E3 2011: FIFA 12 Redefines Football Once More

A few years back, EA completely reinvented football (soccer for Yanks) with full 360 degree movement. FIFA 12 has just as significant an improvement, offering great player control and some excellent new gameplay additions. Seriously, once you play FIFA 12, it's impossible to go back to FIFA 11.

There are four major improvements to FIFA's gameplay: Redefined control, new physics engine, better defending, and player-specific AI. EA gave me its spiel, which sounded good, but then I got a chance to play a match in FIFA 12. It's not boastful on EA's part -- FIFA 12 is an incredible improvement over FIFA 11.

True control

For the past few FIFA titles, it appeared you had good control of your player. But turning was an odd thing. Players circled as if they were in a car. Now, players can literally put their foot on the ball while standing and rotate around. Momentum impacts a player (as does his skill), but overall there is more finite control. This might seem like a minor change, but its impact is staggering when comparing how FIFA 12 handles compared to FIFA 11. 

Footballers with great skill can dance with the ball, adjusting pacing, sucking in defenders and then exploding with a deft move to swing around them. And I mean roll right off their back. The sophistication of close contact is impressive, even with just two games of FIFA 12 under my belt. 

It's Gonna Hurt

This is thanks to the new impact engine, which adds more realistic interactions between players. Players pull at one another, as they fight for position. Feet tangle. You'll see hard crashes, painful flips, and the physical toll a match can have. Nothing looks or feels canned and the level of detail is to the point of being able to see a foot get caught and an ankle turn the wrong way for a sprain. 

In fact, injuries occur based on how players collide. FIFA 12 knows every major muscle and bone in a player's body and how force can impact them. EA promises players will hobble when they've pulled a hamstring and otherwise offer more believable reactions to their injuries. In my first game, I had two injuries and in the second there were three. Hopefully the injury bug isn't too prevalent. While realism is great, no one wants to see their team decimated after just a few games. 

Get Defensive

I've always been a fan of FIFA's simple defensive system. Hold a button and you bear down on the ball. It's easy to use and even allows novices a chance on defense. But it can also leave you exposed, since you go right for the ball handler. FIFA 12 solves this. You still hold a single button, but you defend a zone around the other player. At any time you can move forward and initiate a tackle or whatever else you want to do, but if not, you keep some space from the ball to try and avoid allowing Lionel Messi to blow by you. 

More FIFA 12 screenshots.

This allows players to try and edge offensive players into a corner or better intercept passes. It gives more control over how you defend the ball, which means that you don't have to defend every player the same way. 

I found defending far easier and it was like my football IQ automatically jumped a few notches. Suddenly FIFA started feeling like a legit match. It's actually tougher for the AI to exploit the common mistakes a gamer might make in FIFA 11. Once you see the benefits of using spacing to defend against the ball (instead of always rushing forward for a tackle), it's hard to think about playing FIFA any other way. 

Clever Girl

EA calls it Pro Player Intelligence. What the hell does that mean? Players understand who is on the pitch with them and act accordingly. If you have Peter Crouch, chances are Rafael van der Vaart is going to lob a lot of high crosses near the goal to take advantage of his height. 

This also means players will play to their strengths. For example, FIFA 12 takes into a player's field of vision on the pitch. Kaka is going to be able to recognize an opening in the defense for a teammate running down the wing and get him the ball, whereas middies from the bottom of the table won't see the option. 

It's tough to judge this from two games, but it sounds promising. 

If EA can deliver, FIFA 12 will leapfrog FIFA 11's gameplay. At this point, the only real competition for EA is last year's FIFA. And the team seems determined to outdo itself. That's pretty awesome to see.