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REVIEW: Does FIFA 12 live up to the hype?

Comment: 0 October 25th, 2011 by: admin

FIFA 12‘s release date was something that gamers and football fans marked their calendars for.

And EA Games was primed and ready to again build up the mania, spewing words like ‘special’, ‘revolutionary’ and ‘groundbreaking’ in the face of anyone available, at every opportunity.

Pretty much the same adjectives waved around right before the release of 10 and 11.

We get it, EA.  Every FIFA version you toss at salivating fanboys going into tongue-out seizures will revolutionise the franchise, break the standards and raise the bar a gajillion times over.  We’ve heard it all, and we’ve heard it before.

Usually, all things considered, EA came through. Now, with FIFA 12 out in the market smashing sales records (3 million in the first week) faster than their PR department can write about it, it’s time to see if EA’s newest gem can live up to the hype.

Consensus says that it has.  Exponentially.

Tactical Defending

A vastly noticeable change is the more sophisticated and comparatively unforgiving Tactical Defending, which is amongst the ‘trinity’ of changes included in 12 (the other two being Precision Dribbling and Impact Engine).   Admittedly, this feature will put more than a few beads of sweat on the foreheads of even the most seasoned game fans.

Tactical Defending is meant to completely alter the defence techniques that earlier versions have spoon-fed players with.  In 12, defending has become a more complicated process as tackling, positioning and pass interception have been given equal importance and influence.

No more of the cop-out strategies like overwhelming opponents with mere pressure (a tactic that anyone is capable of pulling off).  Instead, a combination of position, pinpoint-precision and impeccable timing is your only hope to put up a good defence.

Options to ‘contain’ or ‘jockey’ your opponent can help force mistakes or restrict movements.  Whether it’s defending your goal or recapturing the ball, it will involve more sophisticated methods that make the game more engaging.

And for those whose first choice for defence is tackling, bad news mates: either do so at just the right moment with the right move, or see your opponent rush to the goal, leaving your player behind to watch and stare like a lost moron.

Overall, the tactical defence eliminates careless attempts and instead calls for surgical, more comprehensive methods for favourable effect.  And it ultimately gives the game a higher degree of realism (which FIFA actually promised, so cheers).

‘It’s definitely harder,’ was the straight-up comment from gamer Jeremy Narvadez.  ‘The defence is more aggressive and the gameplay is more realistic.

‘It’s one of the few games that actually made me scream and swear at the PC monitor more than a few times.’

Adding the spice of aggression, the game is not bereft of the more devil-may-care defence tactics like shoving, pushing, and even more drastic attempts including grabbing your player by his jersey.

‘You can’t really get away with the techniques that earlier versions let you get used to,’ Narvadez noted. ‘The game gives you a more real feel of the sport, which is what makes it great.  So I’m not complaining.’

Precision Dribbling

As how it is in real football, a player’s dribbling style greatly affects player movement and the degree of ball control.  The Precision Dribbling feature sees the players perform footwork depending on their surroundings and end-goal.

It allows you to control the ball and protect it at the same time, while looking for an ideal pass or shoot target.  The ball also moves in conjunction with the player’s handling; in short, the interaction between player and ball seems more genuine, as well as more effective.

A player can dribble slowly for better shooting opportunities or allow midfield setup; sideways to create a larger space with which to evade a defender; or with greater precision to perhaps protect the ball or support the midfield.

It also has what seems to be an automatic type of dribbling that sees the attacking player attempt to evade even the nearest defender.

Impact Engine

Overall this just means your player can smash into another in so many more ways than before.  This consequently also means there are a larger variety of injuries waiting for you.

Apparently the blokes at FIFA have fiddled a bit more with physics to bring you a wider array of, well, collision styles.

If it seems like nothing more than mere aesthetic addition for added realism, it is. But that’s the point, isn’t it? In football you can land on your bum a thousand different ways; EA apparently figured that out.

And what you have now is a game where a bad tackle can send Rooney flying upwards, spinning airborne, and landing in a manner that crosses sideways with face-first.

This added feature allows 12 to feel less restricted, less formulaic and less artificial. Impact Engine can also determine if and when a player sustains an injury.

Game producer David Rutter was all a-twitter with this addition, calling it the ‘biggest technological change to the series’. And with the addition of realistic force and momentum to an encounter, it seems EA made sure that we believed them.

We do. Happy?

Career Mode

It seems that in their mission to make the game more realistic, EA have also addressed and integrated into 12 a well-known fact about football.

‘The players can be whiny, greedy bastards whose mouths run faster than they do,’ said Narvadez.

This profound insight is most demonstrated in Career Mode.

The game pays close attention to the complicated balance brought about by the delicate relationship between the player and the manager, as well as the player and the media. Both player attitude and behaviour on and off the pitch are affected by a number of factors including team selection, morale, even salary.

Unhappy players will have no problems mouthing off to the press, even putting themselves up like 2AM hookers, baiting other clubs who might be willing to pay for their services.

There is the demand of players for massive wages and even devious tactics from rival teams to steal each other’s players.

Transfer deadlines are always interesting, with the last day of the window ticking by in hours and allowing you to perhaps snag a late signing.

The mode also allows you to select a strategic play formation, which can be handy considering the number of options available.

Overall

The most notable part of FIFA 12 is how much EA have actually lived up to what they’ve been parroting about.  Whatever flaws are present can be quickly overlooked by the far greater aspects of the game.

Although there are a handful of exaggerated aspects to be noticed (by some, at least), hardcore football fans will laud the game with hours of playing.

This game could easily claim the title of one of the best in the series, definitely worth the price, worthy of the hype, and a good way to celebrate the beautiful, dynamic mess of a game that is football.

FIFA 12 currently sells for £29.00 on amazon.co.uk.

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