Yes all you soccer fans get excited because it is that time of year again. Fifa 12 is set to hit store shelves this Tuesday September 27, 2011 and fans can not wait to pick this one up. Now, if your an American fan reading this, its definitely possible that you might be wondering what all the hype is about. Besides the World Cup, most Americans don’t put as much stock into soccer and Fifa as, say, American football or the Madden series. Nevertheless, you might be surprised to find out that Fifa 11 was actually the fastest selling sports game of all time, generating upwards of $150 million at retail, making it the biggest sports game launch ever. EA is definitely looking to break records again this year with the Fifa 12 launch, and bring a plethora of new and returning features including Precision Dribbling, the Player Impact Engine, and Tactical Defending, all said to reshape the games already outstanding gameplay for the better.
Precision Dribbling just may give you the edge you need.
As far as Precision Dribbling is concerned, it can be activated by pressing the L1 or LB buttons on PS3 or XBOX360 respectively, and it will allow players to truly control the dribbling system down to a wire. While this system will not give you the best results if constantly left on, it will give you those few seconds of necessary dribble time to get in the right position to blast a ball in the goal from just outside the box.
The player impact engine adds even more authenticity to an already realistic experience.
The Player Impact Engine has been in development for nearly two years and features a state of the art system that simulates player collisions as realistically as possible. Occasionally, this system does create some confusing physical situations during the game with players fumbling over each other in awkward ways or positions, but this happening is rare and short lived during gameplay. The system is so advanced, in fact, that players actually react appropriately to other players crashing into them according to their speed and direction. Another great feature of the Player Impact Engine, is that occasionally the referees have a difficult time interpreting the preciseness of the collisions, causing them to sometimes make mistakes in the call. This however should be embraced by fans, as it only brings the realistic feel to the game even further.
Tactical defense will make sure your opponent doesn’t get cocky.
If you are a returning player to the Fifa series, Tactical Defending will propose somewhat of a challenge to what you’ve become accustomed to over the years. The system replaces the previous ‘pressurize’ defense system, creating a deeper defense system that adds a better pacing to the game. Instead of just running up and thrashing the dribbler, which seemingly requires no skill, players can now use actual defensive commands which, if done correctly, can cause the other team to slow down and make pivotal mistakes. This system allows playing on defense to become much more engaging then in previous titles, to the point now where the ever used tackling from Fifa 12’s predecessors is now really only used as a last resort. If this system really isn’t something thats for you, you are able to switch back to the ‘pressurize’ system from previous titles.
Awesome trailer for Fifa 12
Other returning features such as EA Sports Football Club, multiplayer mode, online mode and career mode will be welcomed by new and veteran Fifa enthusiasts and definitely serve to round out the your gameplay experience. The fact that Fifa has official licensing means that it is unparalleled in terms of authenticity from the stadiums to the advertisements and players who look incredibly realistic in their presentation. This latest iteration of Fifa is a testament to what all good games should be, sports or otherwise – Keep what works, expand in a positive direction, and give the fans what they want. With that being said, I am sure we will all have a lot to talk about once we see the numbers Fifa 12 brings in for EA this year. The game will be released on PS3, XBOX360, and the Wii, so whether you are a soccer fan or not, head out and pick up yours asap and enjoy probably one of the best sports franchises in gaming.
C. Cuprill
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