Defense, Impacts, and Dribbling

The biggest change to the game play from previous versions that players will notice is FIFA Soccer 12’s new ‘Tactical Defending’ system. In fact, seasoned players will likely need some time to adjust, as the new system requires more skill to successfully tackle an opponent. Defenders need to spend more time jockeying for position and containing opposition players instead of immediately going in for an easy tackle. The upside is that defense is much more realistic; you feel more like you’re an active participant when you’re playing defense.

Other game play changes in FIFA Soccer 12 are a little more subtle. Interactions between players are now governed by the new Impact Engine, which makes player collisions follow real world physics more closely than they did in the past. As the player models are often quite small, however, the effect is not always immediately noticeable when playing. Still, as you spend more playing the new FIFA, you notice that there is more variety to the ways players interact. The Impact Engine also occasionally backfires and produces hilarious results, although I’ve not witnessed anything like the extreme examples you will find posted on the Web.

Also improved this year is the Precision Dribbling system, which allows you greater control on the ball in tight situations. This is primarily for advanced FIFA players, as it requires quick reflexes to master. Additionally there is Pro Player Intelligence, which is reported as making AI-controlled players behave more like their real world counterparts. Admittedly, it’s difficult to tell from a quick observation how much of a difference this makes. A player like Lionel Messi will score a goal against you regardless!

New Online Modes

New Online Modes

Aside from game play mechanics, EA Sports has added and tweaked many of the options for playing, especially with regard to playing online. The biggest change is the inclusion of FIFA Ultimate Team, which combines regular FIFA game play with an online trading card based team creation engine. Previously this was available only as downloadable content, but including it at launch is a great way of providing this immediately which creates a richer experience.

There are some new online game modes, including Head-to-Head Seasons, which allows you to compete against players online in a short virtual ten-game season or cup competition. If you do well enough, you are promoted to a higher level and will play more skilled opposition. The implementation is a simple and elegant way of organizing online play so that you generally play appropriate-level opponents, yet it also feels like there is something at stake.

Another addition to online play is the EA Sports Football Club, which is where most of the online social features are centered. Some features here are a little hit and miss. The challenges, which are based on situations in real world matches, can be quite fun. The individual player experience points for levelling up seems to work well for bragging rights with your friends, while the system where you align yourself to a club team and these are ranked worldwide in week-long ‘seasons’ isn’t particularly engaging. Fortunately, what doesn’t work won’t get in the way, and will likely get tweaked next year.

As is usual for the series, FIFA Soccer 12’s graphics and sound are top-notch. The options for gameplay available both on and offline is extremely varied. Most importantly, the additions and changes are largely welcome. FIFA Soccer has been steadily improving the past few years and as a result this year’s title is clearly the best FIFA Soccer yet. FIFA Soccer 12 is a very good purchase for existing FIFA Soccer players as well as newcomers to the series.

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