This is complimented by a more comprehensive passing system that makes ‘tiki-taka’ easier to pull off and with more wide-ranging passing at your disposal there is definitely an emphasis on building from the back.
It’s a shame that on the gameplay front it all goes a little downhill from here. We had real issues with the shooting mechanism that all our shots on goal felt like tame efforts that the goalkeeper could safely gather. Similarly we had issues with heading which felt difficult to master and in many instances left us nodding the ball into dangerous areas of the pitch.
Having already picked up FIFA 12 and seen the impressive 360 dribbling system and improved player movement in action, it was disappointing that same couldn’t be same of the same elements in Pro Evolution 2012. Player movement looked rigid at best and as for the dribbling, and running down the wing resembled what we’d imagine Gareth Bale to be like if he was a robot. The issues of collisions and their realistic resolution was an area that EA Sports sought to fix from FIFA 11, but the same cannot be said about Pro Evolution 2012. Players consistently bump into each other throughout matches resulting in an often scrappy and infuriating game.
Computer AI certainly impresses at least from an attacking point of view as moves from the computer-controlled opponent construct moves with a series of intricate passes while players will look to make intelligent runs off the ball. The defensive AI still feels like it needs some refining, but it is overall a success in this department.
