EA Sports’ FIFA Soccer 12, on the whole, is a solid addition to the 18-year-old series. The majority of the game features are similar to that of FIFA Soccer 11 while adding a few interesting and new features, including “self-aware” CPU-controlled players, an improved player impact system and more precise dribbling along with a revamped system of online play.
If you take those changes, provide over 500 teams with roughly 15,000 different players, and pair them up with what FIFA games have become well known for—amazing soundtracks—there’s not a whole lot of room for much to go wrong. Or is there? The pockmark on the nearly perfect face of FIFA 12, for some gamers, is the new tactical defending system, a stark contrast to what had previously been an offensive-minded game.
This newly added feature to the FIFA franchise now allows the player playing defense to jockey, or strafe, along with the player who possesses the ball in order to contain the ball possessor from doing anything beneficial on the goal-side of the ball. When the defender is in close enough proximity, the player can make the defender he or she is controlling make a stab at the ball in an attempt to dispossess the ball carrier.
This change has brought about mixed responses from the FIFA-playing community, some of which would rather have the mindless, one-button mashing system of the past. The new complexity provided by tactical defending, however, makes the soccer-playing experience provided by the game to be more realistic than ever before. Stealing the ball while playing defense in a real game requires no less timing accuracy than shooting while playing offense; why should it be any easier in a simulated environment?
But there’s good news for everyone: those in love with the old style of defense will find that there’s an option to toggle the tactical defending system to the legacy defending that all players of former FIFA titles will find familiar. The bad news: it’s not possible to use legacy defending for online play. The result: if you want to be successful in all facets of FIFA 12 game play, you’ll just have to assimilate yourself to the new style of defense or just really get used to playing the offline portions of the game.
Other than the qualms with the tactical defending system, there is a multitude of options for soccer lovers to choose from with the many different gaming modes included with the game.
If you enjoy playing against others online, there are a few different modes of online play, including a refurbished head-to-head system, a new system of various cup tournaments that are only open periodically, as well as the ability to join a club team with your virtual pro.
Other aspects of game types returned from FIFA 11, including near carbon copies of Ultimate Team and Career Mode. In the absence of Martin Tyler’s old partner in crime, Andy Gray, three new English-language announcers have been added to the game, including Alan Smith, Andy Townsend and the most annoyingly shrill quotes ever made by Clive Tyldesley .
All in all, FIFA Soccer 12 provides both new additions as well as diehard fans of the FIFA franchise a unique and enjoyable soccer-playing experience well worth the purchase cost of owning the game and receiving the code to play online.
