FIFA 12

[MizzouRah]

Demo is out on XBL!

[DaddyTorgo]

All the reviews I've read so far have been great - I'm pretty excited for this game this year.

[gstelmack]

I wonder if my midfielders will actually be able to dribble the ball and feed it to me as a striker this time around. Or if I'll actually be able to progress my player even though I don't have the skills to hit goals from outside of the penalty box (or whatever other circus achievements are left) and thus am about out of achievable advancement points so no matter how much I play and score I'll still be stuck at my current rating. Or any of the other gripes that had me stop playing.

[MizzouRah]

I hope not gstelmack.. this is one game where I welcome be a pro.

[moriarty]

I had a blast with be a pro last year. Looking fwd to this release - thanks for the demo heads up.

[RainMaker]

Does anyone have a list of changes for FIFA 12?

[General Mike]

skipping it. as much as I liked FIFA 11, I've had enough of EA and am boycotting them.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by General Mike

skipping it. as much as I liked FIFA 11, I've had enough of EA and am boycotting them.

Sorry, you'll have to pay a fee for that option...



Welcome to EA...

[DaddyTorgo]

Well it definitely does feel much more like you can pass and dribble in tight spaces so far (just started my first game). There's a fuckload of new defensive controls though - I'm totally lost on that side of the ball at the moment.

[Big Fo]

I don't really mess around with career mode (I just play FM for that) or be a pro. Mostly I just play online, usually with friends but occasionally with randoms if none are available. If what DT says is true then I will be quite happy, and if the removal of the auto tackle button makes it harder for human players to successfully execute a hyper pressing strategy I'll be ecstatic. I guess I'll find out about the former tomorrow when the PS3 demo hits. For the latter I'll have to wait.

[RainMaker]

What about ping pong passing? One of my gripes was that players online could pass it to people ridiculously fast and it didn't account for body turns much at all. I'm also curious to know how the other AI defenders work. While the auto-tackle sucked, I'm more concerned about my fellow defenders not realizing they are playing in a match and just standing there as attackers make runs.

[DaddyTorgo]

Well I've only played 2-3 games at this point, but playing as Barca I can definitely tell you that I find myself playing much more of a Barca-style than in FIFA11, where even with Barca you couldn't possess in the middle of the field. I can pass it to Messi in the hole and he can either turn and take guys on on the dribble or lay off passes in tight space. Finding myself trying all sorts of passes I never would have tried in FIFA11.

BigFo - PS3 demo is out now. I was expecting tomorrow too, but I checked when I got home, and I'm playing it on PS3 right now.

[DaddyTorgo]

Will check on ping-pong passing (although that's somewhat subjective) and will also turn up the difficulty level to get the AI to really challenge my CPU defenders and see how they do in the next game.

[DaddyTorgo]

My CPU defenders maintain good shape and contain incursions seemingly pretty well at the moment I just noticed. Not necessarily going up and pressuring the ball, but showing to try to cutoff the incursion, while maintaining shape.

Given this could all break down over a full-length game, or over longer playing times.

Well I selected myself up to Xavi and sat back and watched Dortmund's offense...CPU Puyol stepped up nicely and poked the ball away after CPU Abidal forced Dortmund to play it into the hole.

[DaddyTorgo]

Turning it up to World Class and playing against Milan...let's see.


Game 1
0-0 draw, but I had the better of the (few) chances, just missing wide right on a sliding connection of a cross with Xavi.

Game 2
I lose 1-0, which was my fault as I made a stupid defensive play trying to be too cute in my own box.

Game 3
Tie 1-1
Goal by me on a PK, and goal by Milan in the 84th minute.

[DaddyTorgo]

Having trouble scoring at World Class level, so dialing it down so that I can get a better hang of the offense, but I am enjoying this demo a lot.

[MizzouRah]

It's funny, my 9 year old loves the FIFA series and I had to yell at her to turn it off last night and get to bed.

I'm buying it for that reason alone..

[RainMaker]

I sort of like it. The passing has a nice feel to it and it feels like you really have to build up and get into your offense. The tackling still seems a bit too easy and one-sided, I'd like to see more 50/50 style balls instead of it just automatically going over to the defense. The defensive AI is OK, although they tend to forget to mark dangerous players on the attack.

I haven't played it enough to see if they got rid of the money moves yet, but it seems like a slight improvement. If they do anything with the Manager Mode I'll pick it up.

[RainMaker]

And what I mean by 50/50 balls is this. If a defender makes a play, the ball squirts free and the defender feels like the only one who has a chance to make a play. Or another defender in the area. I just don't see enough of a ball getting poked away and the offensive player having a chance to regain possesion. I'd like to see situations where a defender can hassle the offensive player without taking possesion every single time.

[DaddyTorgo]

Just scored 2 goals in 4 minutes on Professional difficulty in the run of play. Maybe I'm finally getting the hang of offense.

[DaddyTorgo]

Third goal from open play tonight (new game). Beautiful overlapping run that Dani Alves made on his own...Sanchez fed him the ball, keeper came towards the near post and Alves put it right on the back post for Messi to tap in.

The previous two goals were more through the centre of the pitch on the ground, so nice to see myself scoring with some variety.

[DaddyTorgo]

A rare win! WoO!

[Balldog]

In Mexico for work this week and one of the guys I work with randomly asks me if I play FIFA. Looking forward to getting worked by him in FIFA 12.

Are the sliders available in the demo?

[DaddyTorgo]

I think I just scored maybe my second only goal from outside the box in YEARS...from the top of the 18 with Villa into the bottom corner in the 90th minute.

[Big Fo]

I tried the demo last night, my defending was clownshoes as I tried to adjust to the new controls but it still felt pretty good.

Another thing that never felt right about FIFA seems to be better on this, the size of the field compared to the players. In previous games it felt like either the field was quite small or the players were all 8-9 feet tall or something, now there seems to be more space. And the speed of passes has been increased to complement this which is good. I could be wrong but that is what it feels like anyway.

I was going to preorder today but I see that amazon.com has reduced their preorder gift card incentive to $10 (it was $20). I should have done this last night ffs.

edit: I see toysrus.com has it for preorder at $45. Hmm.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

I tried the demo last night, my defending was clownshoes as I tried to adjust to the new controls but it still felt pretty good.

Another thing that never felt right about FIFA seems to be better on this, the size of the field compared to the players. In previous games it felt like either the field was quite small or the players were all 8-9 feet tall or something, now there seems to be more space. And the speed of passes has been increased to complement this which is good. I could be wrong but that is what it feels like anyway.

I was going to preorder today but I see that amazon.com has reduced their preorder gift card incentive to $10 (it was $20). I should have done this last night ffs.

edit: I see toysrus.com has it for preorder at $45. Hmm.

Really? That's sweet...Imma preorder from their asses. Nice!

[RainMaker]

Couple problems with defending. The higher level you play, the more the offensive players cheat on what you're doing. The second you hit the slide button they'll just stop on a dime and have you slide on by them. Sort of like the psychic vision of linebackers in Madden. I also am finding that the only way they can score on me is through a cross which is impossible to defend if they want to score.

I guess what I'm saying is that it feels like there are aspects of the game on higher levels where you have no control at all over what the offensive players do.

I also am seeing the same problems. Being able to get a lead and just kick the ball around the back line for 45 minutes without them even trying to make a play. Also the teammate AI is still laughably bad and you're playing 1 on 11. Not horrible against an equally dumb computer, but will cause a ton of exploits online as usual.

[kmbgolf]

sliders could make this a hit

[RainMaker]

I think I'm still going to get it and hope that the MM is improved. But I still think that they (along with every single sports game in existence) needs to focus on making the AI better and not just worry about pretty graphics and ball physics.

[DaddyTorgo]

Wonder if sliders will help with the fact that I seem to get a lot of 0-0 draws on "Pro" and multi-goal wins on "Semi-Pro." Need to figure out which is better. Probably "Pro" given that I can make the games longer and presumably do more probing offensively than in the demo.

[lcjjdnh]

Is this video accurate?

EA Sports' New "Dive" Feature In FIFA 12 Could Have Been More Subtle

[DaddyTorgo]

There are some that hopefully they've toned down I hope, yes. It's EA...of course it's not going to be perfect.

But it's really nice to run into a guy and actually be obstructed by him and fall over trying to get around him.

And I still maintain I've seen a gorgeous variety of goals so far, even just in the demo.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by lcjjdnh

Is this video accurate?

EA Sports' New "Dive" Feature In FIFA 12 Could Have Been More Subtle

Yeah, the dive animations are pretty bad in some cases. I still think as a whole it works well, just don't expect it to look fluid. It's an improvement over not having anything, but they need to work out a lot of bugs in the coming years with it.

[DaddyTorgo]

Yeah. Then again - I'm never really watching the dive animations that closely - I'm busy reacting to them one way or the other once they've occurred, ya know?

[RainMaker]

Yeah, they don't really effect the gameplay negatively. Just look weird at times. You'll notice them more if you're looking for them but it's not a huge deal. Still something they should clean up over time.

[DaddyTorgo]

Does PES not have a playable demo for PS3? The only one I see on the PS store just seems to be one long gameplay video.

edit: nevermind - i guess you just have to sit thru the video at the beginning.

[DaddyTorgo]

Early reports from "Season Ticket" players are that the AI in the final version is MUCH better than the demo, and the sliders can help in fine-tuning difficulty levels.

Seriously geeked for this game on Tuesday!!

Originally Posted by OS forum

Alright, the AI plays completely different from the demo... in a good way. So far I'm loving the game. First game 10 minute halves, slow, and World Class against FC Porto.

FC Porto dominated despite me dominating the ball. I had a 65% / 35% possession difference but couldn't find the net. Plus my defense left much to be desired. I do like the new defensive system a lot. You can't run around anymore and have to pick your tackles carefully. Playing the passing lanes and shutting down certain areas of the pitch is just as important this year as locking down the defender.

For those wondering how the AI plays on offense. They play like never before. They work the ball around beautifully and Porto took several shots outside the box which a couple ended up in the back of the net.

-Can't believe how different the gameplay feels from the demo. It's hard to describe, but it's a much more organic feeling game, and more of a departure from the familiar FIFA feeling in the demo. It's wonderful to finally have some time to be creative in the midfield. I'm very surprised and impressed by the overall feel so far

[sovereignstar v2]

I just caught this on a forum. Hahaha

[DaddyTorgo]

Yeah - I'm sure the "Impact Engine" isn't perfect, but it's better than it was before it. And TBH I'm not the kind of player who sits there looking for glitches and obsessing over them - every game is going to have them.

[EagleFan]

Does a Siamese twin count as one player or two?

[Balldog]

Hoping to get some time in tonight with the season ticket version. Unfortunately it took forever to download on Friday night.

[DaddyTorgo]

I'm about to link to the goal I just scored...a beautiful little near-post low cross by Krasic and a gorgeous touch in by Matri. Absolutely freaking beautiful.

Juventus 1 – 1 Milan | EA SPORTS Football

I'd also like to point out that although the "difficulty level" says "amateur" that's not right - I'm playing on "World Class" with a set of sliders that some guys are working with.

And another goal! Krasic from the top of the 18!

[DaddyTorgo]

So I was only going to play 1 game before work. Ended up playing 3 after getting a slider set off the OS forums (they were on like page 9 of the silder thread there...you can find my post saying I was going to try them out).

Beat Albinoleffe twice with Juve.
Third game I stepped up to play AC Milan. Went down 1-0 to an early goal by Pato...he was on an angle and slid it under Buffon. Came back and scored the beautiful flicked-in goal in the 40th minute. Scored again in the 45th from the top of the 18 with Krasic on a finesse shot...he cut in and had the space to unleash a drive to the far post.

Aquilani equalized for Milan in the 60th minute as I didn't close him down enough as he charged forward and blistered a shot in. I actually ended up losing 3-2, as they brought Robinho on and he scored in injury time when I relaxed a bit. Should have ended in a draw though.

Love it. This game isn't PERFECT or anything, but with the sliders I think you can really get it to play a realistic game of football. Had some nice switching-field long balls, good variety of shots, etc.

[whomario]

I just got off work and bought the game as well, going to test it extensively with a 4-day weekend coming up .

One thing that i allready know is hugely annoying is that so many players change clubs in the first transfer window when the rosters are updated to represent the end of the first window ... Seems a bit pointless to see teams get a major overhaul.
Should be optional like with FM.
But heck, i´m long past playing action-games for their career modes.

One thing that seemingly no one ever talks about is that it´s just an impossible task to expect really realistic football and results with a game featuring little scoring (compared to other sports) where most players cut the playing time from 90 to 20 or 30 minutes which is way more extreme than any other major sports title out there.

edit : The slider DT mentioned :

World Class
Slow
10 minute halves

User:
Sprint Speed - 45
Acceleration - 45
Shot error - 55
Pass error - 60
Shot speed - 50
Pass speed - 60
Injury frequency - 60
Injury Severity - 50
Goal keeper ability - 50
Position marking - 80
Position run frequency - 75
Position line height - 45
Position line length - 20
Position width - 40
Position fullback - 70
Power bar - 50

AI:
Sprint Speed - 45
Acceleration - 45
Shot error - 53
Pass error - 85
Shot speed - 50
Pass speed - 60
Injury frequency - 60
Injury Severity - 50
Goal keeper ability - 50
Position marking - 80
Position run frequency - 25
Position line height - 40
Position line length - 30
Position width - 35
Position fullback - 65
Power bar - 50

Couple things I will change for the next game. Raise run to 30. Drop human marking down to 75. I feel that my AI defenders close down too fast and too strong.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by whomario

I just got off work and bought the game as well, going to test it extensively with a 4-day weekend coming up .

One thing that i allready know is hugely annoying is that so many players change clubs in the first transfer window when the rosters are updated to represent the end of the first window ... Seems a bit pointless to see teams get a major overhaul.
Should be optional like with FM.
But heck, i´m long past playing action-games for their career modes.

One thing that seemingly no one ever talks about is that it´s just an impossible task to expect really realistic football and results with a game featuring little scoring (compared to other sports) where most players cut the playing time from 90 to 20 or 30 minutes which is way more extreme than any other major sports title out there.

edit : The slider DT mentioned :

I wish there was a 90 or 45 minute game option. I'd be all over that shit.

[RainMaker]

The sliders help but it still has the same problems FIFA 11 had, and FIFA 10 had, and FIFA 09 had, and so on. The collision system doesn't come into play much from what I've seen. It still feels like you're defending 1 on 11 and there is a magnet tied to CPU players. You can also abuse the hell out of human opponents because the AI is so shockingly bad for their defenders.

I'll still get my fix through this game while I'm not playing the new FM. But I don't think it seems much more like updated rosters and some minor gameplay tweaks that don't fix the bigger problems.

[RainMaker]

One other issue I'm running into. I haven't had a single foul in the last 3 games.

[MizzouRah]

My copy just got here!

IGN gives it a 9.5

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/119/1195975p1.html

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

One other issue I'm running into. I haven't had a single foul in the last 3 games.

Fouls are wayyy underdone. Hopefully they patch that.

I've had guys literally get flipped up in the air and come down hard and no call. Multiple times.

[Marc Vaughan]

Time for a confession - I played both the FIFA and PES demo's on XBL ... and bought PES yesterday on that basis, just felt more fun and controllable than FIFA tbh ....

(which isn't to say I won't get FIFA at all - nearly every year I end up with both of them by the end of the season )