Frankly, a lot of strange things happened in the soccer world this week, from Barcelona complaining about their sweaty jerseys to Carlos Tevez acting like a five-year-old to Arsenal being the only English team to win in the Champions League. But amid all the chaos and Twilight Zone moments, one thing happened this week that should be cause for celebration among soccer fans everywhere: the release of FIFA '12.
For those who aren't aware, the FIFA series of video games made by EA Sports is the preeminent soccer video game in the world, selling over 100 million copies since its inception in 1993. And it doesn't really have many competitors, with Pro Evolution Soccer — arguably its closest rival — behaving a little bit like the 2011 Boston Red Sox: It's good enough to compete, but in the end, it's just not up to the challenge.
FIFA also happens to be my favorite video game, because it's always enjoyable to start another game no matter how many times I've already played. Just the idea of taking control of superstars that you've watched play in real life and using their skills to play your own way is incredibly addicting.
But here's another interesting thing that I've noticed about the game: Watching a ton of soccer in real life helps you become a better player. My knowledge of soccer — stemming from just watching a ton of it — makes it so I can realize, while playing the game, what a real player would do in the same situation in real life. That's how realistic this game is: The key to success is to do things that are actually successful in real matches.
… Not to say that FIFA '12 is a perfect simulation of real soccer, because it's not, and no video game ever will be. But in terms of sports video games, it is as close as anybody has gotten to mimicking the real thing. Especially over the last two years, the improvements in refereeing, player movement and defense have taken the game to new heights.
That's why I was so excited on Tuesday when my roommate told me he had ordered the game and was going to pick it up that night. I raced back from dinner ready to play, but my roommate was gone and the game was sitting on my fridge, unopened.
So I waited patiently, only to find that when 8:00 rolled around, three people (who shall remain nameless) decided that they were too good for the South Hall lounge and had to watch "Glee" in my room, on my TV. Disregarding the fact that it was my room and that I think "Glee" is one of the worst, most horrible television programs produced in the last 30 years, they proceeded to take over my room for an hour, holding off my FIFA fix until 9:00.
Finally, finally, after I had kicked them out, I got to play the game that I have been waiting all fall to play. And it really was all I had hoped for and expected: The graphics are amazing, the players move exactly like real people and there are new features that make the game more challenging yet more fun to play. I instantly realized that the game was going to occupy most of my time over the next few weeks, which is not so great for my homework load but awesome for my level of happiness.
So the bottom line is this: Play FIFA. Even if you've never played or watched soccer before, or you've played FIFA a lot but still don't know what offsides is — like a certain person I know — go out, get the new version and start playing. I guarantee you won't regret it.
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David McIntyre is a sophomore who is majoring in political science. He can be reached at David.McIntyre@tufts.edu.
