FIFA 2012 : First Hand Review

The much awaited FIFA 2012 by EA SPORTS was released on 27 th September, and I got a chance to play it on projector (which was recently installed in nearest Playing station), and I had one hell of a gaming experience. Though I haven’t played PES 2011 and PES 2012 so I am in no position to say that FIFA 2012 is better but one thing is for sure it will definitely give PES as well as other soccer games a run for their money. The game though doesn’t introduce any revolutionary change but the EA development team have introduced certain minor changes to make the game look even more realistic.

Playing Experience :

I played FIFA 12 on XBOX 360, and I have to say it is much more tiresome to play on the XBOX controller which has unresponsive joystick that too without rubber padding. If you are looking for long playing session make sure you play it on PS controller so that your thumb doesn’t pain afterwards.

The game has decent graphics which builds upon the 2011 edition. The gameplay is much more realistic and advanced, the developers have tried to cover up the flaws of the previous edition. One special feature which I liked is that of tactical defending which reduces the abuse of sprinting. Some players used to abuse the sprint function constantly without purpose to beat the defenders, this has become somewhat difficult in the new edition.

The collision between players is more realistic, and so is the player’s passing and dribbling attributes. I, being an ardent fan of Arsenal, played few games with the Gunners. Players like Walcott and Frimpong run quite fast whereas Mertesacker and Arteta are some of the slower players. The real world likeness makes it more enjoyable and realistic. The same hold true for major teams and their star players.

Tactical defending : an added feature

The gameplay has become more authentic- set pieces and offsides in particular are taken very quickly. There is little time wastage in taking offsides on the sidelines. Certain players like Zaltan Ibrahamovic , Ronaldo , Rooney, Hernandez, David Silva, Aguero, Messi are very quick and are hard to dispossess. Ball control has become a bit difficult but the players will gradually get used to it as they will continue playing. The weather and its impact on the game is well shown, it is difficult to play the game either in snowfall or heavy shower, passing becomes a bit slow and awry on grounds of smaller clubs which makes it more realistic to play.

Graphics, Animation and Sound :

I am hugely disappointed on this front with the newest edition of FIFA. No revolutionary changes have been made in the graphics and animation department, also I am afraid to say but the soundtrack and commentary in FIFA 11 was much better.

After having played with FIFA 11, I expected the team at EA to improve player likeness and appearance but they have disappointed me. However certain players like Ibrahamovic, Rooney have been carefully worked upon and are a delight to play with. Still there is much scope for improvement.

Commentary and soundtrack in the previous edition was much better, the biggest disappointment is that we will miss the voice of Andy Gray. There are two commentary teams used one comprising Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend, the other Alan Smith and Martin Tyler. The soundtrack is disappointing to say the least.

One of the major drawback of the game is that crowd reaction and clothing is still not authentic. Even for games of little importance (say for example Arsenal vs Boca Junior played in San Siro as an exhibition match) the stadium are shown packed to capacity. The static crowd appears as if they are made out of cardboard cuttings. Even in the home games the supporters are not shown in home kit or the official fan kit of the club which is disappointing to say the least. Hopefully EA guys are taking note of this and will make improvements in this area.

Verdict:

One of the most awaited games of 2011 does not disappoint the avid gamer, though there is much more to be done to make it the ultimate soccer game. Do play PES to get a better idea of both the games (which unfortunately I have not done). Overall I think it is more or less an improved version of FIFA 11, the EA faithful will love it .

Rooney : a player to watch out in FIFA 12