>1) The computer AI vastly improved off the ball.
>Offensively, you have players recognizing space and making
>runs (so you can actually run midfield dominant
>formations!!!)which makes the offense so much more dynamic.
>Defensively, there is far less hand-holding required because
>the computer will actually take the ball away when they are
>near an attacker....you still have to manually structure your
>defense but the computer recognizes situations far far far
>better than before.

yup, exactly. I actually had CMs showing up in the box when I could use them there. I was a bit dumbstruck. and FBs were making HUGE overlapping runs (which is something you see in online games, but they were so static when they're AI). I could have a winger decline the overlap, pass inside to the CM, and the FB would actually keep running so my CM could use the new angle to slot the thru ball. it's going to make toying with formations for your talent that much more interesting.

>2) FIRST TOUCH. This is such a great addition and for anyone
>who plays in real life, you understand just how critical the
>first touch is. They've done a great job of translating it to
>the game...you have to take stock of where you are and exactly
>what you want to do with that touch to setup your attack.
>This also changes the game defensively because you can't
>over-press on a player receiving the ball because you can
>easily be beaten with a quality first touch. It's such a good
>addition (and the heaviness depends on your touch on the
>joystick...it's so akin to real life), the EA team has
>absolutely killed it with this one.

I didn't actually pick up a huge difference here, so I'll probably have to keep toying with it. how you played your first touch is something you become insanely sensitive to when you play online, because dudes obviously press like maniacs, often times you only have time to hit a first time pass otherwise you're turning it over, so I'll have to keep experimenting. I did notice CBs would fumble the ball sometimes, whereas my CAMs would almost immediately have it under control, and that's a welcome change, because I would naturally high press a lot against the CPU, but it was always a bit annoying the consistency with which a CB could dribble away from a press even when I anticipated the pass as much as possible without outright picking it off.

>5) This goes along with #4, the X button (takeaway) is far
>less hit or miss...it seems to skew a lot more toward nudging
>and grabbing this year rather than making that risky swipe for
>the ball. This was something I was really hoping for as it
>had gotten to the point where I really didn't know when X was
>nudge or when it was swipe. Further, defenders are playing
>the ball a lot better on swipes...meaning if you hit X when
>the opponent is passing, the X button will allow you to stick
>your leg out and deflect the ball....it's not nearly as clumsy
>as last year.

pretty certain you're talking about the standing tackle and yeah -- that was my immediate first impression, too. they made it work. in FIFA 12 I would pace a guy, get directly on his shoulder with a ball-winning player, moving in the exact direction where I knew they were taking the ball, but the high level players (ESPECIALLY online) could still skip the tackle ~80% of the time, even though I'd done everything right. lots of times there's these skill dribblers in FIFA 12 I simply never attempt a tackle on unless I'm sliding explicitly to foul. very, very glad they saw this and improved it, because playing d-mid was more about denying space than ball-winning (which is still fun...) but I'm excited to see if I'll be able to really anchor a team from a deep role as opposed to just being a safety valve.

>9) Some notes on player animations: 1) Attacking players have
>less tendency to get caught up on defenders (this may be a
>direct response to so many people who intentionally used to
>obstruct forward runs...and it was NEVER called)

ha! yeah, I try to screen guys ALL THE TIME when I'm playing online in FIFA 12 and it's very effective. about half the time I'm off the ball I'm actually looking for a pressing forward to run into as opposed to actually trying to find space to receive a pass (part cuz it works so well, part cuz fools don't make simple passes). it'd be a welcome fix even if it's an exploit I use often.

>10) There's just a more fluid and dynamic feel to the
>game...and I hate to keep saying it, but for anyone who plays
>in real life, they are translating so many of the smaller
>details into the game. It's going to be absolutely brilliant
>and the level of focus will really have to be turned up if you
>want to become a top-tier player. Can't wait.

best sports video game I've ever played and it's only getting better. and that's just the gameplay. I have yet to play another game with the online social options FIFA has either. hopefully the finished product keeps all that intact, too.