Review

International tournaments mean one thing; competition-themed variants on FIFA. 2012 is no exception, and EA Sports have today released UEFA Euro 2012 across all platforms. Wisely, it’s in the form of a downloadable addition to FIFA 12 – which although means that those who don’t own FIFA 12 aren’t able buy Euro 2012 in the shops, it also stops the nagging feeling that you’re being charged twice for essentially the same game.

So, the big question: is this just a re-templated version of FIFA 12? Well no, actually, it’s not. Think of the difference between FIFA 10 and World Cup South Africa 2010, and you get the picture – this is FIFA 12.5.

As you’d expect with EA Sports, the visuals are immaculate and all the new stadia are fully-rendered, present, and correct – plus the navigation menus and out-of-game screens are all suitably themed with the tournament’s logos and insignias.

Gameplay…

It’s changed ever so slightly. Nothing groundbreaking has been added, but the ball and player physiques have both been subtly tweaked. The players you control feel heavier, and ball is definitely a bit weightier this time around. Everything you do in possession is bit more believable, in that EA have managed to incorporate a little bit of the real-life awkwardness from football. Movement isn’t quite so slick, keeping possession is harder, and opponents are more likely to nip in front of you and steal the ball. Less-skilled players are also now capable of stumbling through challenges, and the imperfections in ball-control are now more apparent than ever – that’s a really nice touch, and it bodes well for FIFA 13 and the future of the series.

Additionally, and I might be imagining this, there a few extra goalkeeping animations – the ball comes back into play a lot more, and isn’t punched to safety with unrealistic force as much as it used to be.

Online…

As you’d expect, the game comes complete with a stand-alone online mode. Credit to EA, it could’ve been very easy just to knock-out a fairly primitive ‘single game’ incarnation of online play, but they’ve managed to incorporate your fixtures with the tournament tree – hence a sense of progression that keeps the interest level. It’s enjoyable, but yes, just like on FIFA 12 you’ll probably get embarrassed by teenagers.

Commentary…

Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend doing their bit for the Polish and Ukrainian tourist boards. Joking aside, it’s all very slick and tight, and Townsend is given minimal opportunity to impart his particular brand of wisdom – which is obviously for the best. Also features a slightly tongue-in-cheek snippet:

“England are expected to do well here…but that’s what we always think.”

Quite.

Overall…

Is this worth the £15.99? Yes, absolutely, because within the limited scope of a European Championship, EA have created a stepping stone between FIFA 12 and FIFA 13, and something that will keep you entertained between the two. It’s fun, it’s challenging, and most importantly it’s different enough from its predecessor without disrupting a successful formula. Well worth it.

The permanent home of FIFA on The Premier League Owl is right…here.