Did FIFA 12 get a hair transplantation to look more beautiful?
It’s no secret that FIFA has consistently improved it’s visuals year-on-year this generation. The game’s graphics, particularly in gameplay camera angles, is second to none. But as they say, there’s always room for improvement. We assess every aspect of FIFA 12’s graphics to determine how much time and effort has been put in to the beautiful game.
Pitch & Atmosphere
On first impressions the graphics from a far instantly appear enhanced compared to it’s predecessor. The improvement’s may not be drastic but they are evident and welcome. I can’t tell you how many times a family member has walked in on me playing FIFA 12 and asked “who’s playing on TV?”. The grass is greener and attention to small details like pitch side items is very welcome. The stadia in-game again look fantastic this season and this is even more evident in the newly introduced stadium such as the “Juventus Stadium”. The only criticism that can be made of this graphical aspect is the lack of 3D crowds that would really compliment the game’s brilliant graphics.
Player Models
The player models in FIFA are possibly the weakest aspect of the game’s visuals. Whilst they appear fantastic in gameplay cameras, upon closer inspection, you begin to notice the anatomical inaccuracies that include a lack of shoulder variety, inaccurate femur bone length and almost the sense that underneath that kit is a stick-man or wire frame and not a human body. The player models are definitely in need of further examination and tweaking in order to make them look more accurate.
Faces
The introduction of the 8-way camera technology to implement player faces into the FIFA series is a tech masterstroke, and FIFA 12 shows how this technology provides great results. It is instantly evident which players have had the 8-way camera treatment in FIFA 12 as their faces are scarily accurate. Other lesser known players, or those who play for clubs that have not yet been reached by the 8-way camera team, look far less convincing in comparison. But it’s looking good for the future!
Kits & Equipment
The level of detail (LOD) on the clothing and equipment in FIFA 12 is impressive. Even using the gameplay camera angles you can identify certain boot types based on the accuracy of their depiction in-game. The kits are also very well replicated, however, there are still some point that must be addressed. These include the lettering/font on the back of the shirts and how they stretch and move with various body movements, as well as the detail on various club emblems on the shirts. But again this is just nit-picking.
Lighting & Effects
This is an area where FIFA 12 flexes it’s muscle. The lighting effects in-game give you a sense of real life representation, particularly as they truly take into account a whole host of factors including time of day, weather conditions, stadium structure and geographical location. Furthermore, the visual filters and effects that are applied to the game with various camera angles truly add to the broadcast style presentation and the authetic representation of the beautiful game. Top marks here again.
Conclusion
On the visual front, FIFA 12 truly does deliver the goods. The graphics are sharp and crisp and truly give you that broadcast TV feeling. Every year the improvements seem minor at first, but when compared to the previous iteration then they are truly evident. You only have to zoom into the Official Barclay’s Premier League ball in the replay mode to truly appreciate the attention to detail. Exemplary.
9/10
*This is not the final score for the game. It’s the score for this portion. The final score based on all aspects considered will be live at 3pm*
