Origin is the new name for the EA Download Manager, a simple application for downloading and playing games from Electronic Arts.

If you prefer to buy digital copies of games instead of going out to the shops, for Electronic Arts games you need to download this application.
As well as managing your premium downloads, Origin also initiates decryption of the games, runs the installer and launches it. If a game requires a DRM (digital Rights Management) license, this will be acquired by Origin too.

As well as downloading games, this app also keeps you up to date with patches and updates for your games, so you'll always be up to date. It is worth noting you cannot run downloaded games without Origin, as the DRM system requires it to be running. 2011's Battlefield 3 will be released exclusively through Origin on PC.

Origin is a perfectly capable download manager, although it is obviously limited to EA games. Time will tell if it competes with Steam or not.

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First touch control

The new first touch control system will revolutionize the way you receive the ball. Control will become a matter of skill rather than something automatic. In FIFA 13, trapping and controlling the ball are influenced by variables such as positioning, responsiveness and the attributes of the player receiving the pass. Improper control of the ball could let your opponent in or cause the ball to run out of play.

This change is similar to when tactical defending was introduced into FIFA 12. Even experienced FIFA gamers were annoyed at first by the switch but mastering it felt oh-so satisfying. It’s likely to be the same with first touch control in FIFA 13, and hopefully, like tactical defending, there will be an option to turn it off, if you need time to get used to it.

Attacking AI

The lack of options and opportunities when attacking was one of my main problems with FIFA 12. The AI (artificial intelligence) of the attackers has been improved in FIFA 13, and players will now move around intelligently depending on their location, what’s happening in the build-up and where the spaces are.

In addition, some attackers will be better than others at avoiding being caught offside, while others can perform smart tactical movements to punch holes through for the wingers or fullbacks to run onto.

Impact engine

The impact engine is the technology that’s designed to make collisions between players more realistic. This engine has been enhanced in FIFA 13 to remove bugs. It includes a new series of animations to enhance the realism even further.

There will be better jostling between players, who can now use their shoulders and arms to help shield the ball or to tackle an opponent. Physical challenges affect speed too in FIFA 13, with attackers being slowed or thrown off balance slightly if they get knocked while in possession.

Dribbling

In FIFA 13, the ability to go past an opponent with a simple change of direction disappears. New moves and refined touches are introduced that allow you to select to use the inside or outside of the foot. This will be a real delight for technically-savvy FIFA players, and will bring more skill into beating your man.

Tactical free kicks

With free kicks in FIFA 13 you can have to three players around the ball. You can now create new patterns and unpredictable kicks, fake shots, and drag players out of the wall.

From a defensive perspective you can add players to the wall, or instruct one of them to come off to intercept a rebound. You can also sneakily move the wall forward a by a few inches. However, if the referee notices this, you risk getting a yellow card.

Graphics, career mode and multiplayer

FIFA 13 brings some tweaks to 3D modeling of players’ faces through the use of Dimensional Imaging. The resemblance to the computer characters’ real-life counterparts is therefore even more accurate than ever.

FIFA 13 boasts an extensive career mode, in which you assume the role of coach, player and manager of your team. In terms of online multiplayer, EA has promised – without yet revealing details – an important update to the Head to Head season.

Overall, FIFA 13 promises to be one of the most comprehensive, realistic soccer games we've seen.

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Like all the FIFA games, FIFA 07 is about as realistic as it gets for soccer sims since it has the licensing to use the names of real players unlike its closest rival Pro Evolution Soccer. FIFA 07 was something of a watershed for the franchise however because it involved a complete overhaul of the game engine meaning you need to employ real world tactics and think like a real player and manager in order to win matches.

The sound effects were significantly improved with realistic chanting and fan songs plus for the first time, FIFA 07 featured a new online mode that enables you to play against real-life supporters of other teams in the EA Sports Interactive Leagues. The realism even extends to a real-world schedule i.e. when they play, you play. The graphics meanwhile were good for the time but they now look rather dated.

The gameplay in FIFA 07 was improved with more intelligent AI that make your players play and act more realistically on the pitch, the way they find space and the way they pass and shoot the ball. If playing isn't enough, then you can take on the challenge of Manager Mode where you can buy and sell players, set wage thresholds and make important tactical decisions. However, this is relatively limited especially when you compare it with FIFA Manager 2012.

With over 10,000 players in 27 leagues around the World, FIFA 07 set the standards that we see today in FIFA 12.

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The area Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 12: The Masters fails to impress is in its interfaces, which feel old fashioned. But get behind them, and you have perhaps the most complete PGA game ever. For the first time the Augusta Masters Tournament has been included, having been laser scanned inch by inch, to give you an unparalleled game on the venerable course. The focus on pristine reconstruction of courses can make courses look almost hyper-real, over perfect. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 12: The Masters has a clean-cut feel to it that fits perfectly with the sport, offering a deep golfing experience with all the relaxation you'd expect from such a sedate sport.

You can choose to play as one of over 20 professional golfers, or create your own. There is not as much creative freedom allowed as you might find in the Smackdown wrestling series, but then a shiny purple golfer in trunks would upset the atmosphere! Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 12: The Masters adds a new Caddy feature, great for less experienced players, which gives you assistance and advice as you play.

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 12: The Masters will no doubt be improved next year, but for now it's simple the most complete, and fun golf game available. Packed with features and accessible to beginners as well as satisfying experts, it's the essential golf experience.

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What's changed in PES 2012?

Changes in PES 2012 are largely centered around gameplay and team play, allowing players to make the most of tactical opportunities. Among the changes in PES 2012 are:

- New AI engine for a more realistic team play experience
- Attackers and defenders move as a more cohesive unit, allowing players to force mistakes
- New cursor-switching system allows players to pick a team mate anywhere on the pitch
- Improved jostling system and more realistic player collisions
- Other changes including improved animation, more player styles, enhanced lighting effects, improved dead ball system, and more

How does the new AI system work?

Always known for putting gameplay first, many of the changes in PES 2012 are to the game's artificial intelligence. Teammates and opponents are designed to act in a more authentic way and be tougher to beat. Five key areas have been focused on - overlapping runs, diagonal runs, dummy runs, zonal defense, and zonal marking.

A new off-the-ball running system in PES 2012 opens up new opportunities and gives you greater control of your team. Using the right analog stick you can select an off-the-ball player and make him run while still retaining control of the player with the ball. The controls for this are fiddly and hard to get used to but well worth persevering with because it allows you to find openings or drag defenders out of position to create space.

The defensive improvements in PES 2012 are impressive too, with teams now holding formation much better when under attack. Defending feels more intelligent. It's no longer enough just to hold a button down to apply pressure to an attacker and rob the ball. With PES 2012 you need to make sure you position the defender in the right place first then time your lunge with precision.

The combination of improved AI of the attacking unit and the susceptibility of defenders in one-on-ones seems to make it easier to create chances in PES 2012 than previous versions, meaning less low-scoring games than before.

What else is new in Pro Evo 2012?

As is the norm with ever Pro Evolution Soccer update, graphics in PES 2012 have been enhanced and the player likenesses are very authentic in some cases. Animations are slicker and the game has a very rounded feel which seems smoother than FIFA.

This second demo of PES 2012 isn't representative of the final version of Konami's soccer sim, but it does give you a good feel for the new gameplay aspects. You can play a ten minute match, choosing Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich, Rangers, Club América or Internacional. You should check out the challenge-based Training section of the demo to get hands-on coaching on the new controls within PES 2012.

The setup screens and tactics configuration menus in PES 2012 seem more streamlined than the previous version, which would be a good thing because setting up your team in Pro Evo can be a notoriously laborious process. We'll have to wait and see in the final version if these straightforward tactics menus are retained.

Conclusion

Some people will say that Pro Evolution has lost ground to FIFA over the last three or four versions. PES 2012 certainly closes the gap on FIFA, though, adding some intelligence to Pro Evo's trademark arcade gameplay.

With a raft of gameplay and AI improvements, PES 2012 is shaping up to be an excellent entry in the long running series.

If you want a trip back down memory lane and to see how Pro Evolution Soccer has evolved over the years, you can download demos of most of the old versions of PES on Softonic. Check them out here:

- Pro Evolution Soccer 4
- Pro Evolution Soccer 5
- Pro Evolution Soccer 6
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 (purchase only)

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It is your choice to either rise above the hardships of this post-apocalyptic world and work towards the betterment of society or embrace the destruction and look to erase the corrupt world around you.

The Grand Canyon provides the location for the last bastion of humanity. Shivathe virus that wiped out the majority of your friends and familyhas also affected nearly all survivors, with subsequent generations realizing hidden effects of the strain.

The virus caused mutationssome benign, some malignant, and some inexplicable. Fallen Earth combines the best of both worlds by giving players the accuracy of first-person shooter style games with the depth and character advancement of a role-playing game.

The game features more than 1,000 square kilometers of landscape to explore and conquer, 70 towns, six distinct factions, a classless advancement system and a unique crafting feature.

The missions you choose determine who you arewill you ally with a faction or rally against it?. Where will you stand in the fight for Fallen Earth?

. * 30 days of game time. Activation with a valid credit card or game time card is required. *Monthly fee required to play. Key Features. First Person Shooter/Role Playing Game Hybrid: Engage in the accuracy of FPS combat with the depth and customization of RPG character advancement.

Classless Advancement: Utilize the robust skill-based system to build characters with multiple stats, skills, mutation paths, tradeskills and factions.

Massive Real-Time Crafting System: 95 percent of the in-game itemsvehicles, consumables, weapons, armor and morecan be made by the players as they scavenge and harvest.

Unique Faction Systems: Ally with or rally against six factions to determine how the post-apocalyptic world is rebuilt. Multiple Game Play Modes: Experience multiple types of game play including crafting, exploration, vehicle combat and scavenging in both solo and group play.

Tactical Player vs. Player: Battle in one of the open PvP zones or wage war with the factions to claim control of a town. Vast Explorable World: Put survival instincts to the test while experiencing 70 towns with more than 5,500 missions spread over 1,000 square kilometers of zoneless territory.

Minimum:OS: XP SP3/Vista SP1. Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 1. 8 GHz or Athlon 64X2 2. 4 GHz. Memory: 2 GB for XP, 3 GB for Vista. Video RAM (dedicated): 256 MB.

Graphics: nVidia GeForce 6600/ATI Radeon X1300. DirectX: 9. 0c (XP)/ DirectX10 (Vista). Hard Drive: 10 GB. Recommended:Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.

Graphics: nVidia GeForce 8800GTS/ ATI Radeon 3870.

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. Feel the action as you serve, spike and battle it out in the variety of modes. Key features. Addictive 2 on 2 Beach Volleyball actions in 6 hottest beach locations!

. Just like on TV: Instant Replays and Player Cut-Scenes. Arcade, Exhibition, Tournament and Training Mode!. Select from 12 unique teams and dress 'em as you prefer (ingame editor to customize girls).

Multiplayer offline up to 4 players and multiplayer online (LAN) up to 4 players. Different musics for each level. Realistic motion capture animations.

System requirements. CPU: PIII 1 Ghz. RAM: 256 MB. OS: WINDOWS XP, VISTA. SOFTWARE: DIRECTX 9. 0c. GRAPHIC CARD: 3D accelerated with 64 MB VRAM. HD SPACE: 500 MB.

Updated drivers.

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In recent years, the FIFA series has developed into a worthy rival to Pro Evolution Soccer, and in fact many will argue that FIFA 12 is a more complete soccer experience than PES 2012.

What's new in FIFA 12?

Building on the success of recent years, FIFA 12 introduces three main developments: precision dribbling, tactical defending and the player impact engine. These all - and especially the latter of the three - have a major impact on the gaming experience.

What does this mean?

The impact engine has arguably the greatest impact on gameplay, and it really changes the dynamics of tackling and contact in the game. FIFA 12's impact engine makes tackles look and feel much more realistic, and will no doubt result in more player injuries! When two players jump for a ball in the air in FIFA 12, they will no longer always land together perfectly, but may fall depending on the contact made with the other player.

Defending in general has been refined, and it's not longer possible to just hold down the 'pressure' button and expect the nearest defender to squeeze up and snatch the ball from the attacker. In fact, do that in FIFA 12 and you can seriously mistime the challenge and allow the player through. Timing is everything in this new tactical defending system, and while it's frustrating it's ultimately more rewarding when you start getting it right.

When dribbling in FIFA 12, you do feel in much more control than previous versions. Getting past defenders is more enjoyable as a result, and neat tricks seem easier to pull off.

How realistic is FIFA 12?

Very. As always, FIFA 12 is fully licensed so you'll be able to play with your favorite players and clubs, and the game will follow the summer and winter transfer windows, so teams will mirror their real life counterparts.

Graphics have had an incremental improvement, and animation is also better than last year's game. The full version of FIFA 12 will also have a big online component, with a much greater social element. Support Your Club League Tables will exist, allowing your performances with your favorite teams to contribute to their community standings overall. EA is also promising to keep FIFA 12 fresh with real-world soccer news.

What's in the demo?

The FIFA 12 demo gives you access to Manchester City, AC Milan, Olympic Marseille, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona and Arsenal. The options are fairly limited, and settings such as choice of ball, weather and length of the halves are not incorporated in this demo. All other aspects of the game are also missing, so you play just one practice game, but it still gives you a good impression of FIFA 12.

FIFA 12 is an incredible soccer gaming experience which is as close you can get to playing a real game of soccer on your PC.

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If you're an avid fan of NHL ice hockey, video games are an essential part of the fan focus. Who doesn't want to jump into the action and play in their favorite team in a live action and realistic match?

EA's NHL 07 lets you do that, as do all of their NHL ice hockey video games. NHL 07 represents an evolution in this series of games in that it's the first of its kind to use the Skill Stick Revolution control. This feature uses the analog sticks for stick handling, making it even easier to maneuver your player across the rink.

In addition to more advanced controls, NHL 07 lets you play as your favorite team from the NHL. You can also play a team from four different European leagues, giving you even more options for different types of game play. NHL 07 also boasts expanded game modes in this version of the game, so each game has the potential to be completely unique from the last.

NHL 07's Skill Stick feature does take some time to get the hang of for users who haven't been exposed to it before, so keep this in mind when you first start playing.

NHL 07 is really a must for any fan of NHL or ice hockey in general who wants to get into the action without actually lacing up a pair of skates.

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This version of the game brings several improvements to EA SPORTS Cricket 2005, while still being compatible with Windows XP and Vista, not to mention Windows 7. Among those improvements are full control over foot choice, shot, direction, power and timing, meaning that your cricket is even more realistic than before. If you're confused as the keyboard controls for EA Sports Cricket, check out our guide about how to play EA Sports Cricket.

In addition to the extra control, players get to enjoy new camera angles, and realistic, brand-name equipment. When you add this to the improved game-play and professional-sounding commentary from Mark Nicholas and Richie Benaud, it’s clear that EA SPORTS Cricket 07 is a solid addition to the family.

Looking at the game in 2011, EA SPORTS Cricket 07 looks dated. Even so, it’s the latest offering in the EA SPORTS Cricket series, and a solid game nonetheless.

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The Team Sports Scheduling System is used world wide by leagues just like yours. Some of the features include multi-division scheduling; prioritized field usage; prioritized day and time usage; field sharing; automatic schedule generation; fully customizable project web site creation and publishing; standings support; sophisticated conflict resolution for rescheduling games; single and double elimination and consolation tournament scheduling; contact and sponsor management; powerful print reports and export capabilities; plus much, much more!

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Having been blown away by the previous version of FIFA, we found it hard to imagine how EA could possibly improve its slick soccer sim. However, after a few matches of this demo version it’s clear that the changes aren’t merely cosmetic.

Refined gameplay

The enhancements to the gameplay in FIFA 11 make it feel a lot more like real football. The new Personality+ system means that players move and act as they do in real life. This means, for example, that Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney will charge around after the ball when he’s not in possession; while his strike partner Dimitar Berbatov is more content to stand around waiting for something to happen!

Other tweaks to the AI help to make FIFA 11 the most enjoyable version to-date. For instance, on crosses, it’s now normal to see more than one player coming up for the ball. You’ll also notice that the players are a bit faster than they were in FIFA 10.

Another important change in FIFA 11 is the ability to control the goalkeeper, which feels very natural and adds an extra element to the gameplay.

Handballs are introduced for the first time in FIFA 11. When a defender is positioned in the line of a shot he may stick out his hand to block it. The frequency of handballs is a little higher than it would be in real life, but you can disable them, or define that they don’t occur in penalty situations.

FIFA 11 also features a more refined passing system, giving you more control over ball distribution. The Pro Passing feature lets you measure passes more precisely by weighting them. The repertoire of passes has been beefed up too, and you can now perform swerve passes, flicks, driven lobs and apply backspin to balls.

One of the changes we didn’t like is the new penalty kick system, which is based around a power-bar. Stopping the pointer in the right place is very difficult because it takes a while to respond to your button press. This makes scoring penalties in FIFA 11 a difficult thing to do.

Graphical tweaks

At first glance, FIFA 11’s graphics don’t look that different to the ones in the last version. Once you start seeing replays or close-ups, however, you realize that player likenesses are now more realistic. EA modeled player faces using photographs, and facial expressions are now more varied and change according to the player.

Another neat addition to FIFA 11 is the ability to upload your own audio for use within the game. You can record your own chants, add audio files of actual team chants, and define the music that a team runs out to.

Game modes
FIFA 11 is still stacked with lots of game modes, including officially licensed leagues, exhibitions, training and Be a Pro. The one significant change this time out is the rehashing of the Manager mode, which is now known as Career mode, and integrates with Be a Pro. This is now more involved in that you start out as a player before becoming a player coach and eventually a fully-fledged manager.

These interesting new features, combined with super intelligent gameplay, make FIFA 11 the quintessential soccer sim.

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EA Sports World Cup is a Windows 7 theme with which you can easily customize the appearance of your operating system, while showing off your support for your favorite football team in the South Africa World Cup.

Being sponsored by the popular game developers, the EA Sports World Cup theme features images from their latest title 2010 FIFA World Cup – instead of real pictures, which some users might have preferred.

EA Sports World Cup includes 10 images with different football-related scenes, including the trophy that all the teams are dreaming about.

Decorate your Windows 7 computer with the EA Sports World Cup theme and enjoy the competition!

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Considering the amount of money EA must make from FIFA 10, it's amazing that the games publisher has chosen to release FIFA Online as a free game. It's not as fully fledged as the latest incarnation, and graphically it's more similar to FIFA 08. Not that we're complaining though!

FIFA Online includes a multitude of different game modes. You pick your favorite team from a large selection of leagues and clubs (all with real life player data) then you must lead that side to glory. You can play single-player leagues, online tournaments with strangers, friendlies against friends, and even choose to play in the FIFA World Cup 2010 tournament.

FIFA Online has a lot of depth to it. There's a fairly detailed management mode in which you must set formations, negotiate contracts, deal with player injuries and suspensions, and more.

In it for the money

Of course, EA didn't make FIFA Online as a goodwill gesture to players. It made it to make money. Players are invited to buy tokens that are used for everything from unlocking certain game modes to helping a player to recover quicker from an injury.

Of course, the polished 3D graphics, full voice commentary and the sheer size of FIFA Online take its toll in terms of system requirements. You'll need a decent processor (upwards of 1.8GHz, ideally) and a fast internet connection if you want to avoid lags and frame rate.

It's still in beta stage, yet FIFA Online already shows signs of ushering in an exciting new generation of football games.

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The big change in NHL 09 is the Be A Pro mode, which like a role playing game, lets you create a character, and then build their career and skills as they progress to the pro league.

The other main NHL 09 mode is the EA Sports Hockey League, which lets you take your Be A Pro character online and play multiplayer matches. Playing with other players is fantastic, although the attributes your own player has are not carried from the Be A Pro mode.

Using a joypad is essential to get the most out of the controls, which have something called 'Skill Stick', which uses the right analog stick to control the hockey stick. This takes time to get used to, but gives NHL 09 a more simulation-like feel. Arcade lovers can revert to old fashioned controls if they want!

Create a player and take him right to the top in NHL 09, an excellent, action packed and bone-crunching game.

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While it's visually not far removed from its predecessor, the FIFA 10 PC demo will demonstrate some "under the hood" changes that really improve the game. The biggest is the introduction of 360 degree control. Your players no longer move in just eight directions, but whatever way you want. This makes control a much more subtle, and gives you greater flexibility and the ability for much more creative play.

FIFA 10's player animation has been totally revamped - they move with real character now and dribbling looks great. Your teammates have also had an intelligence upgrade, making them act more naturally, and thus less likely to do what you want them to.

FIFA 10 management has also been upgraded, perhaps in response to the richer experience in the Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer. FIFA 10 players now come with 'ambition', which affects their decisions - if your team is full of defenders, it might be difficult to convince another to join, as not playing much is rarely what a player wants to further his career.

A cleaner and more subtle game than its predecessor, FIFA 10 is quite an improvement, and another step towards a totally realistic football experience.

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