EA Sports have long been releasing stand-alone games to accompany major football tournaments. For the upcoming tournament in Poland and Ukraine, things are being done a little differently, with UEFA Euro 2012 being released as DLC for the enormously popular FIFA 12. At £15.99 for PS3 and 1800 MS Points for Xbox 360, it’s roughly half the price of a full retail title. Sounds like a steal, right?
Well… no, it isn’t really. Essentially what you’re paying for is a couple of extra game modes and the full roster of UEFA international teams. Regarding the gameplay, there are no changes whatsoever. Not a huge problem considering FIFA 12 is lauded as the greatest football game ever, but it does mean that what you’re money has been spent on is the same game with a lick of purple Polish paint.
Apart from the aforementioned game modes, that is. Playing through the actual tournament is what you’ll probably do first, with a mere six games standing between your chosen team and European glory. EA have piled on the atmosphere, with a veritable bounty of giant flags, confetti cannons and fireworks, as well as new commentary from the adorable Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend. It’s realistic too; all the groups are accurate, squads are updated regularly, and after drawing with Ukraine I crashed out against Spain in the quarter finals. Sigh.
The most fun you’ll have is on the new Expedition mode, in which you create your own team in a bid to conquer Europe. With your Virtual Pro leading a bunch of ragtag European reserves, you challenge the nations around you, and if you win, you can take their players. The first time you beat them you’re given a reserve player, the second time a substitute, and the third a member of their starting 11. It takes a while to build a decent squad though, seeing as the player you’re given is completely random. You also receive a ‘mosaic piece’ each time you beat a team, but it’s likely the novelty of gallivanting around Europe collecting players will have worn off before you obtain all 180 pieces.
There’s nothing overtly wrong with UEFA Euro 2012, there just isn’t a lot of it. Only about half of the teams are officially licensed (sorry Wales) which is poor for a franchise that prides itself on its expansive licensing. The online version of the tournament is fun and competitive but, apart from Expedition mode, there’s nothing here that isn’t already in FIFA 12. Still, it should be good fun to play alongside the actual tournament in a couple of months, just for the chance to force England into lifting a trophy.
Anyone get it? I bought it online for €19.99. Think it was worth it! Usually these games when on disk are €60! Bit of a change, bit of fun trying to win the Euros with Ireland. The only downside was you can only have won human team in the tournament.
« Last Edit: May 10, 2012 05:55:02 pm by Reslivo »
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