FIFA 12 – Demo Review
I can’t stress this enough, this is based on the demo version of the game – so factor that in as you will.
If there’s one thing that EA Sports are frequently guilty of, it’s reissuing the same game year after year with a few minor tweaks. The Madden series, for example, has frequently suffered from just being essentially a yearly, and £50, roster update.
Not so with the new FIFA.
What you’ll notice is first is the camera angle, which has been changed to more of a panning ‘broadcast’ perspective – a bit alien, but it will grow on you as it facilitates the other changes and gives you a broader view of the pitch.
The demo only includes the ability to play in Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, so judging the game physically may be a little premature. However, it’s looks to be the standard graphical update – which is all the was needed. Players feel more rounded and life-like, and the new ‘collision’ system is obvious from the start. Knock a ball into the box and expect a few forwards to go sprawling, slide in hard on tricky winger and you’ll send him rolling to the floor. Nice touches.
From a personal point-of-view, EA sports failed for a long time to lure me away from Pro Evolution Soccer because of the way in which FIFA represented the game; there were too many repeated situations and an over-reliance on ‘skill moves’. This has largely gone now, and the only way to break defences down is to work hard in possession. Defenders now close you down like never before, and you’ll need something of footballing brain to pass your way through teams.
As an occasionally player, this is very welcome – there’s nothing worse than being humbled by a teenager who’s spent hours learning all the different button combinations to perform repeated skill moves. They still exist, but in the way that they exist in real football – as occasional weapons that need to be used at the right time. It’s more Wayne Rooney than Luis Nani, so to speak.
When in your in possession, yes you have to work to unlock defences, but more effort than ever before is needed to keep the ball. You’ll find yourself crowded out in the opposition box, and having to go back just to keep moves going. The passing gage is more sensitive too, you’ll frequently under-hit the ball or miss a team-mate’s darting run.
It might be my imagination – or that I’ve been playing as Barcelona – but the movement that goes on around you seems more substantial. When you have the ball, you’ll notice other players moving into space and dragging defenders with them – EA seem to have made a real effort to rid the game of the static feel that it previously had. Of course, you can still manually trigger runs, but now multiple players seem to react to what’s going on around them naturally. It’s brilliant – it feels like a proper game.
There are also a whole host of little changes too, the ball feels heavier and more life-like, Alan Smith is now alongside Martin Tyler in the commentary box, and there’s now a pretty cool ‘player walking towards the camera just like on Sky’ moment when you select your team.
Miles better than it was, and easily the best football game now – streets ahead of anything else. Be prepared to work hard being good at it, but you’ll love it.
It’s out for real on the 30th September.
Posted on September 13, 2011, in General and tagged Computer Games, Demo, FIFA 12, Review, The Premier League Owl, X Box 360. Bookmark the permalink. 30 Comments.
EPL News 24/7
Hey guys,
Euhm i liked the demo of fifa 12
nice graphics, slow but realistic gameplay
not convinced about player impact
defending is challenge, it would be ok offline.
i’m wondering how it would turn out online,
if you step in to early it’s always an open chance
overall i’m satisfied : 85/100 (still a demo)
I am not sure what to think of the demo. First thing I noticed where the great graphics and the better camera angle. Second thing I noticed was the slow gameplay. Thought that was the same reaction I had with the FIFA 11 demo last year, but this is just a matter of getting used to.
Scoring in FIFA 12 demo is more difficult. I usely pin down the opponent in it’s own penalty area, waiting for the opening which takes a real long time. In my opinion it’s more realistic but it may cause problems when you go 1 down. It’s almost impossible to get back into the game.
The last thing I wanted to discus is tactical defending. As a defender myself, I was taught NEVER to jostle for the ball. It is to easy for an attacker to anticipate. But the only way to defend is to jostle. Getting the hang of it is just a matter of time, with a lot of penalties for your opponent. Almost every standing tackle in your own box is a penalty. Got almost 1 penalty per game.
Overall it’s a good game, but it has some features you got to get used to.
im sorry but ive never read so much rubish. the new defense system sucks end of. time to try PES this year i think
I like the new defending very much after playing more than more than 15 match i could say i got the hang of it and its really fun , because its new and in the end it takes concentration to stay with the player so you gotta watch him plus your more in control .
The game feels slower but is probably more realistic. The tactical defending though is complete bullshit, turned it off after 5 minutes and will never use it again.
Ive been trying hard to master the new defense system (R1 and square standing tackle). I think I am starting to get the hang of it however I noticed that in the wireless control settings you can choose ‘Tactical’ (new defense system)or ‘Legendary’ (similar to previous Fifa defense system). Legendary seems to cut out the need for the intense practise needed to mater the new system (perhaps intended for the casual users)I know that most people I met playing FUT11 were using the assisted passing option and so the passing bar set up became some what redundant. I antisapate the same for the new defense system.
I tried out the new Tactical Defending but was quite disappointed with it. It doesn’t allow you to get close and jostle for the ball anymore when an opponent has it, which is quite unreal. Also, whats the point in the tackle which you make, which, in ‘Fast’ mode happens almost always after the opponent has crossed you. Whereas if you are controlling the ball, the AI always ends up doing the right kind of jostles in legendary mode. Hence i shifted to the Legacy mode. Now, with the improved AI, the overall game seems better. In FIFA 11 i used to beat equal opponent team in legendary mode by 4/5 – 0. Now it seems much more real since it is 1/2-0 or sometimes a draw or even a loss.Another thing is that, what’s so “Tactical” about this defending? Might as well call it “Anticipated” Defending, cos i thought Tactical defending would mean i would be able to set custom tactics for Defence, which means there would be a difference in how Barcelona defenders would normally defend per se, versus, how they would behave if i set the tactics different.
Terrible, Fifa 11 was hard to get used to from fifa 10 but is was much better than this now. People dont have the time to waste to learn the whole game every time its released, the tackling is horrible so is the pass and shooting system, Fifa 11 had more rounder gameplay and was exciting, from what I have seen this has the most boring gameplay ever and the only moments of excitement is when a goal is scored but no as exciting in fifa 11, it seems dull, on the whole the graphics a freaking awesome but you never know the main game when it is released on my birthday
may be better than the demo, they usually arent.
I loved it. The defending as everyone else has noted is definatley different and more difficult and I think that just boils down to the button change of team mate pressing. Buggered me up huge when I first played. But it is only the demo and I hated the FIFA 11 and 10 demo but then loved them both when they were released. Hell I played 6 complete manager careers on 11. The game is gonna be a challenge but bring it on!!!!
The main thing Fifa need to fix on fifa 12 is to sort out the player impact engine. You need to understand these are sims not actual players. The way the player impact engine is programmed, where ever the sim is touched he plays out the impact of it. So when a tackle has flown and when player is falling if it gets touched somewhere else the whole movement won’t be natural he makes a overly dramatic fall turning and twisting. Which I thought was not done properly. Also again the defence is the only other things that stood out to me as an issue. Please fix these things fifa.
Tactical defending is going to be a big problem online. If your opponent goes 1 – 0 up they could literally keep possession for the rest of the game as its impossible to actually press the ball. Playing against other players it wont take long before people expose the downfalls of this new system.
Some good points there Rob.
I think the ‘skill move debate’ is an interesting one, and it’s always going to divide. From the perspective of someone that plays the game occasionally – and i’m talking mainly about online play here – it’s hard to keep enjoying a game that rewards those moves so heavily. Completely agree with you in that spending the time to master all the combinations etc should give you an advantage, but it sometimes felt that previous instalments went a bit too far in that direction.
I meant to say Fifa 11 had some problems.. not Fifa 12
Fifa 12 demo is a much better sim of football, but defending is a bit too automated and its too simple to beat defenders with what I call “pro-evo” dribbling, using just the left analog stck and the L and R triggers. This oversimplifies the game in my opinion. And when I say defending is too automated I mean attempting to make a deliberate standing tackle will almost always make you miss the ball. Its almost easier to choose not to switch players on defense and stay as a striker or winger and just stand there and the unaltered computer defensive shape is more likely to win the ball back through an interception. Tackling and winning the ball back in your opponents half is nearly impossible and its far more difficult to pressure the ball (not necessarily a bad thing given how Fifa 11 played).
Thepremierleagueowl:
“there were too many repeated situations and an over-reliance on ‘skill moves’ [in fifa 11]”
Fifa 12 had some problems, namely pressure on defense, and oversimplified crossing and heading (along with bad physics that allowed a striker to score a header where his head goes through the defenders head). But on this point, I disagree. Skills moves show a mastery of the game, and that’s a good thing. If you know how and when to use skill moves and you want to play with flair, the other team deserves to get beat if they are stupid enough to keep diving into challenges. You have to defend more conservatively, and that makes a more realistic game. Repeated situations only occur if you are incapable of performing skill moves or defending against them, thus making your play predictable and allowing your opposition to repeatedly beat you with the same skills because you haven’t learned how to defend them. And because you don’t know how to be creative and open up the field with clever footwork, you have to resort to running down the outside and crossing it over and over. THAT is what causes repeated situations and makes the game dull.
Not sold on Fifa 12. I played it for a while and still prefer Fifa 11. I realy hope that EA dont fall foul to the same changes as Konami. The game is meant to be exciting, action packed fun and have an element of realism through out. Other wise it becomes boring. I mean you could have 90 minute games that finish 1-1 but where is the fun in that. I think defending in Fifa 12 is very hard especially trying to control 2 players at once. For me Fifa 12 have made a game with a high level of realism but it seems to be at the expense of exciting action packed fun. Iam out for now.
I think there has to always be changes in a new game especially in FIFA because one way or another it’s always either they haven’t changed enough or they have changed it to much. The defending is so much better, it’s rewarding and yes it needs time to get better at it. It shouldn’t click just like that. It will be better for the long run and defences aren’t as easy to split open you really have to work the ball around. I’ve only won 3 games on world class excluding penalty wins. I am loving FIFA 12.
Couldn’t agree more Chuck, it makes you work to win which is ultimately a really good thing.
For you guys having a hard time with the game, play more. The fact that it isnt easy is a good thing. Fifa 12 is amazing, the tackling is tough to get a hang of and requires the patience of Ghandi to master. The attacking too is much harder, defenders anticipate wide runs better and close down on wingers with ferocious aggression. I can’t wait for all the exploit loving noobs from fifa 1 to get a taste of this. Maybe now they’ll actually learn how to play some REAL soccer.
Perhaps you should spend less time gaming and more time learning how to spell!
I played the demo yesterday for hours also, but i don’t know what to think of it yet…Defending is VERY difficult and i have the feeling i will miss the action of fifa 11, while this game is ´again´ slower and the ball don´t moves realistic… its feels like a stone that you have to push arround!
I will buy fifa 12, and i hope that wenn i take the hang of it, it will be more fun and defending will become easier, otherwise fifa 11 is a much better game!
Great graphics but i cant get the fuckin ball ea’s dropped a bollock with this new tackling not wasting fourty quid on a game were i cant get the ball back. Still waiting for all the promises made about fifa 11 that never arrived eg keepers scrambling back. Pes for me this year
i cant wait to play it!
“From a personal point-of-view, EA sports failed for a long time to lure me away from Pro Evolution Soccer because of the way in which FIFA represented the game”
I used to play PES, but in the last few years you got to admit it’s absolutely a big pile of sh*t. Fifa didn’t “lure me away”, PES is just so abominable I ran off to buy Fifa in desperation for the last 4 years. Now I’ll just stop waiting for PES and buy Fifa immediately.
About the Fifa 12 demo: I played the demo with a friend for hours now. Even though we feel we got quite the hang of it, defending is WAY harder than it used to be. Both of us managed to score more often in those 6 mins than in a Fifa 11 12 mins match.
i have been playing advance and its freaking imposible to tackle any one in the fucking game, i am glad they took out the grapling and illegal pushing which in fifa 11 was the norm of the day regarging defence.
but having the second defence with the r1 feels strange.
i have won several mathces with out having one tackle
Then you’re a far better player than I am Bobby, even sober i’m struggling to score. It’s great though, you weren’t imagining things…
i played it drunk last night one game only and beat barca 6-0, cant really remeber it seemed fun….then woke on my settee at 4.39
Thanks guys, enjoy the full game as and when it comes out.
I haven’t played the demo yet so can’t comment on my perceived accuracy of your review but I do like the style of your writing. Thanks, you have whetted my appetite!
You are right.. i was so addicted to the game that yesterday i played for more than 5 hours at a stretch.. Superb demo, made sure that Fifa11 is not removed while installing the demo. But now i am pretty sure that, demo will be the one i will b playing till Sep 28.
Thanks for the review..
Pingback: Early Morning Notes – Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United, Hillsborough, FIFA 12 « The Premier League Owl