When FIFA 12 dropped through my letterbox last Friday, my excitement was unparalleled. Having pre-ordered my copy months previously, I had waited it’s delivery with bated breath, hoping that the latest itineration of EA sport’s series would live up to all the hype. I wasn’t to be disappointed.
Many might see each new edition as simply a re-hash of the previous year’s FIFA, with a new picture of Rooney on the box, with more luscious locks, of course. EA have never really been the sort of developer to merely update the player roster and then ship out the same game, though. Having become the favourite footy sim a few years back, FIFA has continued to strive to improve, in an attempt to leave competitors, Konami, treading water with Pro Evolution Soccer.
With this year’s game, FIFA promised a host of changes. The menus all look so much smoother, whilst game modes have become more comprehensive and graphics have been sharpened. It is the basket that is the three key changes to gameplay in which EA have placed all their eggs, however.
Since the end of last year’s Premier League season, EA have been banging on about their three changes: Close control, the player impact engine, and tactical defending. But are these all merely tweaks and are the Canadian developers just fiddling with a game in FIFA 11 that many saw as the best football sim ever? The answer definitively is no.
Every year EA seem to claim they have made close control better. That running and changing direction, whilst keeping the ball at close quarters is now easier than ever, so when they said it yet again this year, I was slightly disappointed. I shouldn’t have been, as the new close control system has changed the way I play. By pressing one of the shoulder buttons, your player is able to move and turn with the ball in very small areas. Used properly it allows you to jink past players, or grab that vital yard needed to unleash a shot on goal.
Perhaps the most talked about addition to FIFA this year has been the player impact engine. In previous FIFA’s, players used to kind of ‘go through’ each other. Contact was minimal and players did not really react to being tackled, beyond falling over in a rehearsed manner. The impact engine is designed to prevent this, and it works. The game is now full of off the ball collisions and tussles. Players ride tackles and when felled, go to ground in an altogether more realistic fashion. Sometimes the engine results in almost puppet like physics, with players contorting into impossible shapes, but for the most part, the new addition works very well.
The third and perhaps most important change to FIFA 12 is the new ‘tactical defending’. Previously games were very heavily focused on attacking. Defending meant bashing buttons mindlessly until one of your players got the ball, but no longer. The traditional tackle button now results in a much more of an attempt to tackle, meaning that mistiming can easily result in fouls. It is more important than ever to defend as a team, as simply running after the ball will result in a defence resembling headless chickens, through which the opposition will merrily skip. The new system has resulted in much frustration. My twitter feed has been full of annoyed players, unable to tackle. Yes it is much harder, but it is very rewarding and has created a game that has a greater balance between attack and defence than previous versions.
As always, FIFA’s array of gameplay modes, both on and offline mean that the game will last for literally weeks worth of play. Graphically, things look much sharper. Stadiums are more detailed and more players than ever have been created using photos. As ever, club kits are brilliantly recreated and matches genuinely buzz, with the crowd looking and sounding better than ever.
Some might think that they could save some money and stick with FIFA 11, but if you consider yourself to be a fan of football, or gaming, or both, you need this game. Why are you still reading this? Go and buy it.
97/100
