FIFA 12 hands on!

The Gadget Show  Monday 03 October 2011

Following its launch at the end of last week, we spent the weekend playing FIFA 12. There are still lots of features that we’ve yet to get to grips with, but it’s already one of our favourite games of the year. Join us after the break for our first impressions of FIFA 12.

FIFA 12 has received a host of updates – both minor and major. It looks better than ever before, and you’ll have all the latest teams and players, but it’s the changes under the skin that make the biggest difference.

FIFA 12: 5 things you need to know!

The biggest change for us is the way that players tackle. You’ll no longer be able to rely on your console to do the tackling, and although you can still call over other players to help, it involves more buttons and more involvement. Sure, it’s satisfying when you get it right, but it also takes a lot of getting used to.

The new tackling dynamics do make a big difference to the game, however. We found there was a lot more space to attack in – at least while our opponents are still getting to grips with the game – and there’s a lot more time on the ball.

The changes force you to try and anticipate moves more, with a slightly edgier feel to the game when you know that winning the ball back isn’t just a case of holding down a button.

As always, there are lots of neat tricks that you can carry out – such as flicking the ball off one of your player’s legs, so it bounces off in the other direction. It looks great, but the novelty soon wears off, and we found it didn’t really help much with attacks.

There’s also a new found intelligence about the players. Run with more talented players – Messi, for instance – and it’s genuinely like watching Messi. Even with three players surrounding him, little twists and turns, a flick of the ball here or there, a surprising turn of speed and he’s gone. It can be frustrating, but brilliantly mesmerising at the same time.

The computer AI is also a lot better, and it’s the first time that we’ve noticed changes where computer players actually do something unpredictable, twisting and turning, and tricking us into running the wrong way. Because you also have to tackle yourself now, this could be the difference between winning and losing.

Penalties have received a big shake up, and for the first time in history Barcelona and Real Madrid both managed to miss the first eight in a row – at least in our incapable hands! Along with aiming, and deciding how hard you want to hit the ball, you’ll now also have to stop a timer in the middle of a power bar – stop it dead on, and you’ll hit the ball sweetly. Anything else, from our experience, results in disaster.

Overall, FIFA 12 is a very impressive game. If you only buy the odd football game, this should definitely be the one. We’ll be bringing you a full review of FIFA 12 in the near future, so stay tuned for more.

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