FIFA 12: Best Franchise in Soccer Is About to Change the Game Once Again

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It is rare that you can sit down and open a video game and know that you will be pleasantly surprised. Many of you get goosebumps when you get home with the newest Madden. For me, its the FIFA series by EA. This year is about to give more of the same, pleasant surprises.

There really is only one thing that gives me pause as I type. It is that I will have to wait until September 12th to get my hands on the virtual pitch that will take hours of my life away, in a great way.

The latest incarnation of soccer, FIFA 12, is but a couple of months away. The good folks at EA have released some tidbits on what we can expect in changes and upgrades.

Those that were lucky to take the game for a spin at E3 know that we are about to get inundated with goodness.

ESPN's video game guru, Jon Robinson was one of those people, and he has something to say about it. He writes the following:

So to say that the team at EA Sports has made such significant improvements to "FIFA 12" that once you play it, "FIFA 11" becomes irrelevant, well, you get how big of a statement that is.Thing is, every word of it is true.

I can do nothing but believe him. Every iteration of FIFA has driven at one crucial point, making the game play as realistic as possible, while leaving the fun well within the game.

This year, EA will tweak three things that will have you coming back for more; player impact engine, precision dribbling, and tactical defending.

The new player impact engine will make collisions more realistic, heavily determined by real weight and strength.

The precision dribbling will allow for better skirting through defense. Over-commiting on a drive will be a big no-no. The fine tap dance through a defense will have to be mastered.

The biggest overhaul has been on defense. You simply can't drive and tackle. There has to be a good measure of timing and precision to that end of the pitch.

Through it all, the main point is immersion and depth. It is one thing to have a game that will allow for fun on a random weekend, but we need replay value.

EA is promising a game that will take the season to master, and that makes me excited to get a crack at it.

Now comes the bad news. We all have to wait to have all this fun.