FIFA 12 REVIEW

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

Premier League Predictions - Saturday 23rd September

After last week's miserable attempt (on my other blog you can find here), I decided to give predicting this weeks premier league results another go.

Manchester City Vs Everton

City have been in sparkling so far this season, with last week's draw against Fulham the only blot on their copybook. The additions they made over the summer have given City a real chance of winning the title this time round.

After a slow start to the season, Everton are four games unbeaten, including a hard fought 2-1 win over West Brom in the Carling Cup. They always seem to play well against City, winning 7 of the last 8 games between the two, so I expect them to come away with something here.

My Prediction: 2-2

Arsenal Vs Bolton

Both of these team have had very poor starts to the season. Arsenal shipped 4 goals to Blackburn last week, after looking comfortable for large sections of the match. I think that more than anything, they need a performance to boost confidence.

Bolton are struggling, and with only one win in their last 10 Premier League games, don't expect them to come away from the Emirates with much.

My Prediction 3-1

Chelsea Vs Swansea

Chelsea were very unlucky last week at the hands of Manchester United. A United season ticket holder told me how he cannot believe Chelsea didn't score 5 or 6. Despite his shocking miss, Torres seems to be coming back into some form. With him and Mata playing well, Chelsea are definite title contenders.

Swansea broke their Premier League duck last week, scoring the first, second and third goals of the season. When you think that their first 5 games have included Man City and Arsenal, I think Swansea have done remarkably well to be sitting as high as 14th in the table.

My Prediction 3-0

Liverpool Vs Wolves

Wolves were strong against the so called big four last year, but after a good start to this season, they have suffered back to back defeats.

Liverpool invested heavily over the summer, but so far look to be still some way off reclaiming a top four spot. They were embarrassed at Anfield by Wolves last season, so will be looking to set things straight.

My Prediction: 2-1

Newcastle Vs Blackburn

Newcastle have had a strong start to the season, currently sitting 4th in the league. They will see the visit of relegation tipped Blackburn as a chance to extend their unbeaten run.

Blackburn come into the game off the back of a stunning 4-3 win over Arsenal. Typically they do well in the North East, winning their last 5 in a row at St James' Park and Steve Kean will want to keep the unrest amongst the fans at bay with another win.

My Prediction: 2-1

Wigan Vs Tottenham

I worry for Wigan this year. They sold arguably their best player in Charles N'Zogbia, and have not strengthened the team. They always struggle for goals, but with Rodallega injured for at least the next few weeks, they may find goals even harder to come by.

Tottenham were very good against Liverpool last week, with Modric seemingly over his protracted move to Chelsea. If they can keep him happy and playing well, the top four might not be beyond Spurs this season.


My Prediction: 0-2

Stoke Vs Manchester United

Stoke were looking good until their battering at the hands of Sunderland last week, so it will be interesting to see how they bounce back from that.

United are in sparkling form and seem to just brush aside their competitors. If their latest victory over Chelsea is anything to go by, then their only genuine title rivals are Manchester City.

My Prediction: 1-3

West Brom Vs Fulham

West Brom have started very poorly this season, something that Roy Hodgson will be looking to put right with the visit of his old club. So far the y have lost both of their home games, something that needs to stop if they are to climb the table.

Fulham have also started poorly, and are struggling to score goals. Their new signing Bryan Ruiz has looked poor so far, and Fulham are heavily relying on him to settle quickly

My Prediction 1-1

Are Newcastle a better team than they were last season?

After much whispering and rumours, the transfer window closed with Newcastle failing to add a striker to squad as promised. The failure to sign anyone on the final day of transfer dealings was far too predictable for many, mirroring the failed attempts to bring in a replacement for Andy Carroll on the final day of the January transfer window. The lack of incoming striker has tainted what was otherwise a relatively good window for the North East club. Although losing key team members such as Nolan, Barton and Enrique, the Newcastle hierarchy managed to add the likes of Cabaye and Obertan, with left back Davide Santon the latest player to sign for the Toon as a much needed replacement for the departed Enrique. After having 7 months to plan possible signings, it is disappointing that no striker could be brought in to alleviate the concerns of the Geordie faithful, and also to fulfill the promises made by manager, Alan Pardew. I feel genuinely sorry for the former Southampton man, as he has repeatedly stated since the arrival of Sylvain Marveaux that he would recruit 2 further players; a Left Back and a Striker. Less than 2 weeks ago he stated 'We’re trying to make sure this club is stronger than it was last year, as it stands, when we started the season, I’d say we’re not at in position yet. But hopefully we will be.' I understand that Pardew was trying to excite the fans in his statement, but surely he must have been aware that saying the team is not better than last season, after having 3 months to strengthen, is a high risk strategy should the club have failed to get any further players through the door. As it turned out, he managed only one further addition in left back Davide Santon. So if we are to believe what Pardew said, then that means we are still worse than last season? I must say, I believe we are a much stronger team, and the lack of striker is not as big a problem as some people say.


Since June, Newcastle have been linked with an array of strikers, from English talent such as Jermaine Defoe, to relatively unheard of foreign forwards like Brest forward, Nolan Roux. I liked the way that we had gone about recruiting our other targets. We seemingly had a list of potential buys that had been identified, and we managed to sign up some very promising talent. However, when it came to finding a striker the cool and calm recruitment that had led to the signatures of Cabaye, Marveaux and Ba seemed to go out of the window. It seemed, especially towards the end of the window that we were just desperate to recruit anyone who would cost around £10m. When we were linked with an offer for Fulham target Bryan Ruiz in the final hours, it felt very much as though we were just desperate. I am glad Ruiz headed for Fulham. When David Craig appeared on Sky Sports News telling the nation that we had a helicopter ready to bring Ruiz to the north east, I must admit I got rather excited, especially after watching videos of him on Youtube. I'm glad we didn't sign him though, as he was a player, that until that final hours of the window has not been linked with Newcastle, and I feel that it is a more sensible policy to wait, before spending an over inflated price for a striker who has excelled in a pool dutch league. Remember Afonso Alves?

I sometimes feel that British fans are quite gullible when it comes to foreign talent. For example, we were linked with Modibo Maiga, a Malian international playing for Sochaux. The french league is a league much worse than the premier league, yet 23 year old Maiga has only scored 14 goals in his 36 appearances for the club. Compare this to 24 year old Irishman Leon Best, who has scored 8 goals in 15 premier league matches. the same could be said for Kevin Gameiro, who we were linked with earlier in the transfer window. He had a record of around 1 goal in 2 for Lorient, again in the poor French league. He signed for PSG for around £10m. Best, who has a similar scoring record in a far superior league, yet he was linked with a £3m move to championship side Birmingham over the summer. I understand that his scoring record is only across a small number of games, and is therefore not perhaps as accurate, but surely at only 24 he is worth retaining and given the role as our main striker? He did very well last season following the sale of Andy Carroll, when Newcastle were tipped to struggle.

Maiga- an improvement on what we have?

If we look at the stats, it shows that goals were no more hard to come by in the second half of the season following Andy Carroll's departure, than they were in the first half. In the first 19 games- up to Carroll's final game against Tottenham on the 28th December, we scored 28 goals. If the loss of Carroll is to be believed as being so catastrophic as some say then you would think that we scored much less in the second 19 games of the season. From Carroll's last game on the 28th December, until the end of the season we scored 28 goals- exactly the same number as with Carroll.


So then, the lack of Andy Carroll is perhaps not as important as you might think. When you also consider that Kevin Nolan scored only 2 of his 12 goals following the Gateshead born striker's departure, then you start to think that perhaps  the Newcastle strike force was more balanced without Carroll, as Leon Best, Peter Lovenkrands and Shola Ameobi stepped up to fill the void.


Moving away from the failure to recruit a striker, I also feel that the team are stronger in midfield. Previously we were playing Joey Barton as a makeshift right midfielder. Over the summer we have signed Sylvain Marveaux; who can play at a number of positions across the midfield; and Gabriel Obertan, an out and out right winger.


Centrally, we lost Kevin Nolan, due to the refusal to give him a long deal. At the time people saw it as a major error by the board, as he was at many times last year, our best player. Following watching Yohan Cabaye for the first few games of the season however, any worries have quickly evaporated. Cabaye looks like a very good player. He is younger than Nolan, more mobile and seems a bargain for his £4.3m price tag.


Defensively, Jose Enrique left to Liverpool, after one of the most protracted deals of the summer came to an end in August. Similarly to the vacant striker's position, a host of names were linked, including PSV's Erik Pieters and Aly Cissokho, however Newcastle eventually plumped for Inter full back, Davide Santon. Descrobed as the next Paolo Maldini by Jose Mourinho, he is an exciting prospect and at only 20, has his career ahead of him. Although perhaps not at the standard of Enrique yet, he definitely has potential to grow into a player surpassing the quality of the Spaniard.

So to answer the question, as to whether Newcastle a better team than they were last season, it seems only fair to compare the teams. If we count Andy Carroll as a major loss, then we should perhaps assess the recovery of the side following his departure. The squad for the first game after his move to Liverpool; a 1-0 defeat to Fulham, was as follows:

Harper, Coloccini, Enrique, Williamson, Simpson, Nolan, Barton,Guthrie, Gutierrez, Best, Ameobi

Subs: Krul, Campbell, Perch, Ferguson, Lovenkrands, Ranger, Richardson

Compare this with our team in our 2-1 victory Fulham last week:

Krul, Coloccini, Simpson, R. Taylor, S. Taylor, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Tiote, Lovenkrands, Best, Obertan

Subs: Soderberg, Smith, Marveaux, Vuckic, Ferguson, Ba, Sammy Ameobi

Consider that to add to that team is Santon and Ben Arfa, as well as Shola Ameobi, Harper, Gosling, then I believe that considering we have lost possibly our four best players, in Carroll, Enrique, Nolan and Barton, we have done remarkably well to retain the core of the team, whilst also making additions that show progression from an aging team, into one full of youth and potential. The failure to add a new striker is a source of frustration, but with the likes of Krul, Cabaye and Ben Arfa our team has very exciting young players, and with the momentum created from our first 3 results, Newcastle have a very good chance of improving on the 12th place finish of last year. HWTL