphics in terms of visuals,stadiums,animations 
etc. But the user interface is much better in FIFA 10.
b) Player likenesses for the popular players are better in PES 2010,but
 lesser known players are modelled on templates that don't look like them
 at all. FIFA 10 clearly has an edge here.
c) There are only a few licensed leagues in PES 2010.For e.g, the Premier
 League is not licensed and so are most of the teams. Arsenal is depicted
 as "North London"(come on!).FIFA 10 has over 26 fully licensed leagues and
 more than 15,000 players(whew!).And Arsenal is depicted as Arsenal itself!
d) The UEFA Champion's League is incorporated into PES 2010 and the present
ation is nice. I hope FIFA fans remember the UEFA Champions League edition
 that came out in 2007.
e) PES always scores above FIFA in terms of fluid ball physics. The way the
 ball moves around is more lively and realistic. The placed shots look bett
er on the highlight reel.
f) The crowds suck in PES 2010. They don't make any noise whatsoever! Even
 when the home team scores,it's a general lull and all you can hear is a 
low hum.
g) The players sprint as if they are non-humans in PES 2010.It's much 
better in FIFA 10.
h) I found PES 2010 more difficult.Maybe due to the different control 
system but playng FIFA 10 was more interesting.
i) The goal keeper is dumber in PES 2010.You can take shots from impossible
 angles and still score goals.WTF.
j) Special moves are harder to pull off (something I was really pissed off
 with) and are unrealisitic.FIFA 10 scores way better in this regard.

I could go on and on,but I guess I should leave the pros of PES to a real 
PES fan.I found FIFA 10 to be better than PES 2010,but maybe within a 
couple of years if EA Sports doesn't come up with path-breaking techniques
 in gameplay and presentation I think a few FIFA loyalists maye change 
sides.I hope that's not going to happen because EA Sports always comes up
 with something new with every edition.It's in the game,right? 

I would welcome all criticisms and improvements on my humble attempt to 
make things easier for entry-level and mid-level gamers of FIFA.Infact,I 
believe it helps me more and makes me a better gamer.

Happy Gaming!
One Love.For tha peace.

QuadraticSilk.