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EA's FIFA franchise may actually be its most important because it portrays the world's most popular sport, making it a draw for gamers across the globe. And though it's been the king on the virtual pitch for some time, the improvements made this year bode well, as Pro Evolution Soccer looks to up the ante. It's hard to describe, but there is something about this particular iteration of the game that just works really well. Unlike past years, where visual presentation sometimes trumped the improvements on the pitch, this year appears to be the opposite By far, the biggest change on the pitch is the defence. Before, dispossessing another player was either too easy or unrealistic. Holding the "pressing" buttons was usually all you needed to win control of the ball and push the play the other way. But doing that now could cost you because the improved AI on both sides recognizes overzealous challenges. The focus here is on tactics and timing, meaning that it could be better to stay in position and anticipate a pass, rather than swoop in and try to win the ball. A well-placed sliding tackle could be the difference, provided it's timed just right. This is a huge improvement to the game in just about every respect, though the AI takes it to cheap levels when playing at the World Class difficulty. The point is that its effect mirrors what typically happens in real-life games. Scoring chances are largely based on skill, positioning and execution requiring just the right amount of time and space. By playing FIFA 12 much like a real game would go, you end up getting the hang of how it all works. Prior years saw improvements to ball physics, but not as much to the way players actually physically interact with each other. This process actually goes all the way back to the World Cup 2006, where ball possession and tackling were adjusted to recognize the differences between lanky strikers and burly defenders. Since then, this has been tweaked each year to make it more realistic, but it focused largely on collision detection. This year, that's been tweaked further to make it truly realistic. Pulling shirts and outstretched arms have been included here, as well as stumble recoveries. In the past, a stumbling player almost certainly lost possession but not anymore, since a player's momentum can help him recover to continue the play. Some instances where this happens come off as implausible, somewhat hurting the purpose behind it, but at least it doesn't happen with ridiculous frequency. One reason this works is because dribbling in tighter quarters is more realistic. The game treats these instances the way they should — short dribbles and tight turns to escape a brooding defender. But even out in the open, defending is simply better. You need to be crafty and think quickly to set up scoring chances, and like the AI in the NHL series, opposing teams will start to notice your tendencies and exploit them. So if you're looking to keep lobbing crosses into the box from either side, you're less likely to get a header. This gets better when you apply it to the other game modes, ranging from tournaments from the various leagues to Career Mode or Be a Pro. Online Friendlies is basically an add-on to unranked matches in that you can play a series of 10 games against a friend and have the results tracked. Play against a different friend and a new season starts for just that friend, and so on. At the end of it all, the winner takes a trophy home to the virtual cabinet. Doing this against strangers has been altered to include more teams and a fairer playing field. Rather than finding an opponent and then choosing teams, the process is reversed so that you pick your team first and then FIFA looks to match you with an opponent with a similar rating and using a team at a similar skill level. The vetted stats also include "Did Not Finish" percentage, so those who tend to be sore losers or frustrated controller-throwers can be weeded out. Everything you do in the game is part of a points system compiled in the EA Sports Football Club, which allows you to follow a real-life team and apply all your experience points to that club. No matter what team you play with in FIFA 12, those points will go to the club you chose, and weekly standings track the progress. Soccer diehards will love this, especially if EA follows through with scenario-like FIFA challenges the likes of what we've seen in the World Cup and Euro games of the past. Diehards will also love the FIFA Ultimate Team, which is available for free here. From start to finish, this is a great brand of soccer, and EA really managed to make notable changes without messing up something else along the way. It's certainly not perfect, but FIFA 12 is a stride rather than a step in the right direction. As a soccer fan, or even a casual fan of the game, you're unlikely to be disappointed this year.   FIFA 12 Format: PS3 Publisher: EA Sports Developer: EA Canada ESRB Rating: Everyone Official Site: http://easportsfootball.com Rating: 9 / 10

 

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