Moore: PES is in FIFA's "rear view mirror"

EA Sports president Peter Moore has claimed there's now "distance" between the quality of FIFA and fierce rival Pro Evolution Soccer, with Konami's kickaround now in EA's "rear view mirror".

But Moore, while admitting his team had done "so well" with FIFA 09, revealed he is demanding a Metacritic rating of 90 for this year's version, up from the 87 recorded by the 360 and PS3 versions of 09.

"I want 90!" he told Eurogamer last week, at the Emirates Stadium in north London for the unveiling of FIFA 10 "It's a challenge, and as I said in the presentation, it's not easy with sports games to continue to raise the bar every single year - and it's half tongue-in-cheek as I know how difficult it is."

Moore announced his desire for a 90 average during a briefing with UK journalists, as FIFA producer Dave Rutter watched from the sidelines.

"FIFA 09 has been spectacular and we've got a high bar for FIFA 10," Moore said afterwards. "So yeah, Rutter's got some work to do, but yeah, I'd like a 90 this year."

Speaking of the series' long-standing competition with Pro Evolution Soccer, Moore added: "I don't underestimate Konami. I've spent a lot of time, as you know, in Japan over the years and they're a great company. The day we start resting on our laurels is the day we start slipping back.

"We've got a little bit of distance in the rear view mirror between ourselves and our competitor right now, but we can't get complacent and we can't stop trying to innovate and making sure we keep that distance between us and them."

We've seen and played FIFA 10, but we're not allowed to tell you anything about it just yet thanks to a pesky embargo. But we will soon, promise. In the meantime, there's much more from Moore on Eurogamer today.