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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It's not as fully fledged as the latest full incarnation, FIFA 12, and graphically FIFA Online 2 is more similar to FIFA 07. Not that we're complaining though, because being able to play FIFA for free online is great.

Even if the graphics are slightly outdated, the officially licensed player and team database in FIFA Online 2 is pretty up-to-date (currently with 2010/11 season data). FIFA Online 2 gives you the ability to play in almost all of the top leagues around the world, as well as playing in practice matches and in online play.

Just look the full FIFA game, FIFA Online 2 is packed with options for the serious soccer fan. You can tinker with formations and strategies, plunge into the transfer market, and view stats on thousands of players, so there's plenty of depth here.

FIFA Online 2 allows you to buy add-ons in-game that expand the game or help you in some way. For example, you can purchase an energy drink to help players recover from injury quicker, or a tool that reconfigures player attributes.

If you're looking for a free alternative to FIFA 12, then you'll find an enjoyable, in-depth alternative in the shape of FIFA Online 2.

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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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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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The game sees you assume the role of a single player, who must help your team of five human or computer-controlled players (or a mixture) defeat the opposition. The game controls are something of a breath of fresh air compared to the fiddly keyboard command systems employed by some of the bigger games like FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer. Instead, United Football adopts a method similar to first person shooters, whereby you use the mouse to direct the player, pass and shoot and just rely on four keyboard buttons for moving forwards and backwards and strafing left and right.

Once you've mastered this fluid control mechanism using the helpful in-game tutorial it's time to battle it out against your pals, or friends from across the World. United Football is solely an online game, but it's fast enough to be as enjoyable as any offline soccer sim. You can choose to join a game, create your own, or text chat with the rest of the community to arrange your own matches. Unfortunately, the United Football community is still a little small so you'll struggle to find a game where both teams will feature just human players.

Graphically, United Football adopts a cartoony approach rather than going for realism. This works well though, the animation is smooth and the customizable characters look great.

If you're fed up with the clumsy controls and graphic-intensive demands of the big name PC soccer sims, then Ultimate Football makes for an immensely playable alternative.

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The game features a series of significant, much-needed improvements to PES 2010. Gameplay has been tweaked to improve control, more game modes have been added, and the graphics and overall presentation of Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 are breathtaking.

Enhanced gameplay

The biggest changes in Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 are to be found in its gameplay. The last couple of PES releases were panned for not innovating on the game mechanics, and for making silly little changes that only served to hamper playability. This time, developer Konami has essentially ripped out the game engine and fashioned a new way to play Pro Evolution.

Passing is one of the most immediately obvious improvements in Pro Evolution Soccer 2011. In previous versions, passing the ball to a team-mate was quite a rigid experience, with the ball being drawn automatically to the receiver’s feet. Now when you make a short or a long pass, you need to be much more aware of where you want the ball to go, directing the ball precisely with the d-pad as you hit it. Use of the new power meter that appears under the player is crucial for weighting passes. With the right combination of direction and power Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 lets you play satisfying balls into space for a player to run on to.

Defensive controls have also been tweaked in Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 so they rely less on AI. Previously, defenders would automatically hone in on attackers (even when not highlighted), whereas now it’s up to you to bring them out, apply pressure or let them hang back to hold up play.

Attacking is made more exciting in Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 with the inclusion of assignable feints. There are lots of new flicks, tricks and moves to try out, and you can pre-select which ones you want to use, assigning them to a particular analog stick gesture.

More power to you

Make no mistake, Pro Evoltuion Soccer 2011’s new gameplay system is tricky to master and requires lots of sharpness and concentration. But this is very refreshing given the last few iterations have felt sluggish and automated. One of our favorite improvements was the way the system no longer remembers button presses for so long when the ball is about to be received by a player you’re controlling. This makes it easier to pull out of a tackle or change the direction of a pass before you make it.

The tactics system in Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 has been revamped as well. The confusing card-based player profile system from PES 2010 has gone. It has been replaced by a more intelligent, less confusing interface, where formations and player roles can be set by dragging and dropping their icons around the pitch board.

Graphical improvements

Out on the pitch, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is, for us, the most realistic looking football game to date. Player movements are slick and feel natural, and the flight of the ball is much more authentic than the dead-weighted pig bladder of previous versions. Up close, player likenesses are accurate, although Konami still seems to have a problem with mouths, and everyone looks like they’ve got a mouthful of stones.

There are several new games modes in Pro Evolution Soccer 2011, including new competitions such as the Copa Libertadores and UEFA Super Cup. Interestingly, there’s now also the option to play Master League online.

Presumably an effort to keep up with FIFA 10’s expandable content, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 includes a range of fun extras to play with. There’s a stadium editor and league editor, as well as more comical stuff like the ability to turn the ball into a piece of candy, or deck your players out in cowboy hats and other accessories.

Licensing is one area where Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is still lagging behind FIFA. Sure, it now has the UEFA and CONMEBIOL tie-ins, but the major leagues of Europe are still not fully licensed, meaning more fake names and made-up leagues for PES fans. Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is a game that deserves to have the full rights afforded to FIFA.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is a true return to form for Konami, offering an authentic football experience that FIFA 11 will find it hard to match.

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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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Football Manager is generally regarded as the best soccer management game out there. In recent years though, FIFA Manager has made up some ground on its rival, and this latest incarnation is the most impressive to date.

FIFA Manager 10 is perhaps a better choice than Football Manager 2010 if you're a newcomer to management sims. The FIFA game holds your hand a bit more, guiding you through the nuances of all of the strategic elements and explaining how to access all of the menus. The user interface is colorful and attractive with well laid-out menus and visual aids. Features such as a news Website, magazine, and an 'Ups and Downs' that helps you track the performance of your youth side, are very well presented and give the game that polished look you associate with the FIFA game series.

You start a game in FIFA Manager 10 by creating a profile, where you not only set your personal details, but also choose a team and define your targets for the season. Once you're up and running you'll need to pay attention to all aspects of the running of the club, such as team tactics, coaching, youth team, transfers, dealing with the press, and even controlling the merchandising and running of the club shop. Such is this level of diversity, FIFA Manager 10 often feels more like a series of different strategy games joined into one.

For the first time ever, FIFA Manager 10 comes with an online mode, although this is, unfortunately, absent from this demo version.

FIFA Manager 10 consists of almost 4,000 clubs and there are 37,000 players available. yet somehow it manages to feel a lot lighter and less overwhelming than some of its opponents. Mind you, it doesn't feel as in-depth as Football Manager 2010 in terms of the options available to you.

In effect, FIFA Manager 10 wins the prize for 'style', while Football Manager 2010 triumphs in the 'substance' stakes.

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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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Championship Manager is the daddy of management games, and the 2010 version has everything fans have come to expect, as well as some nice updates to keep things fresh.

It's an incredibly deep game, with tons of teams from leagues all over Europe, transfer markets, training and more. This is not a casual game, it requires a lot of time and effort even before you get to your first match.

You have complete control over the squad, contracts, buying and selling and training. Everyday in the game has lots of decisions for you to make. The interface will be recognizable to anyone who's played Championship Manager, but can be confusing to the new comer. There doesn't seem to be any tutorials, although there is a help button.

The game action looks pretty good, with nice crowd effects. It's not as pretty as FIFA, but the view and commentary are great for helping your management decisions. During a game there is lots to do, from subbing, to team talks and tactics. There's also a ton of statistics to pour over.

This demo runs for 6 months of a season, and until the 18 September 2009, you can register for an online competition to see if you're better than other Championship Manager players.

Championship Manager is the perfect choice for the detail-obsessed serious player, as it's hard to imagine what more a management game could offer. However, for the less serious player, it's a daunting challenge!

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I'm not particularly fond of football but I must admit I had some fun while testing Football Challenge, a simple 3D online football simulator that you can play for free.

Be aware that this is no FIFA or PES. In fact football sim junkies may feel a bit disappointed at the game's simplicity in graphics and controls. Here you won't get the official player names or uniforms – in fact you can customize the team's shirt any way you want. What's more, there are no special moves or button combinations: the arrow keys and two action buttons (kick and pass) is all you need to play. On the other hand, this easy gameplay is what makes the game attractive even for people like me who don't know what an offside is.

Football Challenge includes both offline and online gaming modes. You can play against the computer and also enroll in online tournaments just by filling in a simple form and creating your team right away. The game will automatically find a match partner for you to start playing. Obviously, the more games you win, the higher you'll reach in the player ranking.

Football Challenge is a simple football simulator with support for online games, great for some easy fun but definitely not aimed at hardcore football fans.

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The answer, in short is: a little. The graphics in FIFA 09 have been refined, with more photo-realistic captures of the superstars of soccer, and some great new animations both on and off the ball. The presentation of the game is as exquisite as ever, with new match intro sequences featuring the players warming up in the tunnel, crowd chants specific to each club, not to mention the cool new 'widgets' system on the menu pages, where various online and offline stats are displayed at all times. Unfortunately, it was impossible to test the commentary in FIFA 09, as it's not included in this demo version.

In terms of its gameplay, FIFA 09 offers a smooth ride, although there are few changes to the way the game handles other than a few new tricks and the addition of more realistic collisions. I could've done without these clashes, as sometimes it takes your player a long time to get up after a heavy hit. In fact, one of the new gameplay enhancements in FIFA 09 is the physical presence of some players, which means large defenders are more likely to bundle you off the ball, requiring more cunning to get past them.

While this demo of FIFA 09 is limited to four-minute demo matches between a choice of six clubs, the full release looks set to really raise the bar in terms of its online modes. I'm particularly excited by the new Adidas Live Season mode in FIFA 09, where player information is updated dynamically depending on performances in real life.

FIFA 09 is undoubtedly a great soccer simulator, although unless you're particularly interested in the online aspect of the game, you may not see a great deal of benefit in upgrading from FIFA 08 (other than, of course, the updated transfers).

Whether it'll prove better than Pro Evolution 2009 is a matter of extensive debate, but FIFA 09 is definitely the best version in the EA series to date.

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UEFA Euro 2008 plays virtually the same as FIFA 08 aside from a few tweaks. For instance, there's a new 'flick' mode for free kicks (and penalties), where you control the power and swerve of the shot using your right-analog stick. It's certainly an improvement, but still too fiddly and difficult to master.

Other additions to UEFA Euro 2008 over FIFA 08 include in-game player ratings which update in real-time depending how each individual is performing, and improved collisions, trapping and goalkeeper AI. You even get to see the managers' reactions to goals, free kicks and near-misses.

Aside from the gameplay changes in UEFA Euro 2008, there are a couple of new game modes. Captain Your Country sees you take the role of your team's skipper and influence the other players while you're out on the pitch, and there's a new online mode called Battle of the Nations.

Of course, all the official stadiums, real players, kits, balls, haircuts, etc. are there, and UEFA Euro 2008 features 52 European teams. Of course, there were only 16 teams at the 2008 Euro Championships, but by increasing the number EA has helped to add more depth and longevity to this title.

UEFA 2008 is a great international soccer sim. However, if you already have FIFA 08 it's probably not worth getting

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Everyone knows there are two types of gamer - those that love that Pro Evolution Soccer, and those that prefer FIFA.

Until recently, I'd have told you that those in the latter camp are a bunch of idiots who don't know anything about either computer games or football. Since the last couple of releases of the EA game though, I've shocked myself by becoming increasingly impressed with FIFA (largely because it's becoming more like Pro Evo, I would argue). FIFA 08 is by far the best release to date and it seems that the game has finally come of age.

FIFA 08's gameplay is more fluid than ever and thanks to some tweaks to the shooting mechanism, defending pressure, player attributes and even the influence of air pressure, it's now a very realistic simulation of the beautiful game. The graphics are smooth, detailed and well animated and the commentary and crowd effects make it seem just like you're watching it on telly. Always having the benefit of licensing on its side, FIFA 08 has a staggering 620 teams from 30 leagues, and a total of more than 1,500 real players at your disposal.

The management mode from the previous version stays, and FIFA 08 has introduced a new feature that I've been wanting from a football game for a long time. The so-called "Be A Pro: Co-op Season" mode sees you create your own player profile, then play just as that player for the season in a team with your pals, or with others online. It's an interesting experience that gives you the opportunity to prove how good you really are at the game and develop your skills as an individual player.

With the usual slick presentation and infinitely customizable options, Pro Evo 2008 is really gonna have to go some in order to top FIFA 08.

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