FIFA 12 - Reviews

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30.9.2011

So the time of year has arrived for the debate that us footy fans have endured, and taken part in, for years: FIFA or PES?Before starting I should point out that I, rather fortunately, managed to get FIFA 12 a few days early, hence why I feel able to give such quick feedback.First a brief explanation: On the PS2 I would only ever play PES, purely because in my opinion, it provided the best simulation of football by a mile, and kicked FIFA into the shade. As many of us most likely also know, things changed rather quickly the minute we moved to the PS3 and the XBOX 360, the next-gen gaming consoles. PES 2008 annoyed me, as it had ruined itself, but FIFA was growing and by FIFA 09 I had turned to EA for my virtual footy fix.Whilst in the following years both games improved, I have still played FIFA more than PES in recent years, although as time went on, I found I was enjoying both equally, in particular last years efforts of FIFA 11 and PES2011This year FIFA has introduced a number of new additions in order to improve upon what it already had. The Player Impact Engine, Tactical Defending, and Precision Dribbling. As well as these additions, there have been a number of improvements made elsewhere, most notably for me in the Career Mode, which is the mode I play the most, much like how i play the offline master league most in PES.The Player Impact Engine: Apart from the occasional error, this adds a lot more physicality and realism to the way the game plays. One of the main ways the Impact Engine adds to the game, aside from the way players fall over and tussle with each other, is through the Injures you then sustain as a result of challenges. In my Career Mode as Arsenal for example, Ju-Young Park was clattered from the side by a Scunthorpe player in the Carling Cup and had to go off injured. I learned later that he had sustained a broken ankle and would be out for 3 Months. I have also heard from friends other stories, one them has just lost Kolo Toure to a broken collarbone suffered after an awkward fall whilst challenging for a header. So we can see that this addition has added another layer to the experience of FIFAPrecision Dribbling: Brought in as a way to be able to skin defenders by taking extra touches, (unlike last year where defenders would just stick to you and take the ball provided they were stronger) this also adds another layer to attacking play in the game. Last year I found Cristiano Ronaldo to be a far more effective player than Lionel Messi, purely because he was stronger and taller with a bigger physique. This year Messi can be used more like Messi should be used, darting round defenders trailing legs and causing general havoc in the opposition half.Tactical Defending: Once you get the hang of it, its great. Until you get the hang of it, your likely going to have to use a lot of self control to stop yourself breaking either a) the controller, b) the TV, or c) both of the above. At the start I was getting turned inside out by every team I played. I would go in for a tackle, then get majorly annoyed when the opponent would turn away from my challenge a fire into the corner of my goal. In the last 10 games or so I have started to get the hang of it, not charging in like a homing missile which is what you did on FIFA 11 by just holding down X (or A if on the 360), but instead holding back, keeping my shape, and only committing to a tackle when I could see the chance too. So whilst this can be infuriating at the beginning, it is definitely worth persevering with.Just a quick word on Career Mode. As I have said this is the main mode I play, and there have been noticeable improvements from last year with regards to transfers, contracts and like I said earlier, injuries. After seeing a news flash that Gary Cahill had handed in a transfer request, I managed to sign him for £12million a few days before the window closed. EA have also added in the drama of transfer deadline day to Career Mode, making the final day pass hour by hour as clubs try to seal last minute deals for players. So all in all I feel happy regarding the mode I will play the most. Whilst it is certainly not Football Manager Level (not that I'd expect it to be), it is fun nonetheless.Now here is the clincher. So far I have said that I enjoy the three new additions and the Career Mode. What I haven't said I enjoy as much however, is the AI. Please forgive me now, as I am now going to compare between both FIFA and PES to give my overall impression of each.The AI in FIFA, in comparison to the PES2012 demo (still got to wait two weeks till I can get it) is not, in my opinion, as good. Here is my case in point. The tactical defending that I have already mentioned, should be persevered with. However, when playing offline, you do get the choice of changing back to the old style defending of holding down X and watching your player charge in and get the ball for you. My problem is, if you do this, your looking at FIFA 11 with an improved physics system and the ability to dribble with players who should be able to dribble anyway. In other words, the gameplay feels very similar to play from last year, and even if you get the hang of Tactical Defending, your still playing a game that FEELS (emphasis there) not very different from what we had last year. The teams play the same, and there does not seem to have been much of a look into the AI of the players, but rather a focus on the three components I've mentioned, as well as cosmetic changes such as a new menu systems and the Career Mode improvements that have been made. The players till play the same, largely, as last year.I also can't get rid of the fact that I feel that the main thing that defines a player in FIFA is still their speed and strength ability, and that those stats aside they all feel the same. I'll give this example from my Career Mode. I'm going to assume that most of us would agree that, at this moment (ignore the fact he is injured), Jack Wilshere is a better player than About Diaby. Wilshere in real life has greater vision, passing, stamina, technique and so on and so forth. In FIFA, although Wilshere is still a very good player in it, Diaby is just as useful, purely because he is big and strong. If there is one thing that PES does better than FIFA, its individuality. Give the ball to Diaby in PES and he would do an OK job, give it to him in FIFA and he can be a game changer. Give the ball to Sneijder in PES and he will pick out passes all day and night provided he has the time to do it, sending players such as Milito through on goal again and again if the option is available. Give it to him in FIFA and, although he is still very good, he feels the same as players such as Diaby except a bit physically weaker. Is this real? Didn't think so... I do think that FIFA still has a long way to go to capture the individual feel of players in comparison to PES. As my friend yesterday said, when you got the ball with Ronaldinho in PES6 the game would light up with options, ANYTHING was possible provided you had the ability to do it. In FIFA 12, although Messi is improved with this tactical dribbling, I still feel that all I'm doing is controlling a guy who is very fast and can dribble well, not that I'm controlling one of the greatest players of recent times.One final quick word on the AI: download the 2nd PES demo, and select Inter vs whoever. Do the same on FIFA. Now pass the ball to one of the midfielders, ideally Sneijder. Now just take a quick moment to look at whats going on around you. In FIFA your forward will probably not do a lot until you press the trigger run button, in PES they will be running all over the place, looking for a quick 1-2 or for you to play them into the box. If your attacking from right to left, look at the bottom of the pitch and in PES you will see Maicon pegging it down the wing to add to the attack, in FIFA he will most likely be there, but not presenting himself as an option in the same vein.There is the option to change the gameplay sliders in FIFA to change the amount of player runs/injuries etc in the game. My question is why should we need it, if the AI is good enough we shouldn't have to tell it how much to run down the wing, run down the middle, drop deep to receive the ball. Maybe it's too high an expectation, or maybe its the fact that we all shell out £40 and deserve something good for the money.Despite the criticism of the AI, don't get the idea that I don't like FIFA 12. I love football, and I love both FIFA and PES for what they offer to me when I play them. Although my PES 2012 impressions are based on the demo I can't see the game being all that different on release.FIFA 12 is, in my opinion, worth a purchase, its fun, it has great animations, the career mode is improved, and its an overall fun package. Where is it potentially going to fall short? The AI, which is more intelligent, and more Individual in PES.I'll be playing both all year, and thats a good thing, because it means that their both good.

11.10.2011

SO i have given myself alot of time with the game, in time to write this review , which i will also be doing with PES.This year i looked foward to both installments , which again promoted to the gaming world, their new features and technical improvements.im going to keep this review accurate and basic, so most who are on the fence , can really get an efficient understanding.First of all FIFA 11 was riddled with bugs and online issues , which for some meant that online was no longer fun and enjoyable.The gameplay offline , for some would end to soon , as most would find themselves playing a rather repetitive game.So what has EA done this year to make you pick up their new installment ?GAMEPLAY-IMAPCT ENGINEthe new collision engine was to pick out more realistic movements of players being fouled, physical collisions , and animations which were not scripted.. for more realism and a more intense approach .what did we get ?THE GOOD...impact enigne at times can really bring out some exellent stuff , and really be able to make the game look much more authentic thanks to EA technical team , regarding player animations.THE BAD...however it feels rather incomplete and at times very very annoying.in one instance i gave away a penalty when the ball was being played in midfield , simply becasue my opponenets player was stuck in a animation frenzy with my defender ? this was online.At times i found my defenders bumping into one another, and making the game look like a circus .. giving my opponents the chance on goal. Then we had problems where my fowards would bump into defenders , and unable to make runs around them...again really frustrating when attacking.im not that much impressed with imapact engine , but not disapointed either. it has work to do , but EA have been brave to implement this into the game.TACTICAL DEFENDING.now this is what has caused so much problems with fans and casuals. tactical defending means no holding down the tackle buttons to launch into opponents and take the ball like magic. you now have to wait.. be paitaint and skillful . For casuals this is going to be hell to play , with superb dribblers being able to take the ball around defenders with ease.i love the new feature , as it bring new hardcore elements and makes us work harder , less arcady feel to the game. However it falls short. You must use it online, i see no problem, but i wished their was a in between feature. Sometimes the defending feels very unresponsive , and quite trickey. Jockey and team mate controls can help to an extenet. but if your up against a fast dribbler , your in for some trouble.This is not for the casual gamer ,as the learning curve is steep. You literally are playing a new game all together old tricks wont work.Precision dribblingagain nice touch and good to use , when finding support. allows small touch with the ball and play.GRAPHICSnot much of an upgrade but they are fantastic , game looks brilliant, and player models have improved,. no more zombie like players.however EA have soo many generic faces which is a shame.MODEScareer mode , is better , however did not play it that much . the lack of depth really ruined my experiance.ONLINE MODEthis is where most of the action takes place and im afraid this is where the game also suffers.Head to head seasons replaces ranked online, in a more promotion , relegation table type , like in WC 2010. which is good. BUT.it is plagued with a few issues that will need patching.the first is that , you are matched with teams at the same star level.. however this also means you playing the same team as yourselves.. very annoying. even worse are clash colours......which happens often.. and needs adressing.example , play striped shirt , and your in for a confusing game.Ultimate team is what youd expectbut for online regarding both H2H AND ULTIMATE TEAM , the problem of Goalkeeper controld is a big one. pressing select on ps3 means you can take control of the goalkeeper and at the same time , allow the AI to defend ... which is the easy way out for you in tactical defending , but very frustrating for opponents.. needs to be fixed as it is an expolit.overall.now heres the problems , that i find that FIFA has , and that PES is strong in.. . its the A.I ... FIFA has very weak AI which is very problematic.. PES this year has A.I which makes the game look alive. FIFA suffers in this department.Their have been times where im shouting like a madman to my player to make foward runs , while they stand still . AT Other times i have players who play in Midfield not bothering to help the attack . EVEN WORSE is the defense.. im very annoyed at the defensive A.I and shocked how PES managed to nail it , when it was [PES] awful in 2010 .. and suddenly its better than fifas.ive has issues such as more than one defender going for the ball , when i use teamate control , and leave their positions umarked.id perfer one defender committing , while others mark their men , but i have three defenders someitmes all going for the ball , and leaving their positions. Also defenders being lazy , and not marking positions , being out of position ... its not been seen by me since PES 2010.FIFAS AI is very boring , thato offline play can quickly become stale. The gameplay after 100 games .. becomes repetitive, and predictable. same moves and passes .FIFAS AI. needs work , thats all i can say.so why is FIFA above PES ?FIFAS techincal ability , the animations and how the game moves is fantastic. FIFA seriously is superior in anmiations and physical aspects , however its lacks depth . But for the first time FIFA has began to loose its predictablity and lack of individuality. Its not as bad as FIFA 11 or previous fifa games.. its improving , slowly.. but miles behinf PES in individiual and unpredictible gameplay.it seems better to suggest that FIFA is definetly worth playing , but its worth remembering PES , when fifa becomes stale and repetitive which after many games it does.its a brilliant step foward for the series .. but lacks the depth .THE GOOD- animations-player physicality-fluidness and smooth gameplay-tactical defending bringing new change-the new more slow and steady game pace- the less arcadyness-player models-commentry and sound-passing and ball physics-online modes wont disapoint, but ea servers might.THE BAD-bugs in impact engine-repetitive gameplay is still their, making the game boring at times.-the AI really needs working.- the lack of depth- the exploits on online game modes.-EA servers may annoy quite a fewoveralli will do a review for PES.but so far FIFA is really good football game, which i beleive shows the game , in a more outside approach. it can do with more depth, however they need to make the game much more unpredictable, and much more individual. THE AI NEEDS work.but overall i think most will enjoy FIFA offline , for a small time..but most will enjoy online , for much longer. FIFA is an online game, the offline depth needs work. but this game needs to be played in multiplayer.i play both PEA AND FIFA , so no fanboyism from me.... both games show a game of football , and give totally different experiances.But for me FIFA has been the game of choice online, while PES master league cannot be matched offline. Most FIFA players are not able to look past the animations in PES which is a shame really. But one thing for sure , is that FIFA needs to brush the A.I as PES has no began to show how inferior FIFA ai is. However FIFAS animations and presentation are currenlt unmatched, and so are the player movements and physics, which make them look and feel alive.

13.1.2012

Rather like Downton Abbey, I look at Fifa 12 as a truly amazing production, with no effort spared going into detailed and perfected creations. It is a very well made game. But, its just not as fun as it should and could have been.The number of options can be startling to someone new to console sports games, or to someone who's been out of the loop for a few years. Editing teams and players, making your own, playing through the career and virtual pro modes and all the rest the game has to offer could last you more than enough of your life for the price tag to be justified.The Graphics are incredible. Texturing is awesome, and, although the crowds are still skimped on and some of the players look like zombie versions of themselves,you can just tell its a matter of time until you're basically watching more accurate versions of the players than the players themselves are.Combined with the excellant presentation, making each game feel like you're watching it on TV, and you could (as my dad did) make the mistake of thinking you're watching a real match. (The little one-on-ones during loading are also a neat addition that give you something to do and move seamlessly from menu to game.)So, yeah, awesome. But... gameplay can be frustrating. The difference in difficulty is one example. Semi-Pro will have you beating anyone as anyone 9-0. However, make the small step up to Pro and... well, nil nil draws become a near certainty - again, regardless of who is playing who. I've managed to tie up Barcelona with Accrington Stanley, and equally fail to penetrate Wimbledon AFC's defence with Man United. (Get good at penalties is all I can advise.)That's gripe one, but maybe it's just me and I need to just practice some more, fair enough. So then there's the defending... um, on paper it looks like a good system, but in reality its one of the most annoying I've ever encountered. Defending should be intuative and tactical. This is complicated, inneffective and less about tactics than being good at bashing and holding a weird combination of buttons (more often than not in a vain attempt to pry the ball from the possession of a team four leagues lower than you).My other gripe is with the passing. Most modern games have tried as hard as possible to put more and more emphasis on making passing the primary weapon in any teams arsenal. The old days of being able to bomb past a defender and stick it in the top corner from thirty yards away are gone, and I think fair enough. So why then, if passing is to be so important, is it so slow? Every pass is incredibly labourious. Trying to silkily slide your way through the defence like Barcelona is a pipe-dream, with the more common result of crawling, inching, painfully slow balls reaching their destination an age after the defence has been able to re-organise and form an impenatrable wall. The number of times I've had my intended receiver just stand there, waiting for the ball to snail its way to him has also been infuriating.Basically; how am I supposed to pass my way through a team's defence when the passing is so slow?My attempt to solve this problem by holding the pass button longer failed, as it simply made the pass go to a player further away. So there's basically no such thing as weighted passes. And in exchange, you're constantly on edge that your intended medium range pass will either be to slow and intercepted, or too hard and go straight past your receiver to the opposition.Equally, to detract from the running tactic, players seem to have been slowed down. Not just slowed though, slowed in comparison to the defenders. I'm not saying I should just be able to get Lionel Messi to run through a team's defence everytime, but when he loses out in a straight running race against some six foot, flat footed defender from a 2 star team, I do start to wonder. Plus it seems like every 50/50 is to be won by the defender. Eg; Rooney has a through ball played to him that he just gets to ahead of the fullback. Does he manage to outmuscle him? Accelerate past him? Create a yard of space to make a pass or shot? No... he gets outmuscled by the tiny 5'6 featherweight... Right.So yeah, plenty of gripes with the gameplay.One redeaming feature which by-passes several of the above issuses is the 'be a pro' mode, which is probably the highlight of the game for me. Controlling your player (literally, if you create an in-game version of yourself (or more likely an in-game version of how good you'd like to be ;))) can be fun, offer a new tactical dimension and make you concentrate on making everything you do be as good as it can be. (When you may only get 5% of the action, you learn to utilise it far more effectively.) Obviously though, that is the downside to this mode - getting less action and feeling like a spectator, however, at least the AI gets to control the defending and my experience is that games are much less likely to end up as bore draws in this mode (unless I'm the lone front-man ;)).The addition of the be a pro goalkeeper is neat, although, once more, a bit dull. I get the realism of being a keeper, watching the game play out and only rarely being called into action (I'm a goalkeeper in the real world, I'm used to it) but they could have at least given you something to do in the intervening time... juggle, maybe? Also, the realism is somewhat blone when I can get David De Gea to wander forward and score the only goal of the match from the edge of the area... but could I get Wayne Rooney to do the same thing? No chance...Anyhoo, bottom line - the 'be a pro' basically sums up this edition of fifa. A massive improvement in many ways, bringing many harsh realities of the real world of football with the glitz and the incredible presentation a real premier league football match is given on the TV. On the downside though, fun is sacrificed to an unnecessary degree. Attempts to make the experience feel more realistic have fallen flat on their face; Five star Man Uniteds, Barcelonas, Arsenals, Real Madrids etc should not find it so hard going against one star teams. The way it shoots itself in the foot is painful, 'cos you can really see how there was a fantastic game here. But by slowing everything down, making defending a chore and Accrington Stanley & Barcelona peers when it comes to attacking and defending it imposes its own idea of realism on a game that should have kept fun and entertainment at its core.

19.3.2012

First off, I don't play on-line. I am only reviewing the off-line gaming so look for another review if you're in to playing on-line.Choosing a football game in recent year has, to me at least, been a competition to find the least worst game. There is a whole list of problems with Fifa 11 which I'm sure everyone is all to aware of and, in my opinion, EA have actually addressed a lot of these issues. The main problem I had with fifa 11 was the terrible career mode and the career mode in Fifa 12 is vastly improved. There is now a functioning scout system, in which you buy a scout and send them to find players in different countries. Every month the list of possible players found is presented and you can pick to continue scouting,sign or reject players. The player selection cards show expected future level and current skill shown by a range rating, I find generally the current level is the best indicator. Fifa 11 just didn't have a scouting system at all... so one was added. Which is nice. I'm sure there are possible improvements but at least its been added.They also changed the way players are bought/sold. In Fifa 11 if you try to sell a player you would take a loss from the valuation and if you tried to buy you would have to pay <20% over the valuation. Now that's not always the case. You can get a offer close to the valuation for a transfer listed player, sometimes anyway. You can also get bids lower than asking price for listed players too. Another nice touch is the price lowering as the contracts runs out, meaning a player close to the end of the contract can be bought for a very low price. Which is again... nice. Unfortunately you still can't give a reason to why you are turning down an offer. If a team offers you 2m more than the valuation for a unlisted player, I would like to be able to say increase you're price or he's not for sale not simply no. There is a 3rd option, stall, which allows you to prolong making a decision but its not especially useful, except if you are negotiating for 5 players but only want to buy 3. They also removed the restriction to re-balancing the wage/transfer budget ratio. I don't think there is a person in the world that can explain the reasoning behind that odd little function added in Fifa 11.There is also lots of nice little immersion extras. A player who's homesick, although when Messi says so 5 days in to a season I get a little angry. True story. Or a team being bought by a middle eastern property tycoon, making Sunderland the richest club in the world. Odd choice but whatever. I would like to see these applied to your virtual pro, with the player given choices with potential gains and penalties. For example, saying things to the press or how you spend your free time, training, charity event, club etc. I would also like to have international call ups, obviously not just for your virtual pro but have the possibility of playing for England as your virtual pro player. The only thing i can think of that I really don't like is the sim game function. The problem seems to be a unbalanced equation somewhere which makes home/away the most important factor at producing the result. You're team could be a 5* dreamteam but if you sim away you lose against really poor opposition. To make matters worse you are practically certain to get an injury and a sending off. I can play a season and only get half a dozen yellow cards, I'm just fair like that, and yet will get that many in one simed game as well as a player sidelined for 3 months.The AI seems improved and I don't think the certain goal situation occur as much, when the opposition team are certain to score due to the activation of a scenario dependant script or something like that, or are at least hidden better now. I used to hate playing the be-a-pro thing because the AI was so bad it wasn't really playable, although I'm told it's better online. Now it is actually worth a try, every now and a again, because the rest of your team actually play properly. I find it easier to play like this on higher difficulty because I am not that good with the new defence system, so most of the time leave it to the AI controlled team mates who can handle it. They also added slider bars to change the percentage skill changes with increased difficulty settings. Personally I found this removed some of the ridiculous 'Terry can out run Neymar' stat inconsistencies that ruined Fifa 11. It still not perfect, I have had Neymar out muscle Vidic and similar over/under powered interactions in matches but nothing like as bad as in Fifa 11.A lot of people seem rather divided on the tackling system. So I will keep this short. The old system was to easy (button hold). This is to hard (a fraction of a second to get it right). Yes tackling is hard in real life and that should be reflected in the game and yes making tackling difficult turns people off from playing because it takes to long to perfect and reduces the fun. I think the best system is the new one but made easier. That seems reasonable to me. They need to also apply the increased difficulty to CPU defenders because the extra difficulty the player has to content with is not carried across to AI controlled teams. If tackling is made harder for us then tackling for the CPU needs to be harder to get right or you will end up with angry users that feel cheated. Other controls still have the same old issues, such as pass going in strange directions and the swapping player focus/control refusing to allow control of a player you want to control. There's also times when defending, the ball will end up at the feet your defender after, for exmaple, a deflection and it carries the circle button you just pressed to attempting to tackle to the offensive controls, causing a shoot from the other side of the pitch.So better than Fifa 11 but still not perfect. That seems about right. I would still like to see kit customisation(don't you sometimes just want to change certain teams kits to pink?), stadium upgrades which appear in matches (symmetrical St James park would be nice or Bournemouth with a 100k seater), concentrated training (ie a week improving the teams short passing) and Song 2 by Blur brought back, but my list is shorter than it was so that has to be a good thing.

30.9.2011

I have now owned FIFA 12 since Tuesday now (Not a bragging right by any means, GAME just delivered it a few days early). It picks of exactly where FIFA 11 pick off and added some. By this I mean they added on a bit more perfection to what was already a pretty tidy game.I have only been playing manager mode as there is not much going for Online ATM until more people own the game.In a word. Brilliant.I had fallen out with Sports games before FIFA 12 as it was a bit to much. EG Tiger Woods. You have to Select which club, Swing Power, Trouser colour of your player. Making me wish I could go back to the day of everybody's golf where you pick a player and away you go.But in manager mode certainly this all changed.Due to the easy menu, great soundtrack, and actually being interested what is going on of the pitch. I wanted to know my players were happy, I wanted to see what my scout had found on his travels, I wanted to keep up to date with my Youth Academy. All small things to do without taking you away from the fact it's still a football game. That you haven't gone out and bought Football Manager yet still feel in control.Now on to the game play. This is exactly what should be on the shelf for a console as strong as the XBOX 360. Its stunning, it has a real feel about it and it just gives you so much enjoyment. The detail EA have gone to so that your gaming experience is worth the money is incredible. For example, I'm playing with Millwall who I support. And the way all squad members play, run, tackle the way David Forde moans at Abdou every match is pretty much spot on to what I see on a Saturday afternoon. (Possibly except the fact I have scored once or twice but that's a different matter). The commentators are clued up about the club. They mention Millwall roots being from a Dockyard, they mention how hard the club have worked to make its image different. They mention we are a mid table prospective club before the start of the season. It's spot on information. Also for cup games you get a different set of commentators for a bit more realism.They have twigged the difficulty a tiny bit. So if you was a FIFA 11 player who would go on a manager mode, put 13 goals a game in and finish top of the league with 110 points and a +70 GD. This won't be happening. Your player ratings are matched to that of your opponents and you play at your players level. So don't expect to be smashing 30 yard shots in every 5 minutes. The defenders will give you a game. I went a few games with out a goal and it was all that more satisfying when I did eventually score. It was a challenging season and I ended up being satisfied I finished in mid table and thought job well done. Build on it.The defending changes on it are very welcome. As opposed to previous games, when you defend brilliantly you can't help but think, that was superb gaming as opposed to I held B just long enough to tackle him there. You will have to defend. The settings have not be introduced to make things easy for you. Its the opposite. Don't bother paying attention to the new feature, expect to concede.One other thing that I have notice which is brilliant is giving the players a brain. By this I have noticed that if the opponent work out you have a weak player on the field. For example if they work out your left back does not have the pace to keep up with the right winger. They will use this to a advantage and abuse him for the rest of the game. Making you feel you need to make a sub. Which is truly brilliant. Because how often have you watched a game of football and thought, that winger has the beating of him every time they need to swap him? This gives you that feel.Its is truly a superb football game. And the thing with FIFA is that it will tied you over for 12 months till the new one. Although I have no idea what could possibly be done to improve on this.I think EA have just raised the bar for Sports games. They deserve the credits they get because of the effort and work they go to so that you enjoy yourself. This what everyone asks for. Right?

31.10.2011

I will start off by saying this is a very good game. I have always preferred Fifa except for the mid 2000's when Pro Evo really stepped up to PS2 and the early X-Box 360 releases. But Fifa 11 was a great game, very enjoyable. Online was excellent, just same old fixtures time and time again but that isn't EA's fault.Graphics is where Fifa has always in my opinion been above Pro Evo, and even though it doesn't matter to some, it does to me as seeing the kits adds to the realism of the game as a whole. The main menu is nicely laid out and there are plenty of game modes to choose from, enough to keep most people happy.I must say that I don't get much time on the game and have only played three quarters of a career mode season and some online games.The major downfall with offline in 2011 was the monotonous Caree Mode whcih was very enjoyable but had limited lifespan as your youth players didn't progress quick enough and the game developed minor glitches and the same cup games came up time and time again. In Fifa 12 I must say the offline Career Mode has been greatly improved, although not having played a full season, it seems to be less predictable and the transfers and loan system seems much more realistic. The standard free matches are as they usually are, nothing much to be said.Online Modes again seem much improved, if I want to play as New York Red Bulls, I will play against someone as Cardiff City or Levante, an even game, whereas last year no matter what you would play against Chelsea, Real Madrid or Barcelona. I am not criticising people for their choices at all, but it is nice not to play against them every time. The online leagues where you are promoted or relegated also adds to the excitement, rather than just gaining XP, you have a battle on your hands as to where you will play the next season.My only reason for not putting 5 stars for the game is what I briefly mentioned earlier, I have not yet completed a full career mode season. Having bought it on release day, I should have completed a full season after nearly a month. Why is it that I haven't? Surely I should be so excited about this game to go on it everyday after work? For some reason it just doesn't grip me? I think the new defending system is excellent and really adds to the realism, but if I don't play the game for a week or two, I will go and play a game and be absolutely shocking at defending for two games, only getting back into the swing by the third game. But if I only have time for a couple of games now and then, do I want to be having to learn defending over and over? I don't want to go to the old style defending as then it would be paying £40 for a Fifa 11 patch. I think the days are gone when me and my mates could go onto Fifa or Pro EVo and enjoy a good game while having fun. Fifa now seems too serious, which is not a bad thing at all. Maybe it has just lost the casual gamer. I cannot mark it down for being a serious game as I would have loved it when I had time to put in the practice, but now, it just seems to be taking iself to seriously.Overall no matter what, I would buy this over Pro Evolution 12, as I did not like the gameplay in the brief stint of playing that, but if you do not have the time to put into the game, you may not get out of it what you once did.

27.11.2011

I haven't played a Fifa game for about 4 years (preferring usually the Pro Evolution franchise) but this year I decided to give it a whirl owing to ever more positive reviews for EAs footy installments. When I first started playing I was very happy about a number of things, and, unhappy about some others. This review does not include online play, I am only reviewing what you get in the box when you buy it!!What I love about Fifa 12:The graphics are fantastic with realistic player animation and some wonderful kit designs. The only let-down in the graphical department is the crowd. They look paper thin and all move together in some strange cult-like motion. But, with that said,its the action on the pitch which attracts all of your attention. The commentary is also very well done and it includes some nice titbits of information about each team to give it all a more realistic feel (for example, playing as Leeds United, the commentators often remind me at the beginning of a match of our spectacular fall from grace in the past ten years etc). The menu screens are easy to navigate and the game contains a long list of tracks which you can listen to while messing around with your formation. The best part though is "Career Mode" where you take over a team of your choosing and try to take them to the top. There is an immense library of players (most of which have their real-life picture in their profile) and the inclusion of a youth academy option allows you to discover and develop the next stars of tomorrow.What I dislike about Fifa 12:It's hard! Very hard! That isn't really the thing that bothers me though, because all games should have a learning curve where you progressively improve, but Fifa 12 has a different kind of difficulty. You can be playing the game of your life, but, when the computer decides it's time they scored a goal, that's usually exactly what they do! A lot of other reviewers have mentioned this too, and it can be very frustrating (I have wanted to throw my controller through the television on more than one occasion!). But, the longer you play the better you become at preventing this. It is very realistic which means you have to play like a real-life player. If that means tracking back and cutting off passes without ever getting a touch yourself then that's what you'll have to do. So, although for a hardcore footy fan like me, this is (in the longrun) a good thing, I wouldN't recommend this to anyone who wants to pick up and play without any hassle and score thirty-yard screamers every match!Overall then:+ beautiful graphics (stadia, kits, player faces etc.)+ extremely satisfying to win games (as you have to work hard to do so)+ nice soundtrack+ controls are easy to learn, difficult to master (there are dozens of hidden tricks and skills)+ beautifully animated (extremely realistic player movements and collisions)+ realistic (a true footy fan's game)- unexpected shifts in difficulty causes frustration- crowd look like paper cut-out- Alan Smith constantly reminding me (as a Leeds fan) that we aren't successful anymore :-(Great game if not a bit frustrating at times. Highly recommended overall however. If I could I would give it 4.5 stars!

1.10.2011

Firstly I want to say that I've always sucked at football games so I rarely play online, therefore this review will deal with single player only. There are so many improvements to this game that I don't know where to begin. I loved Fifa 09 and 10 but hated 11. Last year I switched back to 10 after a few weeks but now I can say that 12 is easily the best of the lot so far. I just can't put it down.My favourite Improvements.The slider adjustments in the games settings.At last we are able to tweak the AI which is something I've always wanted to do (I even requested it in my revue of fifa 11 last year). In the game settings there are options to make shooting and passing more or less powerful and accurate for players and for the cpu,and we can make the players faster or slower, we can adjust the defence to make it better or worse, and we can adjust the goalkeepers to where they're totally useless up to where they're virtually unbeatable. So we can control how much of an advantage or disadvantage we have over the CPU. This is an awesome feature and it gives us so much more control of the game if we find it either too hard or not hard enough.DribblingThe responsiveness of the player dribbling on the ball is sooooooo much better. Yes it makes it harder to get the ball off the CPU, but it also makes it harder for the CPU to get the ball off me. This improvement alone will make it difficult for me to to go back to previous releases where player responsiveness has always been poor on Fifa.Passing.Passing is similar to Fifa 11 but its more accurate. The difference is that the CPU is more eager to intercept passes so you have to be less casual about the timing and judgement of your passing.TacklingThis is a huge improvement over last year. I now find it easier to tackle without getting booked every time. Sliding tackles have really been improved.Shooting.Shooting is different this year, but with the ability to control the accuracy and power of shooting in the game settings, you can make it either like Fifa 09 or 11. When you put the shooting accuracy setting to maximum, nearly all the shots are either on target or go just wide rather than missing by a mile in fifa 11.This is without doubt my favorite feature in this years release. One thing that could be improved more is that a lot of the shots seem to be too low in the bottom corner, even when the power bar is nearly to maximum.The ability to volley the ball has been improved. Headers seem to be the same as 11 and 10.Main MenuThe menu has changed, and it has a much more modern feel to it. Much much better!I haven't yet had a go at "be a pro" so I might update the review later to include it. With so many improvements to the gameplay, and with the ability to tweak the AI in the game settings, this game caters for everyone. I've just read a couple of the negative reviews here and it seems obvious to me that these people haven't taken the time to explore all of the options in the game settings. If its too hard or too easy for you, just adjust the user and cpu sliders.Its great fun with all these options :D

2.10.2011

Im here to review the career mode only as it is the thing I use and have always used most on fifa.To start with you'll notice the menu's are alot slicker and when you sim to the next match it doesn't take you to a whole new menu and it also doesn't take a long time. You can access alot more information on your team now and the players have a form and morale bar aswell as the usual stamina bar. Players also ask you to rest them, tell you they are unhappy if you haven't played them and thank you if you play them after they complained which boosts their morale which means squad rotation is key to keep everyone happy. It adds to the overall feel to the game and makes it feel alot more real.Another addition is the transfers and transfer deadline day.People bid for you players now even if you don't transfer list them which is a brilliant new feature but which left me with some headaches when I had to decide whether or not to sell Jones for 16.5m! Also on transfer deadline day it counts down with 10 hours left and goes hourly so you can make sure you get everything you want done.The scouting system is a BRILLIANT addition, perhaps the best. Its alot more detailed than it was on older fifa's when they used to have it and now I have just bought a 16 year old central midfielder for 25k. He is rated 53 already and has huge potential so now If I play him im hoping he'll turn out good in a few seasons.I was very critical of fifa 10 and 11's career modes as 10 was full of bugs while 11 didn't offer anything other than game after game. This career mode also gives you the chance to do either praise or unnerve the next team your playing or their manager, you can also comment on one of their players. I have no idea if morale, form, press interviews or any of this make a difference to how they play but it really does add to it and I kind of dont care if it makes no difference because it just makes it alot more fun and worth playing.There are other small additions to the whole game in general such as players pictures now being on their name, kits being worn by players when you pick them rather than just seeing the t shirt and finally the commentary has been split into two teams so for league games you'll have martin tyler and alan smith then for league cup and fa cup games you'll have clive tysley and andy townsend. This really makes it less one dimensional and gives it a whole fresh feel and makes it stand out that its a cup game which is another nice feel.Overall the career mode probably couldn't get much better and im so happy with it. Theres so much to do and i've found NO bugs which is a first. Everythings feels slick and the new additions are huge ones, especially the transfers/transfer deadline day and the scouting/youth academy! I recommend it to anyone who has played the demo and enjoyed it as they know they will love the game itself. I recommend it to anyone but alot of people have been complaining about the new defence system, although you shouldnt have to you can turn off the tactical defending in offline modes and use the older defending.

1.11.2011

Wow. FIFA 09 took the crown back from Pro Evo after years in its shadow, and then FIFA 10 brought in 360 degree passing and totally changed the game, 11 made all the little gameplay tweaks we could think of and pretty much became the ultimate football game. The only thing letting it down was a lack of depth and realism in the manager mode.Now FIFA 12 comes out and BAM! the gameplay is now so crisp and real that playing FIFA 11 feels like you're playing Emlyn Hughes International Soccer on the C64! Graphics are sharper, movement is better, the close control is now so good that you genuinely have more than one way to skin whichever cat happens to present itself to you, and now there are so many game modes,both online and offline that I genuinely don't expect to get round to giving each of them a decent go in the paltry 12 months we have before EA pull another rabbit out of their bottomless hat and make this obsolete like the last one..For me, the biggest two improvements this year are the collision physics and the career mode. The collision physics are brilliant. Sometimes the players will trip on the slightest of touches and then be sent flying by their inertia.. it looks crazy, but it brings laughter to the table, while still ensuring the huge majority of collisions (at least 99%) are as good as perfect in their realism. It makes the game more like a real game of football. Much much better.The career mode, though, is where the real gains are this year. In 10 and 11 they essentially ruined this mode by removing the club staff management and the scouting, and thus reducing the manager mode to little more than picking the team and making transfers twice a year with your inevitably-dwindling supply of money.Not so in FIFA 12. Now you have a scouting network and a youth squad into which to sign the scouted players as a sort of staging house before you know if they're good enough for the first team or not. This enables you to slowly build up cash if you are a small club, as you can invest in a decent scout, sign loads of youth players for £25k sign on fees and sell them for £1m a pop in the next season. It's a long game, but if you are managing a team in league 1 and want to win the European Cup, you have to think long-term. Also the transfers are generally much more realistic. Gone are the days when you could just scour the world for the best teenagers, buy them cheap and wait for them to mature and have the best team, as now the teenagers are worth too much money, as potential comes into the equation for their price, and so you can't afford to buy them unless you have first sold someone who is rather handy (or you are Man City - eeeurgh).. so that makes the career mode much more of a challenge.Overall, I have to say I was expecting to be really impressed with this year's efforts, but I wasn't expecting to be bowled over as much as I have been. In the words of Comic Book Guy, 'best...game...ever'... well, until next week when MW3 comes out, of course!

30.12.2011

I've had this game for a week now.I'm a regular Fifa player, but didn't rush out to get this straight away as I was enjoying other games, and some people had told me it was naff.However, it's not naff. Not at all.I'll admit that at first, I hated it.But that was because I didn't understand how well it worked.I'm not a massive football fan. I think the sport is great, and enjoy playing it, but I don't support any team in particular, and I hardly ever follow matches anymore. I do love Match of the day, but forget to put it on.I say this because when I play Fifa, I'm not over interested in the different modes.The idea of playing as a manager seems very dull.All I want to do is play a match,online.I find it hard to enjoy playing against the computer these days.The buzz you get when you make a come back - on an actual person - wow man.The big change this year then, is the defence.It previous Fifa games, you could pretty much cheat.It required no skill at all.All you had to do was hold a couple of buttons and 2 players would run to the ball.Now, it's more realistic and requires more focus.I ended up losing 7 games in a row, so went onto YouTube to look for advice.Luckily, I found it (Type 'how to defend on Fifa 12') and it changed my perception of the game entirely.The game is so good once you figure it out!Defending become more involved, and fun too. Tactics are up to you really.Basically, you should only go for a tackle when the attacker is near the goal box (or whatever you call it).Any other time, you'll want to switch between defenders, and instead of running towards the ball, mark up players.The attacker is left with nowhere to go, and usually they make a mistake.Of course, go for a tackle when they're near to you, but don't burn your players' energy by running around constantly.Also, the game will automatically make tackles for you when there is the opportunity, so really - Just focus on making it hard for the player when they have the ball. Once you 'get it', you'll appreciate that this is an excellent game.I also like the new ranking system online.You start of in league 10 and can get promoted if you win enough matches.I'm currently in league 7.There is also the opportunity to enter cup matches at certain times.To win though, you'll need to win 4 games in a row.I got to the final and lost in extra time. It was very frustrating!The graphics are excellent as per usual. Detail is good, i.e. Tevez' scar and Rooney's new hair-do.The commentary is finally different, and offers different people which makes a nice change.I'm sure the other modes are very good too, but for now I'm happy playing online.Rooney's still the face of Fifa! That's 6 years now?Great game though. Hope the advice helps anyone struggling.5 Stars!

3.10.2011

I have been playing FIFA '12 more or less constantly since its release, and thought that I would briefly share my comments on the new instalment, having played around 30 or so 18-minute games in Career Mode so far.The following are noticeable, excellent improvements:- players now have real-life photos in the stats menus, rather than the usual animations, which adds a huge sense of realism to the game, especially in Career Mode. This was not mentioned in previews or official reviews, but I really think that it ought to have been; it seems only a minor change, but, for me, it adds so much to the game!- shooting: you can now score some absolutely fantastic goals. Gone are the days of shooting from distance in vain,

2.10.2011

I suspect that those rating this game 1 star are those who are used to putting the game on a low level so they can win 18-0 then go to school/work bragging about how great they are! If thats you - dont buy this game! Even on a low to mid level the game has its challenges and this has been done on purpose to make the game more realistic. The game makes you work harder and think about tactics.I'll start with the defending. In short, yes its a lil more tricky and you will have to change your game slightly with F12 as the game will not simply send a player clattering into an opponent by simply holding down a button like in F11. Depending on the state of play, the player attacking your defences and your position..

26.10.2011

I was not a fan at all of Fifa 11, and when I reviewed it last year I had long since given up on it. It just wasn't fun to play in single player mode. I wasn't even sure if I would buy FIFA 12, but I'm glad I did.In single player mode it is vastly improved. The Career Mode (which is I imagine the main event for most players) hsa had a lot of nice touches added to it, which were sorely lacking - more transfers, more involvement in the club affairs, and more life-like issues like transfer day deadline, player mood swings etc. Far deeper and more engrossing.But it's the gameplay I like more. Last year, scoring was almost impossible, even in games you completely dominated.This year there is much more chance of scoring a realistic goal. It's not necessarily easy, but if you play the game right, you will be rewarded. Computer defenders are not intercepting and anticipating everything you do like last year, and they don't always automatically catch you up if youre clean through on goal. I like the use of the R1 button for close control, and it just feels better overall. The new defending system works reasonably well, it's tricky and frustrating, but it is far better than the monotonous system from last year.There are gripes. Collision system is messy at times, with Carry-On like incidents where a mass pile up of players occur. There are a few weird glitches where passes go nowhere near where you directed them to. My main gripe with the new defensive system is not so much with the player you control, but the other defenders in your team whom you don't. A lot of the time they stand idly by whilst they get dribbled past, which is very annoying. Defending against computer attackers can be immensely frustrating, because their movements are so weirdly unpredictable (they'll be flying down the wing, and then will suddenly stop and turn round!) Also, occasionally, I feel that some games are just destined to go against you - the computer has just decided you need to lose one, and opposing players from Stoke or Swansea suddenly develop Messi-esque talents to cruise past you.Online modes are excellent like last year - in particular this year I like the way your progress can be determined by a league promotion/relegation style. I don't really get the appeal of Ultimate Team - it just doesn't do it for me at all. However, if you want to play online, you are not short of options.Overall, I am really enjoying this game. I've played through a season, had a few dozen games online, and I keep coming back for more. It's fun, and rewarding - unlike last year's effort. At times the game seems unfair, frustrating, and weirdly unpredictable - but then, so does real football......

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