FIFA Football (PlayStation Vita)

It took me a moment to realize what it was, but from first time I saw the FIFA Football box, I knew there was something missing. The cover art was the same as EA Sport's most recent release, the in-game menus were identical, and it looked exactly as I would expect. Then I realized what it was -- the "12" was missing from the title. That might seem like a minor quibble, but it turned out to be a telling omission. Many of the franchise's compelling new features, such as the Tactical Defending System, Precision Dribbling, and the Player Impact Engine are missing in this version of the game.

However FIFA Football does features many of the bells and whistles of the console releases, such as Career Mode for managing one of over 500 teams and a Be A Pro mode where players can create their own athlete and lead them to legendary status.

The game looks stunning on Vita, especially when it comes to player animations. They move as naturally as players might expect in a real footy match. And stadiums look lively with massive crowds surrounding the field.

FIFA handles well on the Vita, too, at least when sticking with the traditional thumbsticks and buttons. Players can opt to use the front touchscreen for passing, free kicks and defense, or the rear touch pad to shoot at the goal. All are solid alternatives, but not as comfortable as standard controls.

Players use the left thumbstick to move while the right stick is for special ball moves such as fakes. They work well, but it's tough to make precision passes using the left thumbstick. Also, I found myself accidentally tapping the rear touch pad on several occasions, firing off unintended shots on goal.

FIFA Football is by far the best football game i have ever played on any handheld device however the game could have used a bit more polish overall, but it's a solid first endeavor for Vita. If this game is the basis for the inevitable future FIFA releases on the PS Vita then the future looks bright for EA.

Plays same as the ps3 version maybe better with the added touch screen pass,its that simular i traded my ps3 fifa 12 in,im not a 5 out 5 every review person but this is great well worth 5,if your a fifa junkie like me its a must buy...

Believe it or not, i prefer playing FIFA on my Vita, than my PlayStation 3, Graphically wise it's extremely close to the PS3.. The Vita's screen elaborates every spec of detail, wicked visuals and sounds. Now to the best bits.. The controls a closely the same, besides L2 and R2 are obviously not available on the Vita, so they integrated the controls with L1 and R1, and it works perfectly.. but the bit that won me over was the shooting mechanism.. you have two choices.. either the old school circle to shoot.. or.. imagine the back of you Vita is the goal, you tap a point on the back of the Vita and the player will attempt to shoot to the goal where your finger tapped, the longer you hold your finger the more power the player uses.. sounds easy, but trust me it's still a challenge! love this game, must buy. So dope!

The vita version of FIFA is absolutely awesome with the touch shooting using the rear pad becoming instinctive after only a few matches. Lack of the gameface is a pity but the virtual pro is still good fun. Graphics are very good and the menu matching the ps3 version helps if you already own FIFA 12.

Its FIFA 12 but handheld with touchscreen or should i say touchscreen's . Love the new touch the back pad to shoot feature as it adds so much more to the game when shooting. Its much easier to score a goal and more spectacular. Using the front screen to pass is also a real good feature as no more hit x and hope it goes to the correct player. Buy this game even if you own the ps3 version, you wont regret it, i know i haven't.