PES 2010: Pro Evolution Soccer vs. FIFA 10

FIFA 10 proves to be the antithesis of its great rival. Where FIFA 10 on PS3 and 360 is without question the most realistic rendition of the beautiful game to date, its Wii cousin couldn't take itself less seriously if it tried. Forget marshalling your team, FIFA10 is all about end-to-end action. More an arcade game than a simulation, it's an experience that allows you to dribble the length of the pitch, ping the ball around with ease and shoot from just about anywhere. FIFA's crisp, bold visuals perfectly complement the game's more casual vibe, though players bear little resemblance to their real-life counterparts. However, the commentary is certainly superior to PES's, and at times even surprises you with a genuine flash of humour.

On the pitch it's all about Momentum, which is represented by a bar situated at the bottom of the screen. The Momentum bar tracks your team's dominance or lack of it. The higher you ramp it up, the more accurately your players shoot and the sharper their stats become. This works well in tandem with FIFA's comically exaggerated shooting mechanic. Using an auto-aim feature, FIFA tasks you with little more than waving the Wii remote when in sight of goal. Once you've finished flapping you can sit back and watch as the player in possession unleashes the kind of shot usually reserved for Superman's right boot. This approach to shooting sits extremely well with the game's tongue-in-cheek approach, and watching shots slam into the net at light speed never gets dull, though the preceding slow-mo effect does.

Executing and defending corners and free-kicks is also easy. When a shot or cross comes in you must simply wave the Wii remote at the allotted time to clear or save the ball. Passing is also intuitive thanks to a bar beneath each player that displays the weight of their next pass. It's simple, thrilling fun that should hit the spot for anyone looking for a footy game they can dip in and out of for quick, unsophisticated, but extremely entertaining matches. There's also the usual collection of game modes here, with the highlight proving to be Battle for Glory, which adds some light management features and the ability to earn points in each game (for completing certain tasks), that can then be spent on Booster Cards, which in turn are traded in for bonuses to give your team the edge.

Thanks to their divergent approaches to the beautiful game, deciding which of these leviathan franchises is for you should be a fairly simple process. Want a challenging, tactical experience with long-term rewards? Then PES 2010 is the game for you, though if you bought last year's version you may want to give the outlay some serious thought as this year's nuances are few and far between. Want instant pick-up-and-play entertainment from a game that doesn't take itself too seriously? Then FIFA 10's Wii waggling action is the way to go, so long as you're prepared for the novelty to wane fairly quickly.

PES 2010: 8/10

FIFA 10: 7/10