156 replies to this topic

[Zomp]

Posted in Gazza so lurkers can get in on the action.

Demo came out for 360 today and PS tonight. I'm on the latter so I'll post my opinions later.

Soundtrack list was released yesterday and its pretty fucking great.

Every year we gauge interest in an online league...maybe this will be the year?

[mikeford]

Already preordered. Def will fool around with the demo tonight. Probably down for a SoSH league as well.

Edit: for league purposes, I'm a 360 user

Edited by mikeford, 14 September 2011 - 01:38 PM.

[ElUno20]

Only video game I still play. I'm in if there's a league

I've read about the changes will check out the demo later tonight

[Zomp]

[mikeford]

FIFA12 demo first impressions:

- New animations look nice, especially on air crosses (you mean EVERYTHING isn't meant to be a header? What a fucking concept that I might not want someone like Robin Van Persie, who sucks at heading the ball, to KICK THE GODDAMN THING). Very welcome change in animation + game AI.

- Defending is either a whole lot fucking harder and I need to figure out how the computer changes directions with such unbelievable fucking ease because it's infuriating or I'm just horrifically out of practice since I haven't touched FIFA 11 since probably around the 2011 Champions League Final.

- Lack of Andy Gray is fucking terrible. The dude who replaced him sucks dog balls and sounds like a mushmouthed idiot. Can barely even hear or understand him.

- Teammate AI still looks like it's stupid as fuck since my teammates almost refused to go for loose balls and since there is no icon player switching (IE I press RB and it gives me 4 choices in the area of who to switch to), generally by the time the game realizes which player I actually fucking want, the computer has the fuckin ball already.

- Lack of icon passing is still completely baffling to me. I am presumably playing a professional footballer, I should be able to direct my pass in the direction of the guy I want to pass to every single fucking time. And I don't mean my passing should be 100% accurate, but when Walcott is making a run down the left flank and he's obviously going to blow his defender out of the water because he's still the fastest player in the game, my chipped through ball shouldnt be going to RVP just because he's 3 feet away from me and kinda jogging.

[filthywater49]

FIFA12 demo first impressions:

- Teammate AI still looks like it's stupid as fuck since my teammates almost refused to go for loose balls and since there is no icon player switching (IE I press RB and it gives me 4 choices in the area of who to switch to), generally by the time the game realizes which player I actually fucking want, the computer has the fuckin ball already.

- Lack of icon passing is still completely baffling to me. I am presumably playing a professional footballer, I should be able to direct my pass in the direction of the guy I want to pass to every single fucking time. And I don't mean my passing should be 100% accurate, but when Walcott is making a run down the left flank and he's obviously going to blow his defender out of the water because he's still the fastest player in the game, my chipped through ball shouldnt be going to RVP just because he's 3 feet away from me and kinda jogging.

At least in 11, these two things tend to be a bit of a pain in the ass at first, but with practice, are almost completely non-issues once you get the hang of it. As long as you're not playing with "Pass Assist," you can generally direct the ball to any individual on the pitch at will...generally. Still, it'd be a nice feature.

[mikeford]

I mean, I realize it's easier to implement in an NBA game cuz theres only 4 other guys on the court and wouldnt you know, theres 4 buttons on the face of the controller, but it just seems like such a no brainer. I don't want my CAM to have to try to cover 2/3rds of the field to get the loose ball when the RB could just jump up out of position and collect the ball and keep the attack going. If he gets the ball stripped from him, I'll live with the consequences of having someone blow by him Gael Clichy vs Wayne Rooney style.

[Zomp]

Yeah at first glance defending seems really, really hard but I think I just have to get used to it. I used to pressure people by holding the O button, but now they sort of lunge at the player or pull them back (which is cool looking). Now I think it will be a mix of contain and tackling...which I suppose is more realistic.

I play on the hardest difficulty and the AI is ridiculous so far.

Ball and player physics have been improved. It feels like every player has a different skill set, not just one of 5 or 6 that are predetermined by size, skill, etc... For example, Messi isn't a 5 star skill player in the game but is rated 95 (which I think is the highest rating I've ever seen in FIFA). But he doesn't need the tricks. His first step, just like in real life, is so exceptional he just seems to glide around opponents.

I don't think we'll ever see Icon Passing and I don't think we should. To pass in this sport, most of the time, you have to be facing the player and especially for a long pas stride into it. If we ever had icon passing it just seems like you would get an unrealistic looking game.

[Tony the Pony]

How about you put FIFA 2011 in the mail for me, so I have something to do when I'm lying in bed for the next 2, 3 weeks?

kthxbai!

[dirtynine]

I think this new wrinkle is gonna be awesome. Just watch the video - it's kind of hard to explain. The cool part starts at about 1:15.

Edited by dirtynine, 14 September 2011 - 12:43 PM.

[teddykgb]

I'm out of country right now, but i'd be interested in a league if it's going to get going. Let me know, though, because i'd normally buy it for xbox but will for ps3 if that's where the league is

[mikeford]

I would just like to point out that even Jack Wilshere thinks this shit is way harder

Jack Wilshere
Finally got the chance to download FIFA 12 demo.....RT this if you think its harder than FIFA 11. I think its so much harder!

[sodenj5]

Defense is definitely way more difficult. You can no longer basically torpedo attackers by holding down circle, and basically letting the AI defend for you. There's a lot more strategy involved, and the attacking AI is smart enough to easily make you pay when you lunge out of position. I was always a strafer/jockey-er, but now it's really difficult to take the ball away from a defender coming towards you. If you're running parallel with a winger, the new pull/tug feature is a great way of slowing them up and eventually dispossessing them. It's going to take some getting used to, but I think FIFA 12 will be far more tactical than 11 ever was.

[mikeford]

Oh I definitely think it's going to end up feeling like a much better/more realistic game. I'm just saying on first impression its REALLY hard compared to 11

[ethangl]

The Arsenal and Busquets bits are certainly realistic.

[cromulence]

The new defense has been brutal for me, primarily because my tactic was to be very aggressive and come at the attacker while holding X (PS3). Now X will stop you when you get close and hold that position, meaning I have to totally re-learn how to play D. I agree it's more realistic and will likely lead to better gameplay. For now, though, my dominance over my friends is gone. Damn.

[PedroSpecialK]

Vision control and shuffling to contain the attacker are saving me on D. I too used to sprint and mash B (xbox).

[Zomp]

Every review has called it the best soccer game ever made, praising the learning curve of defending and realism.

Comes out Tuesday. I'm having 8 people or so over.

[Zomp]

Will we have 10 teams for a league? I read that you can set up an online league with 10 teams and the online system will track everything?

Im in, for PS3.

[PedroSpecialK]

I'm in for 360

[teddykgb]

as stated above, i'll be in for 360 or ps3, whichever actually gets enough people to have a league

[ElUno20]

Got a chance to play it over the weekend. Very happy with the changes and the pace feels a lot more realistic. Was a hard to find a game since I think they limit the servers until the release date.


Only grip is the camera change for "End to End". The height has been adjusted and it doesn't come down as low as before. Had to customize the "Pro" angle but it's gonna take some time getting used to it.

[dirtynine]

YES! The first FIFA ever to be available for Mac!

[teddykgb]

Picked it up on ps3...ii'm mostly an xbox live guy but figure there will be fewer cheesers on ps3 and haven't used my ps3 in a while

[wibi]

Im in for PS3 if we get enough to make a league

[Zomp]

Eluno what system do you have?

I played it with 8 friends last night for about 6 hours. Defending is a little different but once you get the hang of it it isn't bad. One positive from tactical defending is players seem hesitant to go in hard with a standing tackle, so its more about keeping the attacker out of dangerous positions and keeping a distance between you. The outcome is less skill moves because you aren't close enough for the attacker to get by.

It seems like depending on which stadium you play in the camera angle changes.

One thing I don't like is how the player ratings don't change when you move players around in different positions.

AND how the fuck is Quaresma rated an 82.

[teddykgb]

really enjoyed playing last night, love the new defending system, as it really makes the game flow better to me.

Going to have to play online and get some experience, though, as i'm pretty sure i'm terrible. I've always bought FIFA but never played it really seriously, but this game finally feels good enough for me to attempt to master, although the fact that I can barely get a shot off on any level higher than semi pro indicates to me that i've got a long way to go

[PedroSpecialK]

The ball handling in this one seems at once clunkier and more realistic. Can't make the same quick cutbacks, which was pretty much the basis of my offensive game.

[mikeford]

really enjoyed playing last night, love the new defending system, as it really makes the game flow better to me.

Going to have to play online and get some experience, though, as i'm pretty sure i'm terrible. I've always bought FIFA but never played it really seriously, but this game finally feels good enough for me to attempt to master, although the fact that I can barely get a shot off on any level higher than semi pro indicates to me that i've got a long way to go

Yeah, I generally played on World Class in 11 but I've dropped down to Semi-Pro til I get the hang of defending again.

[cromulence]

I played on Legendary and am trying to hang on World Class but it's dicey right now. I just have to totally re-learn how to play defense and I sometimes slip back into old habits and get burned. Loving the game though. Extremely polished - Career Mode is much improved.

[PedroSpecialK]

Agreed on career mode. Other clubs actually bid on your non-listed players!

[cromulence]

Agreed on career mode. Other clubs actually bid on your non-listed players!

I'm loving that. It's the little things - advancing days seems to be more consistent compared to last year where some days would take forever to sim and there was way too much waiting around. Now they keep you absorbed by people making offers, giving you a chance to talk to the media, etc. I'm really impressed that they made so many tweaks in a year where they also made major changes to gameplay.

[ElUno20]

Eluno what system do you have?

I played it with 8 friends last night for about 6 hours. Defending is a little different but once you get the hang of it it isn't bad. One positive from tactical defending is players seem hesitant to go in hard with a standing tackle, qso its more about keeping the attacker out of dangerous positions and keeping a distance between you. The outcome is less skill moves because you aren't close enough for the attacker to get by.

It seems like depending on which stadium you play in the camera angle changes.

One thing I don't like is how the player ratings don't change when you move players around in different positions.

AND how the fuck is Quaresma rated an 82.
q

I'm on 360. Down for a league if someone starts it.

Can't play much during the week but have noticed one thing that hasn't changed. Dheads picking Madrid , man u or barca.

Very happy to hear about career mode. I barely touched it last year but I really like the game play a lot more this year so ill be taking a bum side and getting them promoted again.

Edited by ElUno20, 28 September 2011 - 09:12 PM.

[mikeford]

Agreed on career mode. Other clubs actually bid on your non-listed players!

While this is kinda cool, it is FUCKING ANNOYING when like 8 teams keep asking me to sell the same guy who isn't listed. No I will not sell you Alex Song. No, not even for 39 million dollars. Please STOP ASKING.

If there was a way to issue a "hands-off" notice, like you can do in Football Manager, that would be a welcome balance.

[ElUno20]

Anyone care to share some go to skill moves for beating guys 1 v 1 ?


Also, loving the online head to head season feature. very cool idea they put in.

[Zomp]

So a little more than a month after its release what does everyone think?

I have to admit, even as a FIFA fan boy, this is the best soccer game to date. The controls are ridiculously fluid in this one. You can build attacks as so or fast as you want.

I also love the sensitiveness of the controller. Example: Receive a ball with a player and flick the stick backwards...he doesn't turn to dribble backwards but simply shifts the ball to his heel ready to switch field with a pass.

Teams I like being? Man Utd (obvs), Spurs, CSKA, Juventus.

I'm still interested in a league for PS3 by the way. Will ask my friends about it tonight and see how many I can get to play. I think 10 teams is possible.

[Infield Infidel]

Yeah, it's so much better than last year's steaming pile of dung rehash

The passing is still a bit weird, but only one in ten passes goes to the completely wrong guy instead of one in five like last year.

I'm down for a league. Maybe Sydney and I can be in a Pacific division.

Edited by Infield Infidel, 26 October 2011 - 12:08 PM.

[teddykgb]

It really is a remarkable game. You're no longer just pressed to oblivion by the defense, it starts to actually play like real football. When the other team has possession, no matter how bad a side, you have to just weather the storm defensively until an opening appears, and when you're in possession it can be much the same way. I absolutely love the game, it's a shame MW3 is coming so soon to divert my time from it.

I'd still be down to play as Man City in a league, and side note, how the hell do you play the EPL season? Is it just a "tournament" without random teams? Do I have to pay extra for that "Live Season" thing?

[mikeford]

My only complaint (and this could just be because I am not that good, I will admit) is that the skill moves appear to be impossible to do with your back to the goal. IE, I get the ball on the corner of the box with my back to the goal, I attempt the little heel drag thing that basically destroys every defender every time if you pull it off... but it drags the ball away from the net, away from the defender in the wrong direction. Perhaps theres a way to get this to work the way I'm envisioning it, but I certainly haven't figured it out if there is.

[Zososoxfan]

I live with 4 other people and we all play FIFA a good amount. We're also law students though, so from now until early December, we're getting crushed. After that, we can probably commit 2-3 people.

Just because I love playing doubles, would ppl consider having a rotating teammate style league, or maybe have it as a component?

[Infield Infidel]

I wish they would implement the precision passing from basketball games. If you want to use the stick to direct a longer pass, use the analog and it's the same as now. If you want to make a short pass to someone nearby, hold L1 and the buttons appear above the heads of nearby players, and you just hit the button of the guy you want to pass to while holding L1.

The stick is too wonky for short passes; you move the stick a tad and lots of times it shoots it passed the nearest guy to a guy further way, when I just want to pass to the guy nearby. This is further aggravating because in many instances I'm passing to the closer guy because the guy further away is marked. I don't mind turnovers with inaccurate passes, mistimed passes or poor pace on the ball, but passes to the wrong guy drive me batshit crazy and it's completely uncontrollable.

[teddykgb]

Isn't the passing to the wrong (and further) guy usually a symptom of holding the passing button too long? I agree with you nonetheless, when you're really building up, it's really hard to avoid throwing a pass to the wrong player. I've tossed countless passes out of bounds trying to play a charging fulllback forward onto the wing, as an example.

Been playing a bit online and mostly getting my ass handed to me by real madrid and barcelona, including a few dubious pens and a ridiculous Ronaldo free kick that went off the post, into Joe Hart, and then into my net. Feels like real life.

I can't for the life of me figure out what everyone is doing to me to press me so well online that i have just no space to do anything. It has to be the X and then some other button press, as I'm getting smothered out of many games offensively.

[Zomp]

Anybody play in the online head to head league? Its pretty cool.

You start in division 10, you play 10 games against other people in division 10 and they try to match up the star ratings of the team the best they can. Every division has a relegation minimum and a promotion max. Finish below the relegation minimum and go back a division, get promoted and you go up one.

I'm division 7 with 2 games to go and I need 3 points to make it to 6.

So far there has been noticeable jumps in the level of play between divisions.

For someone like me who really isn't into the career mode sims this makes online play very interesting.

[filthywater49]

Anybody play in the online head to head league? Its pretty cool.

You start in division 10, you play 10 games against other people in division 10 and they try to match up the star ratings of the team the best they can. Every division has a relegation minimum and a promotion max. Finish below the relegation minimum and go back a division, get promoted and you go up one.

I'm division 7 with 2 games to go and I need 3 points to make it to 6.

So far there has been noticeable jumps in the level of play between divisions.

For someone like me who really isn't into the career mode sims this makes online play very interesting.

Wow, this is really fun, to my surprise. The only online play I've ever really done has been Ultimate Team, within which there's essentially no match-making, so I get my ass kicked most of the time.

This is way better--I'm actually playing against people near my skill level (just got promoted to 9, I'm 5-0-1 so far) and there's a tangible goal (promotion).

Never would have found this if you hadn't pointed it out.

[cromulence]

Isn't the passing to the wrong (and further) guy usually a symptom of holding the passing button too long? I agree with you nonetheless, when you're really building up, it's really hard to avoid throwing a pass to the wrong player. I've tossed countless passes out of bounds trying to play a charging fulllback forward onto the wing, as an example.

I'm loving the game but this issue is really annoying, and it's nothing new. The controls for passing to the short or long man are just way too touchy for me. At least five times a game I'll pass to the wrong guy, almost always the second man when I was trying to hit the first. My brain says "I want this pass to be crisp and not hit too lightly", so I give the button a decent press, but it's a microsecond too long and the pass goes to the wrong guy. Drives me completely insane. I guess the lesson is a light touch on all short passes but I still make the mistake.

[Zomp]

Tomorrow my friends and I are playing in a FIFA 12 Tournament at the Greatest Bar in Boston. 32 people registered, all proceeds go to Taylor Twellman's charity. Starts at 6pm.

Words cannot describe how excited I am for this.

[cromulence]

Tomorrow my friends and I are playing in a FIFA 12 Tournament at the Greatest Bar in Boston. 32 people registered, all proceeds go to Taylor Twellman's charity. Starts at 6pm.

Words cannot describe how excited I am for this.

Damn that sounds cool. Nothing beats in-person FIFA. I have a friend I love to play co-op with whenever I get the chance; one of these years I reallllllly wish they'd add same-console co-op online. I get that it's a bit of a niche thing but playing FIFA on the same team as your buddy is so ridiculously fun - nothing more satisfying than hooking up on a beautiful goal where each guy makes a nice play.

[Zomp]

It was a lot of fun.

They had 32 players, 8 TV's set up. First round was obviously split into 2 rounds, then a break, 2nd round, break, 3rd round, etc...

Sadly I was knocked out. Played with Tottenham, lost to Chelsea 1- nil. Hit the bar twice and he caught me on the counter attack.

The final was actually a 30 minute game, some kid won 10-9.

Twellman showed up, was actually pretty cool. The charity said if you donate to it he'd play a game of FIFA with you. I talked to the girl, she said for $5 he would. I laughed and told her I'd donate $10 cause I'm a baller. She didn't seem to care.

Beat Twellman. Before the game I told him if I beat him I was going to tweet about it, he said "If you win and tweet about it I'll retweet it". He did. Then he came up to my friends and I later and started making fun of some of the kids (I think he was drunk at that point).

[Rook05]

I just picked this up via Amazon's deal of the day. I played a few FIFA games years ago on the PS2, but really don't know anything about the game. I'd classify myself as an extremely casual soccer fan, but I'd like to learn more. I played 4-5 games last night and am absolutely terrible. Looking for some help on the following:

- Some tips on how to build up an attack. I'm getting dominating in TOP. Good default formations to start with would be helpful.
- Tips to win some one on one matchups. I've only scored two goals and both have been from passing around defenders. I can't seem to put any moves on a single stationary dude. Hmm, that sounds worse than I intended.
- Any basic tips for free kicks would be great. I just spaz it up there right now.
- And finally, what's a good team to start with? I drifted to the EPL and Arsenal, but I'm a free agent. I'd prefer to not have some über team, but I'd be happy to play with a frontrunner while I figure stuff out. You could help direct my future rooting interests. I don't want to be stuck playing with the Padres of FIFA.

I'd also be happy to be online fodder for an 360 people here, but I don't think I'd present much of a challenge yet.

Thanks!

[Tangled Up In Red]

Furthering Rook's questions:

What defensive techniques and strategies are people employing (with success)? I'm using a blend of X and occasional O, but feel like I'm often without possession for LONG stretches at a time.