For these look-backs as a part of our ongoing Oktoberfest celebration of the current generation of sports games, the obvious choice would be to find the current-gen soccer game that received the highest score.

But, of course, that wasn’t FIFA 12.

FIFA 11 was that game (though I’d argue that was a product of our scoring system change more than anything, but I digress), and, with the benefit of hindsight, us writers gave FIFA 13 the Oktoberfest Award.

So why look back at FIFA 12? Personally, I think in the context of FIFA’s development this generation, that was the watershed game. FIFA 11 was the last breed of run-and-gun soccer, the style we’ve known all too well, done excellently. Meanwhile, FIFA 13 was a more polished version of what 12 brought to the table. But that one in between, FIFA 12, warts and all, was really the series’ first attempt at recreating a slower, more nuanced soccer game.

So yes, 12 had its shares of flaws. But for what it is—the revolution after years of evolution—it acquitted itself rather well in hindsight. The introductions of Tactical Defending and the Impact Engine pretty much necessitated an engine overhaul. That, in turn, led to a change in how we play the game. Gone were the days of ping-pong passes and hoaming missile defenders, and “possession” became the new watchword of the franchise.
 

What Still Holds Up

Graphics/presentation: It still holds up because, well, it’s still pretty good looking—the match day atmosphere in FIFA 12 doesn’t feel that out of place compared 13 and 14. Now, you can argue that part of that game from the FIFA’s team paying less attention to the visuals (or perhaps they’ve done pretty much all they can with the current-gen hardware), but if all we’re asking is whether the visuals still hold up today, the answer’s yes.

Controls: Again, by virtue of the fact that nothing groundbreaking has occurred since makes FIFA 12’s controls hold up against the test of time. The only I’d miss from 13 or 14 is perhaps that ability for players to be facing one direction while dribbling in another. Otherwise, the freedom of the dribbling scheme (not to mention the lesser reliance on sheer pace) is still very much enjoyable if you fired up the game today.

Possession play: There have been improvements made here and there to the AI’s attacking support in the iterations since, but by and large, possession play in FIFA 12 can still hold up, with one large caveat: it’s not that realistic—thanks to the AI defending (we’ll get to that in a minute) which wasn’t really resolved until the recent FIFA 14. I know that’s a pretty big caveat, but if we’re talking solely about the ability to pass and construct moves—thanks mostly to the game’s more realistic pace— then yes, that part is remains quite enjoyable today.

What Doesn’t Hold Up

Defending: Surprised? Thought not. That was the one big flaw that prevented the game from being an all-time classic. Simply put, in this first incarnation of Tactical Defending, the AI was just way too timid in terms of putting pressure on opposing players. So you ended up—quite constantly—with moments in your own penalty box when you take control of a defender and he’s five yards away from his mark, and by the time you get close to the opposing striker the ball’s (probably) already in the net.

AI Playing Style: There was too little variation in how the CPU opponent played. The only way to mitigate the problem, was to adjust the tactical sliders to the extremes, which helped a little. Otherwise, you’d see 95% of teams in the game, when controlled by the CPU, trying to tiki-taka their way through you slowly and methodically, Barcelona-style.
 

Should You Play FIFA 12 Today?

Well, FIFA 13 and 14 are better options, that’s for sure.

It’s not the most polished or well-executed soccer game of this generation, but that’s kind of beside the point. FIFA 12’s most important achievement, really, is that it laid a foundation for 13 and 14 to build on, which they did. So while there’s very little reason to go back to this two year old game, I’d like to think it’s still worthwhile to recognize that FIFA 12 was the game that started steering the franchise towards the slower, more nuanced style that it is today.