On its release, Fifa 12 was rated the best sports game on the market. One reason is that EA Sports designed a new module that makes contact between players more realistic.

Now skill is actually required when defending; in the past, defending in Fifa was simple — run into an attacking player and nine out of 10 times the player would come out of the tackle with possession of the ball. Now tackling must be precise, or else a foul might be called.

Dribbling in the new Fifa is a lot better. The ball moves a lot smoother on the pitch when attempting moves. When the ball is passed players can actually see that the ball is rolling and not just sliding across the grass. Also, when a player’s stamina bar is drained, the player will actually move like he’s drained of his energy. Making moves and passing is more difficult when the stamina bar is down, so make sure you don’t drain the bar to early in the match. Your players will be more prone to injuries as well.

Injuries that occur during gameplay can now actually be analyzed after the match more thouroughly. With the new feature of showing injury reports, it lets gamers know just what happened to the player. It tells whether the injury was a muscle tear or broken bone. This new feature helps managers (in manager mode) in the off season by informing them how to treat and rehabilitate players.

Fifa 12 also allows you to play dirty. EA added the option of being able to pull shirts of opposing players. If you know an attacking player is faster than the one you are controlling, you can now pull his shirt in an attempt to slow him down and win possesion.

All in all, EA took that extra step in making Fifa 12 the highest rated sports game and most realistic game on the market today. EA took sports gaming to a whole new level.