UEFA Euro 2012 manages to be consistently enjoyable and authentic thanks to the fact that it retains the revolutionary features in FIFA 12. The Impact Engine, Tactical Defending, everything is still here, and that gives the gameplay a certain familiarity. But given that this is an expansion for FIFA 12 and not a stand-alone game, this was expected.

What’s really disappointing in Euro 2012 is that it doesn’t have the production values and glamour you’d usually associate with such a prestigious event. 2010’s FIFA World Cup South Africa had some of the best production values ever seen in a sports game, and I honestly expected Euro 2012 to boast of something on that level. As it turned out, though, other than a few added cutscenes, the game’s presentation was largely similar to FIFA 12 itself.

However, that doesn’t keep the online component from being any fun, since presentation doesn’t really matter when you aren’t playing alone. Online, Euro 2012 is just as good as FIFA 12. In fact, it adds more to FIFA 12’s experience. It’s really enjoyable and will keep you coming back for more. And given that it’s integrated with FIFA 12’s online component, it’s deeper and more addictive than you’d imagine.

PARTY ALL NIGHT!!!

Surprisingly though, Euro 2012 isn’t at its best when you play it with other people. The real star of the show is the Expedition mode, which is largely similar to FIFA Street’s career mode. Your aim is to basically create a Europe’s Best XI squad, and “conquer” the continent. Much like FIFA Street, you start off with a crappy team (including your Virtual Pro), and gather better players as you progress and then slowly become the team every manager dreams of coaching.

Much of the content from FIFA 12 is back, including the challenges, now known as scenarios. These scenarios put you into the shoes of a team that’s in a losing position, and then ask you to complete a set of objectives (score 2 goals in 10 minutes, win the match by a goal, score an equalizer before the game finishes and the like). It’s certainly enjoyable, but as with much of the other content in this game, it’s nothing new.

But here’s the biggest disappointment in Euro 2012- there isn’t much content to speak of. Yes, it’s a DLC and it isn’t supposed to be as full featured as a retail game, but I expected a little more content. Right now, this expansion pack is so bare bones, I doubt it’s even worth it’s price tag of $15.

Ultimately, it boils down to how big a fan of the sport you are. If you’re like me, you won’t come away completely disappointed, and there’s still a lot of fun to be had here. But if you’re expecting a game with stellar production values and a ton of content, then veer away. This DLC might not be what you’re looking for.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360

UEFA EURO 2012 expansion pack for FIFA 12 recreates all the excitement of the official tournament with over 50 European national teams, all eight official stadiums, and all the pageantry and atmosphere of one of the largest and most-watched sporting events on the planet. Compete as your favourite country in an authentic online tournament mode against rival nations in the group stage, progress through the knockout rounds, and ultimately compete for the chance to be crowned the UEFA EURO 2012 champion. The all-new Expedition Mode designed exclusively for UEFA EURO 2012 enables fans to build and compete with a customized squad against other European nations strategizing their journey through Europe. Plus, you will be able to relive dramatic moments from the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying campaign with challenges based on real-life matches, and replay key moments from the UEFA EURO 2012 tournament.

EA Sports doesn’t believe they’ve been milking the FIFA franchise, something they’ve been blamed of for a long time now. Even with the upcoming Euro 2012 DLC, they just believe that they have a “repeatable product”.

“Every game company, or most of them, are companies that are there to make profit,” said Sebastian Enrique, lead producer on UEFA Euro 2012 in an interview with CVG. “We are there, or at least my team and I are there, for two reasons. One of those, and this is very important, is to make entertainment, to make great games and football simulations that people can enjoy.”

“On the other side, we also need to pay the bills, and the way to do that is to make money for the company, so it’s not milking, it’s just we have a repeatable product,” he continued. “Like with movies, where you have sequels and sequels after sequels, it’s not just milking because you want to make money, if you ask the actors and directors, they do it because they love the art.”

To be fair, in the last few years, EA Sports has been making significant changes and upgrades with each new instalment. FIFA 12 was considerably better than FIFA 11, just as 10 was better than 09.

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“The all-new Expedition Mode designed exclusively for UEFA EURO 2012 enables fans to build, manage and compete with a customized team against other European nations, crafting the perfect strategy for European domination,” says EA Sports.

“Fans 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.”

UEFA Euro 2012 releases on April 24 as a DLC to FIFA 12. It’ll be out on Xbox Live, PSN and PC for 1800 MS Points, £15.99 and 2500 FIFA Points respectively.

EA has announced that UEFA EURO 2012 will be a downloadable expansion for FIFA 12. That’s right, it won’t be a standalone retail game anymore. So if you own a copy of FIFA 12, you can just download the thing via PSN or XBL for a fraction of the price.

Official pricing isn’t confirmed yet, but it won’t be $60 that’s for sure. It features over 50 European national teams, all eight official stadiums, and all the pageantry and atmosphere of one of the largest and most-watched sporting events on the planet.

It also features an Expedition mode where players can create customized players and use them against European teams. It will be available on April 24th for the PS3 and Xbox 360 and PC. You can check their official site for more details on the game.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.