Once again, the FIFA franchise looks very good in most of its graphical capabilities, but because of the nature of soccer and how you'll need to see a lot of the field to be able to play well, most of the time the camera will be so far away that you won't enjoy the nice-looking player models. Sure, you can choose other camera angles, but unless you zoom in and lose much of the field, the default camera is likely where you'll end up for balance while you're playing. When the game switches to cut-scenes, however, you'll be able to see just how great the character models appear on-screen. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the crowd, as the extremely low polygon models take away from an otherwise nice-looking game.

The created players also look quite good and FIFA Soccer 10 gives just enough in the options to keep gamers satisfied. In comparison, other sports titles out there may contain more in the way of selectable options, but this year's soccer title still looks great. In fact, you can also set up your own EA Game Face to create your own likeness by using your personal picture and mapping it to your player with the help of the Internet and Xbox Live. The one area where I was disappointed was in the presentation. There were often camera shots that showed the top of the stadium instead of showing the crowd or members of either team, which felt a bit distracting and out of place.

When it comes to audio, you'll hear basically three main sounds piercing your eardrums in FIFA Soccer 10: background music, stadium ambience, and commentator voiceovers. The first brings a bit of culture to your speakers and the Menu music is actually quite catchy in most cases. The stadiums offer up more than just crowd noises as well. In fact, the stadium music is outstanding. While playing as a Brazilian team, for example, I've actually heard Spanish-speaking background noise, which is quite enhancing when it comes to presentation. The announcers (Martin Tyler and Andy Gray) sound quite good as well, but it should be noted that the commentary is a bit broken because of the sometimes dead time involved in soccer matches.

FIFA Soccer 10 has always surpassed other soccer/fútbol titles in both options and gameplay, and this year is no different. Once again, you'll be able to perform specialized moves on your way to scoring by stopping the ball mid-stride, flipping it, or performing bicycle kicks almost at will. For the most part, the computer A.I. keeps the team spaced well and players get to their spots when they need to, but they also adapt well to human-controlled deviations from the norm. You'll also be able to manage your team's aggression and defensive formations to tweak out the team so that gamers who like all styles of play have the options in front of them.

Those who really like to dig deep into management can also hop into the Manager Mode of FIFA Soccer 10. Here, you'll not only be able to play your games (you could also simulate them if you prefer to stay in the front office), but you'll have to manage your team from personnel changes to making money by winning games. The Manager Mode is certainly going to be enjoyable for gamers who prefer to get behind the scenes a bit more.

For those who prefer to be a force on the field rather than off, the Be A Pro feature is where it's at. You'll start by creating your own player and injecting him into your favorite team at the position you desire. Once on the field, you'll have to control your wanna-be star, and only him, throughout up to 4 seasons. FIFA Soccer 10 does an excellent job of helping players along to get them back into position on the field, which helps prevent gamers from getting disoriented. Under your player's feet, a graphic is displayed showing arrows to guide him in the correct direction, and the number of arrows determines how far out of position your player is. Because of this help, gamers who may not be familiar with the intricacies of soccer will be able to learn a bit from this videogame (and who says they aren't educational?). What annoyed me, however, was that I wasn't a fan of the default camera for Be A Pro (which is also used online). The camera switches from a sideline view to an end-to-end shot, which is extremely difficult to judge distance with because the focal length of the camera makes everything seem perceptively elongated. Fortunately, the camera can be switched back, but then you'll lose your guy off-screen sometimes, and there are now indicators as to where off-screen he is.

FIFA Soccer 10 does allows for some very fun online games, especially because of the ability to meet up with other gamers and play intense matches with a number of players. Similar to how most team-based online games that are thrown together feel like pickup games between people who don't know each other, FIFA Soccer 10's online team games can sometimes become a form of mass chaos. Of course, once players get used to each other, doing so becomes a very fun form of entertainment. For those who are able to get with the same groups of players, FIFA Soccer 10 allows the creation of Pro Club Championship teams where you and a group of friends can get together to take on other clubs from around the world.

Other game modes include Quick Matches and other Exhibition modes, a Tournament Mode, and Live Season 2.0, which is essentially a way for you to play along with the season and get automatic updates to rosters, live scoring, and the ability to replay games to change the outcome of your season. Of course, even though you just dished out $60 USD for the bright, shiny disc in your Xbox, you'll have to pay extra for Live Season 2.0. Annoying, but true. It appears that EA has gone the way of micro-selling. We've seen it in other titles recently and there is also a FIFA 10 Store where you can purchase other goodies, but this is the first that I've seen that requires an extra payment for what should be a built-in Game Mode. Shame on you, EA.

Probably one of the biggest deals in FIFA Soccer 10, however, is that there is a kind of an ever-present feature throughout the game called Virtual Pro. This is a main feature in the game's Menu system, yet honestly, it's not a Game Mode at all. It is pretty cool that you can take your created player with you practically anywhere, including online, however.

FIFA Soccer 10 allows you to switch up the difficulty level between five different settings, but you can further tweak out the game by changing the game's overall speed between three positions. By default, gamers like me -- you know, those who typically stink at soccer games -- can still feel like they're able to compete after a bit of practice, yet the game, and the A.I. behind the game for that matter, still helps keep things challenging. In my opinion, scoring in FIFA Soccer 10 is like a good sweet 'n' sour sauce... two different flavors that, when put together, offer up the perfect combination that keeps you coming back for more.

At its surface, just running up to the keeper and the goal that he's tending and trying to shoot will likely end up in either missing an opportunity or having it stolen from you after a good diving grab. However, with a little practice, and with the use of the (LT) to fine-tune your movements in combination with the Analog sticks, gamers can actually learn to score somewhat regularly. Before each match, you'll be able to go one-on-one and try to score while the game is loading, and practicing at this alone can help your scoring tremendously. At the same time, you'll rarely get these types of opportunities in-game, so learning this technique won't guarantee you victory every time anyway. In fact, because you'll usually be weaving in and out of traffic (through moves or passing), you'll likely have to combine your scoring abilities with other abilities that you pick up along the way. Fortunately, you'll be able to pick up a lot of techniques and pointers through the tutorials that the game offers.

What does drive me crazy, however, is that most of the time it is nearly impossible to outrun the defense even when you get by them without going offside. The defenders will likely not only catch up to you but also steal the ball or, at the very least, disrupt you enough that you won't get a good shot or pass off. On the other side of the field, the A.I. goalie isn't always the sharpest knife in the drawer. There were numerous occasions when he allowed my computer-controlled opponents easy access to the net. Fortunately, you have a small amount of control by now being able to cause the keeper to rush the oncoming ball. With the right timing, he will dive on the ball before a kick is attempted, but it does make the open net vulnerable to a quick pass and shot on goal.

In general, FIFA Soccer 10's controls are quite fluid in nature. Controlling your players can easily be done by anyone that grabs the controller, yet there is enough subtlety in there that it allows more hardcore gamers to perform special moves and generally control the game much better. The only aspect of the game that continues to haunt the FIFA franchise is in the auto-switching that occurs while on defense. Fortunately, you can adjust a slider to turn this down, but it sure seems like there should be no auto-switching by default. You can somewhat control this aspect of the game using the controller on the fly as well, but (by default) it's not 100% accurate. By using the (LB), you'll be able to auto-switch to the defender nearest the ball and by flicking the Right Analog Stick, you'll be able to switch to the next player in the direction that you pressed (although I didn't feel the latter worked all that accurately).

Learning which types of passes to use and where is another way to help out your game. Using (X) will perform a lobbing pass, but you'll really have to control it with the length of the button press nine times out of ten. The (A) button defaults as a normal pass type that usually finds its target dead-on, whereas using the (Y) button will cause the pass to lead your sprinting teammate, but it will also be more prone to getting stolen. In addition, combining buttons with the (LB) gives even more control. The (B) button is how you shoot, and rookies will often overshoot the goal a lot. Holding the shoot button too long is this common mistake, and I wish that the developers would put in a bit more dead zone to loosen this problem up a bit, because most of the time you'll have to simply tap the (B) button to get a nice attempt in.

The gameplay of FIFA Soccer 10 and the modes of play that it presents are strong once again this year. I have to admit that, while the Manager Mode and Be A Pro feature are both very welcome additions, the game could have stood to have more different modes of play. I do like the fact that not only does FIFA Soccer 10 have the standard Microsoft Achievements, but it has its own in-game achievements that help add some value to the game because it will take a lot of work for gamers to get them all. I do wish that there had been more mini-game and arcade-style play mechanic modes, especially for online play. Most matches are pretty quick anyway, but having some smaller, quicker online play would be welcome for those who don't want to sit for hours at a time. While these are more of a wish list and gimmicky than the franchise is known for, FIFA Soccer 10 is still a solid title without them. Fans of the series certainly will love FIFA Soccer 10, and anyone who hasn't given the franchise a try in a while will also likely fall in love. For those that are casual about soccer, however, you may want to rent the game first to give it a go.