UEFA EURO 2012 Review – It’s time to lead Ireland and the boys in green to EURO 2012 glory

UEFA EURO 2012 marks the first time EA has released a FIFA tournament tie-in as downloadable content and not a fully-priced and boxed version.

The game allows you to lead your country to UEFA EURO 2012 glory as it attempts to recreate the passion and rivalry of the official tournament. So whether you want to relieve some of the moments from real-life matches as the tournament plays out or build and manage your dream team as you try to conquer Europe in the all-new Expedition mode.

The main draw for the game is of course the tournament, which can be attempted with any one of the teams that made it to the finals. (come on you boys in green) Players can also participate in online tournaments, which once the tournament begins are bound to be aplenty, by playing through the different rounds against opposition from across Europe.

The Expedition mode enables you to build, manage and compete with a customised team against other European counties as you attempt for European domination. Gamers will choose their favourite European player or FIFA 12 Virtual Pro to captain their customised team, win matches to earn better players from defeated nations, and then defeat the best nations to earn the best players in a campaign quest to defeat all 53 countries and complete the journey to conquer Europe.

EA will continue to add to the game through its “Challenges” mode, which enable gamers to relive real-life scenario’s that can be submitted by and voted for by fans. EA’s “Challenges” mode kicks off on the 27th of April and will be updated with new content until the  5th of July.

Gameplay in UEFA EURO 2012 is much as it ever was back in FIFA 12(click here for the review). Passing is still as fast paced, as you  nail an indefensible through pass or completely miscue a pass and leave yourself exposed to a counter attack. Control and dribbling feels like they have been refined a bit, giving better accuracy but this may be just the reviewer. Defending is just as tactical as it has been, with containment the name of the game.

At EA’s April Showcase in London this year, we chatted to Sebastian Enrique, Producer for EA Sports, about the  newly released FIFA 12 DLC, check it out below.

All in all, EURO 2012 is a worthwhile purchase for anybody really excited by this year’s tournament but can’t wait for the activity to begin. The availability of the game as DLC is also a very welcome change of tact by EA. Here’s hoping for more like this.

UEFA EURO 2012 is available now on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC and will set you back €19.99, 1800 MS Points or 2,500 FIFA Points on the PC.