Picking up the latest FIFA has pretty much become an involuntary reflex for many gamers, but it's still good to be reassured that the quality is there - and GamesMaster's new FIFA 12 review does so in spades.
Read our FIFA 12 review.
Thinking ahead? Read our most-wanted list of FIFA 13 features - and give us your own.
In its four-page review the mag says "the new emphasis on precision dribbling makes each encounter a mini game of human chess," praising the new Impact Engine which it says ensures "no two collisions are alike" and "players fall as they would in real life, meaning reckless tackles or a mid-air rendezvous such as this carry a high risk of injury".
The emphasis on 'containment' turns out to be "far more useful
than it first appears," GM continues, since "it allows you to keep pace with the forward and shepherd them away from danger and towards tactically unfavourable positions".
GamesMaster also praises the FIFA devs for designing and implementing tweaks that "iron out some of the foibles of defending that have irritated on a yearly basis." It goes on to wholeheartedly recommend the game for the football fan that "exhausted FIFA 11 and is thirsty for a new challenge"
To read the full review along with new looks at BioShock: Infinite, Skyward Sword, Batman, Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3, pick up issue 243 of Games Master, which hits store shelves on Monday.
Order Games Master here and have it delivered straight to your door
Comments
33 comments so far...
WHITEyy118 on 9 Sep '11 said:
"players fall as they would in real life, meaning reckless tackles or a mid-air rendezvous such as this carry a high risk of injury".
I can see it now, you are 1 on 1 with the goalie and you get tackled from behind. It's a leg breaker so your player has to come off injured and all the opposition get is a yellow card.
l1nc on 9 Sep '11 said:
The review should read "exactly the same as last year but different".
Budly Moore on 9 Sep '11 said:
Not bought a fifa since 09, so this'll be on my 'to buy list'.
Gamer4LIFE2011 on 9 Sep '11 said:
"reckless tackles" that is me when i play
My last FIFA was 09. Need to get a new one i suppose but i will wait until its cheaper tho.
laminated0 on 9 Sep '11 said:
Hmm that is a very high score from a respectable magazine. Prob have to pick it up along with PES at some point.
Micheil794 on 9 Sep '11 said:
Im still playing Fifa 11 so needless to say I'm buying this day one. Was there a mention of Manager Mode improvements? I'd love Fifa to get near the level of Football Manager
kirankara on 9 Sep '11 said:
Ignore this post , stupid double post and various issues led me to removing content so I can write what I wanted to. Stupid site and iPhone !!
kirankara on 9 Sep '11 said:
These were my greatest fears about this game, as you already got away with gbh in FIFA 11 without the ref even blowing a whistle, let alone getting out a card, but my brief hands on of game at Sony access event in Birmingham , sorta alleviated these fears. It seems a much better game than FIFA 11 was, and some of the horrible flaws are gone.
delmariachi on 9 Sep '11 said:
Just come back from playing the full code at the EA preview event at the Trocadero and I have to say the game has improved substantially. The defending is much more believable as opposed to the auto-homing player button holding of old, in fact that's gone completely. Its all about position and playing the ball, which is an improvement. physical play is better, at times a big defender muscled a smaller one of the ball and other times the smaller player managed to get past with some skill. AI has improved too from what I played (tracking runners, moving into decent positions and blocking shots in various ways) but I guess that's something that I could find problems with thru more play.
Have to say (and I loathe saying it) it is a substantially better game. Fifa 11 is out the window already.
alan666 on 9 Sep '11 said:
getting the ultimate edition on the 360 & also getting the 3DS version
DAEDALUS79 on 9 Sep '11 said:
Ive been playing fifa since 1998 and I still cant tackle to save my life, with this realistic collision detection im just about f**ked
Redimp on 9 Sep '11 said:
Not sure I'll be able to let go of Fifa 11, since my beloved Lincoln City won't be in 12.
dazzauk06 on 9 Sep '11 said:
Hmmmmm, think the last footy game I bought was a pro evo on the ps2 but I'm starting to get cravings for a decent footy game again so maybe I'll pick this up when it's cheaper. Seems to happen every 5-10 years lol. I'll go for ages without even considering a sports / footy game then all of a sudden I'll find myself wanting one!
Grapple on 10 Sep '11 said:
The big question is will Rooney's hair transplant be included.
Until FIFA and PES make defending credible in these games then I'm out.
Drusus on 10 Sep '11 said:
If It's an exclusive review and It's in Gamesmaster then the percentage was agreed beforehand with the producer. Read the review for an idea of the game, ignore the percentage.
dwhlufc on 10 Sep '11 said:
I'm on the fence,I enjoyed FIFA11 but the career mode was boring.The pes12 demo was impressive end I'm waiting to try the next demo before I try the fifa12 demo as if they've tightened up the standing tackle I'll be giving FIFA a miss.
moogiesboy on 10 Sep '11 said:
Meh, I'll shall pick this up (I always do so not point claiming otherwise), but this new defending stuff leaves me cold. I never conceed goals anyhoe - even on world class - but I can't score for toffee, never have been able to.
Was kinda hoping they'd help me out a bit and remove the keepers or something.
higgins78 on 10 Sep '11 said:
Which one could say about any "sequel". When in living memory do you remember the next game in a series changing direction 180 degrees AND getting it right? Prime arguably but that was a masterpiece and a once in a lifetime game.
As a PS3/Wii/DSi owner I am looking forward still to plenty games coming out this year but can guarantee Fifa 12 gets the most play-time. Skyward Sword, Modern Warfare 3, Journey, Skyrim, Battlefield 3, Drake's Deception, Arkham City and Revelations, ALL games I am itching to get me hands on but am positive only Fifa 12 will keep my occupied WELL into 2012!
Blue Odeyssey on 10 Sep '11 said:
Hit the Nail on the head with that final comment. Fifa is always the game with the best value for money.
kirankara on 10 Sep '11 said:
I really liked pes demo too, but they need to sort out more than the standing tackle, which I had no real issues with. The game defensively relied on holding r2 and standing them up, switching player and doing same, until a pass was misplaced or could be intercepted. The shooting was a joke in the game, I used to really like pes shooting, but it was god awful in this game, although on another forum ive seen a guy who claims to have played final version of game, and says the demo was quite early code, and theyve drastically improved shooting, defending and the ai of runners(wasnt best) amongst other things.
Ultimately I will play pes demo, and have feeling it will be better game (as was 2011 in my opinion), but ill buy fifa 12 as almost all my mates play it online, and pes is whack online, and the point of football games for me is playing them with friends.
TheLastDodo on 10 Sep '11 said:
The hair transplant is in:
http://i56.tinypic.com/2s0bf9x.jpg
kirankara on 10 Sep '11 said:
Is the prostitute granny shagging in?
KesMonkey on 10 Sep '11 said:
Yes!
http://www.epltalk.com/before-and-after-wayne-rooney-hair-transplant-in-fifa-12-33523
edit: D'oh! TheLastDodo beat me to it.
clayf1ghter on 10 Sep '11 said:
It's all one big conspiracy!! what a retarded comment
Kezwar on 11 Sep '11 said:
Don't be silly, I'm not saying this doesn't happen, but not at a publication as we;ll respected as GamesMaster. I did some work experience a while back there an asked the guy that reviewed Arkham Asylum about the review that raised a few eyebrows. Everyone burst out laughing when I asked if he's been paid off, he genuinely thought it was the GOTY. The guy's there are professional, and I'm certain they wouldn't get involved in any dirty practices such as what you have described.
Felly117 on 11 Sep '11 said:
I don't trust anything Gamesmaster say. They rate good games crap and crap games good. Not to mention they bum nintendo so much that other platforms are lucky to get some coverage.
kirankara on 11 Sep '11 said:
Heaven forbid the don't agree with your opinions, for you are God and your opinion is divine law.
Idiot!!!
higgins78 on 11 Sep '11 said:
"They rate good games crap and crap games good". Do they? Care to give some examples...
Sammy_bham on 11 Sep '11 said:
so.... updated licence...
....
....
....
.... and....
changed the name to... fifa 12?
"shrugs". im sure chavs and football lovers will be impressed none the less.
TallPaul1878 on 11 Sep '11 said:
Football games make me sooooo angry. Pad thrown at the tv angry. When you go to make a tackle but the player intercepts the ball and hoofs it downfield instead. That makes me so mad.
kirankara on 11 Sep '11 said:
So u have clearly never played a football game or know nothing about football ??? There's massive changes between every iteration of pes and FIFA . I was a big critic of FIFA 11's faults , but from hands on experience of 12 it remedies most, if not all of them.
So when u know so little about a subject , which u clearly do, I'd recommend staying quiet , as it will save u looking so stupid in the future
thelazyone on 12 Sep '11 said:
what makes me laugh about fifa series recently, is that every year, they claim its bigger, better than the last instalment and recently it each one has been much better than the last!!
So they are working hard at it and pumping money at it.
Kudos to them,
Kiraldo on 18 Sep '11 said:
Am I the only one, but are most goals scored in the FIFA 12 demo tap ins from 6-8 yards out?
I'm not seeing any long range goals whatsoever. Have EA missed the point, or am I just a bit crap at the moment?