FIFA 2012 REVIEW

In the news headlines FIFA is now a byword for corruption and all that’s wrong with international football.

But if you forget all that and concentrate on the game, this franchise is still one of the big two, locked in a perpetual clash of the titans with ­Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer series.

FIFA 08 knocked PES off its perch when Electronic Arts revamped its entire philosophy in response to the Premier League-sized opportunity offered by the new generation of consoles.

Konami was caught napping and each annual iteration widened the gap – until last year, when FIFA 11 faltered and PES found its next gen footing as surely as if Kenny ­Dalgish had been ­appointed at Konami. It’s surely no coincidence, then, that David Rutter – FIFA’s British born lead producer and the figure largely responsible for its rebirth – has started this season’s mind games earlier than ever.

“FIFA 12 represents a revolution rather than ­evolution,” he tells us at the game’s official unveiling.

Rutter points to four game-changing new features: a Player Impact Engine that calculates collisions and injuries on the fly, ­Precision Dribbling to allow players more ­control, Tactical Defending, which emphasises reading the game over ­button-mashing; and Pro ­Player Intelligence that makes virtual players think more like their real-life counterparts.

Time spent with the early build’s Arsenal and ­Chelsea squads suggests an impressive new ­realism. Didier Drogba crashed through Arsenal’s defence like a train, it took textbook timing to get the ball off Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie limped off after a jolting John Terry tackle. ­Brilliantly, Fernando Torres couldn’t hit a virtual cow’s backside with a banjo.

“We wanted to make the game more engaging for fans but more accessible,” says Rutter. And with more improvements still under wraps, FIFA 12 is shaping up to be the most beautiful game yet.