GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 FIFA 10 is coming out in a few hours, and I'm excited. I'm an American, yes, but I do have some history with the sport. from watching to playing, the experience originally started off well. As a kid, I had access to Premiere League matches and a lot of Euro-league action, so I was spoiled. Also, the Super Nintendo was loaded with the first generation of football games that influenced everything to come after it. ATLUS actually published the first such game that I actually enjoyed: World Soccer '94 - Road to Glory. The game was freakishly simple, which is probably why I liked it.

 Then I grew up, and the actual matches became unavailable to me. I lost touch. Games didn't make much sense either, as the first FIFA games tried hard but didn't make me feel like I was having any fun. International Superstar Soccer wasn't enjoyable either. When the 16-bit era was over, I tried again and actually liked FIFA 99, but nothing really grabbed my attention and kept it there until Winning Eleven 7. That's when I saw the potential.

 The actual games are huge and amazing to behold. If you think that Cowboys Stadium has any intensity to the crowd, let me be the first to tell you that you just don't understand anything about fans. Cram as many people as you want into that place, nothing will match what's going on during even a decent Euro-match. We're still captivated by Rally Monkeys, and the best things we can come up for during a game is "LET'S GO BLAH BLAH LET'S GO!"

 This country just doesn't do crowd-awe well on the professional level. I tip my cap to college sports, because if you've ever seen the stands during a university basketball game explode after a bit shot, you know that it's something else entirely. American college football is inspired, too, as each alma-matter has tailored chants for game situations (kick-offs) and fight songs from the school band.

 Still, nothing holds a candle to the Europeans. They don't just have fight songs. Their fight songs have words, and they sing it loud and will actually fight you on behalf of their team. If someone scores a goal, prepare to lose your hearing.

 FIFA 10 is already getting unfairly good impressions from critics who have played the game, and this may just be the first year that the majority of gamers will experiencing all of this in HD and full surround by default. Add in all of the gameplay elements I'm hearing about, and you've got yourself one hell of a package. I'm probably getting the game later today, and thankfully, the few friends I've had a chance to show the game to via the demo are very interested.

 It's not just football, either. All around, it's a great time to be a sports fan. Each of the major franchises have a ton of graphical beef at their disposal, and most games will give you that fleeting impression of actually being there. The presentation does not lack, and most simulate a real broadcast even without the addition of online extras. Audio is just as important, and while crowd noise still needs a bit more oomph in my opinion, it's all as you'd expect.

 I'm a big believer in the experience of sports games. It's important, if you're going to play a game at home rather than outside, to have the entire package at your disposal. Most of us will never make it to the big leagues no matter how hard we practice our games, so the fantasy element needs to be a true fantasy. This year has stuck out to me as having the most to offer, and while that's going to improve, it's nice to hear that this was the year that most of the big franchises decided to give themselves an extra push towards excellence. It certainly shows, and I'm starting to rethink my stance against purchasing sports games for full price, at least for this year. Digg It Stumble it ! Reddit