FIFA 10’s biggest letdown comes in the shape of the offline modes. The infamous ‘50 bugs list’ (it can be 100 or more depending on the source) regarding Manager Mode continues to grow on a daily basis. Some of the issues include being fired after winning league titles, loaning players out only to see them sold and not receiving a penny, stamina and form ratings going all sorts of crazy and game saves corrupting, resulting in frozen consoles and a riot from the fiercely vocal FIFA community. While a patch has been released to solve six major issues, it’s still shocking that one of the largest publishers in the world could release a title with so many problems. While it may not be unplayable for those able to patch it, there seems to be very little point. One of the problems highlighted through it all was that the opposition rarely played like they do in real-life. Under closer examination it turns out the default slider settings for attack, defence etc. were set to exactly the same levels for the majority of teams. Shambolic.

“Be A Pro” is still the equivalent of watching paint dry thanks largely to incompetent AI and improbably daft targets. “Score three goals and win 10 tackles” bellows your imaginary manager. “I’m a bloody defensive midfielder” you scream back. It feels tacked on and there’s little reason to bother with it other than to practise playing in one position for the online modes.

The inclusion of Virtual Pro and Virtual Clubs, however, more than makes up for the disappointment of other game modes. You’re tasked with creating your own professional player from the ground up, unlocking new skills and techniques as you complete in-game accomplishments that sees your stats grow, and your VP transform from boot boy to global star. You can use your player in the majority of the online and offline modes as you chase rewards, traits and boosts that really do make a difference. Little touches like uploading your Gameface to the EA Sports website and downloading it in-game along with the rest of your Club mates is the sort of spit and shine we’ve come to expect from EA.

Commentary from Martin Tyler and Andy Gray is generally disappointing for fans of the series, with some embarrassing rehashed clips from as far back as FIFA 08 now factually incorrect. Eighteen years since Liverpool won the league? Try 20. Gray also manages to fluff his lines a few times; in trying to describe how quiet Old Trafford is, he says that “you can’t hear a pin-drop” and, amazingly, states that Jock Stein won 10 successive league titles at Celtic. He won 9. There was a lot of talk about the work the audio department had put in but if anything, it comes across as half-finished with the same phrases churned so often that you wonder if they’ve got a terrible case of dementia.

Indeed, Virtual Clubs is in with a great shout of being crowned the best multiplayer co-op mode of the year. Much like in NHL and NBA, you form a 10-man team with a group of friends to take on other players across the globe. Regionalised leagues and month long seasons means there’s always something to play for, with the heart and soul of the mode the very same as any five-a-side tournament across the country. Teamwork, communication, dedication and desire, last ditch tackles, last-gasp goals, huddling together with your mates to get a result. It is sheer brilliance and utterly addictive from the get-go.

FIFA 10 is a game that’ll make you run around your living room, shirt pulled over your face screaming in unbridled delight. It’s a game that’ll make you fall in love and obsess over its every detail. It’s a game that’ll make you smash your pad in anger, swear like a sailor and curse the day you bought it. And it’s a game whose ability to swing your emotions from one high to another makes it more than just a little like its real-life counterpart. In fact, it’s actually rather funny.

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