Off to Paris for a week!

Some more FIFA 10 demo impressions just before I leave for my (belated) honeymoon;

I will revise my impressions - the more I play the more I am really enjoying the changes they've made. The new dribbling is very subtle but you start to notice it at slow speeds and subtle movements/turns - still not the revolution EA Sports were making it out to be but improved nonetheless.

Player movement without the ball is completely analog with regards to speed - i.e. if you just want to jog back into position slowly you just move the analog stick slightly. This will be great for online team play if you want to get back into position but there's no rush to do so.

I retract my statement about player interactions only being graphically impressive - after more games I think it's a big change. You can now foul or even shove players off the ball just by moving the stick (you don't have to hold down A/pressure or the speed burst button) and you can really tell the difference between stronger and weaker players.

The ref often gives cards without resorting to a cutscene - it's all done in game and seamlessly. Likewise, you can take free kicks quickly without any cut-scene or change in camera angle. I know Winning Eleven has done this the past few games but neat to see it here. Also, you can take quick goal kicks and the players don't automatically teleport back into position by the time you've got the ball.

Free kicks are still ass but you can now select the free kick taker without going into the menu - just hold down R2.

I love the shooting - you can really drill the ball with certain players and Fat Frank (Lampard) has one hell of a shot.

There are a few weird bugs (my keeper clearly stopped a penalty shot from crossing the line and it still counted) but overall I'm really enjoying this the more I play it.