With UEFA Euro 2012’s release as a downloadable add-on for FIFA 12, it seems like separate tournament-game installments such as 2010 FIFA World Cup may be a thing of the past. For those who don't like paying twice in one year for an updated version of the same game, that's good news. But there are sacrifices as well.
This downloadable expansion features the upcoming international tournament, (most of) the licensed teams, and new challenges, all of which are welcome additions after months of the club modes. The presentation has also been touched up to include new introductions, new commentary, and flags in the stands. Online multiplayer replaces domestic clubs with UEFA's slate of international teams. It's all appropriately international, even if the floral motif that dominates the presentation is a bit...garish.
All of the licensed teams are included...well, mostly. But UEFA Euro 12 doesn't support FIFA 12's 22-player team-play mode.For fans of previous tournament games, though, the omissions are glaring. Qualifying is out, and smaller teams like Wales are full of unlicensed imposters. Not even Poland, one of the host nations, has a licensed roster. Some smaller features are also noticeably absent, like the ability to take control of more than one team in the tournament. The absence of such features makes EA's rather expensive piece of DLC ($22.50) feel half-baked, and will turn off many dedicated soccer fans.
The new Expedition Mode — the package's centerpiece — also feels somewhat lacking. Set on a map of Europe, it involves creating a custom team and beating every other team on the continent, with victories unlocking better players and new teams to defeat. It's good fun at first, but outside of the players, the rewards are limited to pieces of a pretty, but ultimately superfluous, mosaic. And having to defeat Kazakhstan and every other European country three times makes the mode feel like a grind.
Hopefully, we’ll see more expansions like UEFA Euro 2012 in future sports games — they do have the potential to really revitalize the game. But with half-finished rosters, missing features, and a solid-but-not-amazing world tour–style mode, this add-on never fires us up the way the original game did.
New intros and commentary add spice to the competition.PUBLISHER: EA • DEVELOPER: EA Canada • ESRB: Everyone • MULTIPLAYER: 2–4 local, 2 over Xbox Live • ACHIEVEMENTS: Demand multiple playthroughs • COST: 1,800 Microsoft Points ($22.50) • AVAILABLE: Now
+ Solid dose of new challenges, tournaments, and presentation elements for FIFA 12.
– Many teams are unlicensed, including host nation Poland.
– Expedition Mode quickly becomes a repetitive grind.
? Does UEFA Euro 2012 mean the end of disc-based tournament games? We hope so, but only if the content is more complete going forward.
