FIFA 12: Time for some new football games - your thoughts!

As details and screenshots of the latest iteration of the FIFA gaming franchise slip out, it got us thinking about whether the game has outstayed its welcome. Much loved as it evidently is, it’s been around since 1993, with new versions coming out once or twice a year.

We still remember playing FIFA for the first time back in 1993, when it was the only football game to get an official license for teams and players. It looked better than anything else on the market, and was leagues ahead of the likes of Sensible Soccer in terms of graphics (if not necessarily in terms of fun).
EA Sports continued to develop FIFA, with the likes of FIFA 95 proving even better. FIFA 08 was the first of the bunch to appear on the Xbox 360 and Sony PS3, and although the gaming experience lost out slightly to the likes of Pro Evo, it still looked better than anything else on the market.

Overall, we’ve seen a new version of FIFA almost every year, including ‘95, ‘96, ‘97, Road to World Cup 98, ‘99, 2000, 2001, FIFA Football 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, FIFA ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, ‘10, ‘11 and this year’s FIFA 12. We’ve seen World Cup editions for the past three tournaments, and EA has continued to flog its star title for all it’s worth – there’s also a host of Euro titles as well.

Much as we love a new game, for us it’s difficult to get excited about EA Sport’s latest version of FIFA. There are simply too many editions. We’ve been content to stick with older versions – FIFA 09 and 10 still prove to be brilliant when it comes to a kickabout with mates, for instance.

We’d love to know what you think, however. Are you content to play older versions, or do you feel there’s enough of a difference between each iteration to justify upgrading? Leave a comment and let us know