The time is finally here! You can finally get your hands on the demo of FIFA 12, cast aside everything you’ve seen and read and judge EA’s award winning game for yourself.
I can’t wait to hear what you think about it (especially the big change in tactical defending and the new impact engine!) so make sure you drop me an e-mail, leave a comment or tweet me your take on the demo once you’ve tried it. (Good or Bad!!!)
What do you like, what do you dislike? What’s improved, what needs improvement?
I’ll be publishing your views on the demo here on UltimateFIFA.com so be as brutally honest as you like. ;)
The FIFA 12 demo is being rolled out from 10am this morning worldwide on Xbox 360, PC and for PS3 users in North America.
Unfortunately PS3 users across Europe will have to wait until tomorrow.
29 Comments
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Craig,I do not have access to it at the moment as away at work,,just seen somewhere that tactical defending can be turned off.I wonder how this will fair in online modes or if it will be auto on for ranked games….maybe you can have a look and see if this is true,,,,,seems stupid to have that option really….cheers
Tactical defending can only be turned off in offline modes. It’s on by default online.
i do not like the demo so far, the defenders are far too slow. The new defending style sounds good but it so so hard to get the hang of, the passing is the worst of all, it is impossible to play first time quick passing, they dont go where you want them to and lack power. the shooting is so different to fifa 11 and i dont get it, one minute i do half power and it dribbles along the ground, then i do full and it hits the ball, i do almost full power again and it goes into row 7!!! Inzaghi has 41 sprint speed incase you didnt know, i dont think he is that slow. So far nearly everyone can do the heel chop :S, messi has 3 star skill moves and i cannot do the new elastic heel chop. I hope with the previous demos i can get used to it and the actual game will be much better than the demo….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4mR8WI_ohU&feature=feedu
Elestico chop
absolute let down…..fifa 11 was such a successful game however fifa 12 so far has not lived up to the hype. The dribbling is very limited, not what they promised and has shown no improvement but instead has worsened. Moreover, the gameplay is not free-flowing but is rigid and less flexible; again, unlike fifa 11. Thirdly, the new tackling system is very frustrating and difficult to get a hang of and it’s nearly impossible to tackle anyone…especially on world class/legendary (holding down x(pass) to trail a player only follows, keeping a distance and does not get close to the attacker and tackle them as in previous fifa games). Finally, the shooting is inconsistent. Not only are the sound effects of when the ball is hit not accurate as they were in fifa 11 but the ball physics are unrealistic! Furthermore, power shots are no where near as satisfying as in fifa 11 and easily go off target.
Overall, I have been very unimpressed and feel that this game has been a complete failure. Everyone seems very slow and it’s difficult to distinguish between good and bad players, for example, Messi does not feel any different to a mediocre player. The only positives are the incredible graphics. Clearly, from the above it’s clear that I feel this game is much worse than its prequel and definitely needs to improve before its final release date. Very frustrating first impressions.
i completely agree.. just played 1 match and deleted the demo.. its disgusting how inaccurate everything is.. you can barely score. the finese shooting is terrible. a simple finese goes wide from 2 yards :/ quite annoying.
When I played the preview code at EA a while back I must admit that the precision dribbling didn’t seem apparent first off. It does grow on you though and after a day of playing and adapting from trying to play the FIFA 11 way it does really start to stand out.
The skill dribble with Messi (when you hold LT and RT) can be quite explosive when you get it right (Compared to other players).
I think it’s tough playing against the AI too because, like you say, the games are so much more rigid – wait till you get online or play against a friend and things like precision dribbling and tactical defending will really come into their own. (although the jury’s still out on defending – don’t feel like I’ve played it enough to really pass judgement yet).
I know EA have added some inaccuracy to shooting to try to combat those guaranteed finesse goals and to try to make things more realistic but like with passing, they need to strike a balance between a degree of variation and making you feel like you’re not in control…
The demo build is a similar build to the one at Gamescom so is a few weeks old and I know the developers will be tweaking gameplay elements right up to when the game hits the shelves.
Have to say that I am starting to see the light…FIFA 12 is definitely growing on me and I have finally got the hang of the new tackling system (still a bit annoying though)….
I took your ‘genius’ advice on the dribbling and the effects of that have been DISGUSTING. I have annihilated many a defender, not just with Messi but with Joleon Lescott as well.
Have played the demo on both Xbox and ps3, and I much prefer the ps3 version…. I had previously complained (one of my many complaints) that the game was too rigid…well, the ps3 version has a much smoother, free-flow feel compared to the Xbox version so am currently enjoying playing on ps3 more.
Player movement/runs on higher difficulty levels could be a bit more imaginative (running in behind defenders, etc.) and generally have more of them happening simultaneously, however, adds to the challenge of trying to break the opposition down.
All in all, the game is looking very promising (rich coming from me….I know!) and once again I think FIFA have POTENTIALLY made a successful game again. Will have to wait and see till the 30th to see the final product to pass a final judgement. My final issue with this FIFA is that it requires you to adjust and play for a while to get the hang of; one cannot just pick up and play as with previous FIFA games.
I agree completely especially as regards defending. Fifa 12 could be a very satisfying game if the defence is sorted out. The is no coherence in the defence, they run around like endless chickens. It’s very disappointing not being able to actually tackle anyone even ordinary players. I feel it’s wiser to use contain or pressing as actual tactical setups. Its riduculous seeing barca play a contain style of football. Even when you switch to legacy defending, there still isnt any coherence in the defence. This is a game spoiler.
I still have faith that EA Sports will get this right pre- release or via a downloadable update.
You guys are obviously of the ‘noob’ variety. I just scored a beautiful finesse with Tevez. Cutting in from the left I faced the defender with the LB pressed for preciion dribbling waited for the defender to commit himself, quick switch to LT and sweet elastico chop taking me onto myvright door I finessed from outside and to the corner of the box and BOOM top C. My one critique is that when in contain mode the AI is Frankie to slow to go in for a tackle.
Have to say I’m loving the demo but a few things are frustrating.
The defending is very hard to get used to but after 5 games I’m much better in the fifth than I was in the first. The defending mechanism has been giving a complete rebuild from the ground up of course people are going to be frustrated with it, it’s not the FIFA we’re initially used to.
No issues with passing or shooting for me does everything I’ve asked of it.
Timing has yet again got a bigger factor not just in tackling but in when to shove/pull, when to jump for a header and when to strike the ball all dictated by your players posture and the new ball physics.
My negatives are the unrealistic tendencies of some some players especially Lescott and Richards doing skill moves you’d never see them do and how defensive the setup of the demo teams seems to be it’s very compact anywhere near the 18 yard box against all the teams.
The demo hasn’t let me down at all just need to get to gripes with this defending i’m starting to find that just by closing the space the automatic foot in, in most situations is better than the sluggish step in ‘B’ tackle.
From what I’ve heard the defenders unrealistic skill passing etc should be out by the final build.
Still not sure what to make of the defending… I think I’m going to reserve judgement until I’m fully proficient Lol. There’s a lot more different ways you can defend now – I suppose it’s just going to be a case of figuring out which works best in what situation and what combinations work well together.
Slide tackling seems a lot more effective in this version though.
I know what you mean about the defensive set up too. I’m guessing you’re probably playing on Legendary though and I know EA have really ramped up the difficulty on the top settings to add some longevity to offline modes (so they should be really tough to break down ;))
every one is moaning but i played it and it’s really good people need to think about it differently because it is completly different to fifa 11 you do get the hang off it after a while
I know what you mean. You can’t just play the FIFA 11 way in the FIFA 12 demo.
You have to be more patient in the build up rather then just charging forward at 100mph.
It’s turned into more of a thinking man’s FIFA.
I’m liking it but it’ll take a while to adjust.
My first impression is that defending finally feels like a skill. About time I’ll say. Manual controls feels solid. Team mate movement is more fluent and unpredictable. Really looking forward to the full release.
Couldn’t agree more with the skill comment regarding defending. The more I’m playing it the more I’m loving it. You really have to be able to read the play making cutting out passes and well timed challenges feel so much more rewarding.
Not trying to start a fight but the Fifa 12 demo is awful in my opinion. You’ve added a shiny new (and woefully scripted) physics engine, but failed to address the underlying AI issues that have plagued Fifa for the past few years. Defending in Fifa 11 wasn’t bad because we lacked fancy collision detection or something, it was bad because your team mate AI feels like something from 1990s computer gaming, and it still does.
wondering if the pro PLB ( pro leaderboard) will be changed this year? hope its not like fifa 10
I have played FIFA since 1995 on Megadrive, I was so looking forward to this demo and game.
The defending feels wrong, I’m not bashing the idea.
However the defenders seem slow to react/ slow to run and can rarely get anywhere near the attacker.
The tutorial even demonstates this on the pull push section, also hold rb to press and the defender doesnt press but tackles?
I enjoy the attacking aspect of the game but It’s basically ruined for me. The same way EA did with fight night with TPC (which was terrible and inaccurate).
I don’t mind change but this seems to spoil the game, I can see online games been nearly impossible to win the ball.
I really hope EA sort this out, Ive pre ordered the ultimate ed and to be honest I’m tempted to cancel it.
Over at EA’s site if you say you don’t like tactical defending you’re a noob, fact is it’s just bad.
I don’t like PES2012 either maybe I should just stick with FIFA 11
Whole game seems way to slow for me. I’ve been fine with the defending so far, it’s the scoring I can’t get used to. It shouldn’t depend on skill moves to beat defenders, on 10 and 11 I play Barca and beat plenty of people with just passing. In fact I beat many a madrid player who just makes runs with Ronaldo and tries a million stepovers. Thinking of just keeping 11.
I quite like the new defending system. My only gripe about the demo is that there is hardly any sound effect when passing and shooting the ball,unlike Fifa11,and pes series for that matter. The problem with that is it makes the ball feels like it is filled with helium or stacked with feathers.
For me, and many other fifa fans, it is of utmost importance that this is fixed first and foremost. pls EA pls!It just ruins the whole experience
I have finally played demo and to be honest I think the defending could work but at the moment the response to tackle the players is so slow and the just seem to be standing around doing nothing,it’s like when it kicks off there already losing…..passing seems better,the standing tackle seems poor,,,I will keep playing and master this…..it’s a challenge,I think the pick up and has gone,so therefore ea could see a loss of profits
Tactical defending has destroyed Fifa I have played loads of games on the demo and still can’t get any kind of grip of it, defending has always been fine on Fifa and only needed a few tweeks but not this, that is a view shrared by about 80% of my friends. The only thing stopping me buying PES is the ultimate team.
i agree the defending system in 12 is better but still broken it works well when the ball is outside the box but as soon as that ball gets in the box your screwed theres nothing you can do its like why am i containing messi from 14 ft away from the goal this is never helpfull i reckon to fix it they should have auto tackle in the box
I really dislike it so far, I’ve played 5 games on the demo, drew 2 won 1 lost 2.
For me it’s just not enjoyable to play, the defending is ridiculously hard. I expected it to get easier but I switched to semi pro and still failed.
The passing really annoys me because I hoped they’d sort that out. If theres a man free and another with a defender in front of him you would think that fifa would now to just play the obvious pass.
The arenas are all the same and the graphics aren’t that much better. I love fifa it’s the only game I bother playing on ps3 but I just can’t justify paying £40 for something that has barely changed. A shelf decoration at best. I’d have dealt with it but to go from playing legendary to semi pro is just demeaning.
hmmmm
was really looking forward to this demo but what a let down, but lets remember thats what it is – a demo,didnt fifa11 promise some revamped passing system that was different in final product?
The defending is awful now, move your player close to the attacker, press contain and…… they move AWAY from the ball leaving space for passes, tricks or shots and your player is then too far away to tackle.
If indeed you do tackle the player is left with a foot sticking out and motionless (useless).
For me the best way to play the demo is to put contain on R1 (sorry xbox users – lets not start up PS3 vs Xbox tho pleeeease), tackle push pull on X and alternate temate contain on O, pretty much like Fifa11.
So goes something like this
L1 to switch player
R1 and O simultaneously – player closes down attacker, team mate goes in for tackle (like Fifa 11)
if wins player is switched automatically
if attacker wins press L1 to switch keeping hold of O R1 and X
now player is alternate and usually auto tackles
doesnt always work but it allows players to close down and win balls instead of standing 5 yards away uselessly in contain mode.
I really hope the stand off distance in contain is reduced so at least you can get a tackle in or else Fifa 12 is going to be a nightmare.
I play FIFA every day and have done for many years. I guess you could say I’m mad about football and can’t get enough of it and that’s true. I’d say I’m quite experienced in playing FIFA and don’t struggle on legendary at all… until now.
The defending aspect is just too bizarre for me to find it enjoyable. How is it fun for the attacker to run rings around the pitch while you just ‘jockey’ next to them? They run around for a bit, pass it, and the process repeats. I don’t know about you but I don’t find that fun one bit. It’s near impossible to get the ball because all the AI does is run around the box and pass for length times until you give up jockeying and then they go in for the kill. Any chance of getting near the player and you can’t even get the ball. I even tried on lower difficulties to no reward, and that’s so demeaning for me because I never have problems even on the highest difficulty.
I really don’t mind the ‘old fashioned’ style of defending; it’s simple and fun. Sure, there’s bits that need tweaking but I think this is too far… unless I’m giving up too easily? I have pre ordered it and of course will play it and hope for the best, but I really hope it’s fun to play because isn’t that why we play games? for fun?
And on another note, some of the ratings I’ve been hearing are ridiculous, surely it’s plain to see which players have progressed and which haven’t and their ratings moved accordingly, but apparently not.
Sorry if I sound pessimistic about the game, I am still excited to get it and play with my friends but this demo has just really disappointed me and I can’t seem to get any sort of satisfaction of it.
S
fifa 12 is disgusting…
no lan play….yes you saw it right!
no lan play whatsoever and the game keeps crashing on randomly on PCs…one day you are playing for 3 hours and the next you reboot your machine…it just crashes in the very beginning…sucks! :(
fifa 12 fail…i have played full version..
have many problems..
cannot play quick pass and through ball very frustrating, full bar but ball just move near the opposite player and slow,
passing also fail, very2 slow ball…