FIFA 13: do several baby steps equal another giant leap?

Liverpool's Andy Carroll passionately embraces Arsenal keeper Lukasz Fabianski. Manchester United players pile over each other in the box and the incredible Messi celebrates a goal by breaking his leg at the knee. The features introduced in last year's FIFA 12 were revolutionary indeed, but they were still flawed enough to result in a few seriously baffling YouTube compilations.

FIFA 13, then, is positioning itself as the 'evolution of the revolution'. The occasionally fail-prone Impact Engine has been extensively prodded and improved - Andy Carroll now realistically climbs off his would-be Arsenal lover - and new attacking and defensive systems promise to propel last year's Tactical Defending to a whole new level.

The result is lots of little changes, albeit under EA Sports' traditional marketing slogans, and although on their own they might not sound like much, side-by-side with last year's game FIFA 13 looks a big improvement.

Initially the most striking advancement is that Impact Engine. Last year the footballer physics changed the way we play, but in the new instalment the computer AI and, thankfully, referees will actually understand the pushing and shoving and its effects on the game. EA wants to create a "true battle for possession" both on and off the ball. Defenders can now use their bodies and not just their feet to block attackers, meaning a mistimed tackle button press no longer means you're automatically left for dead.

Crucially, big centre-backs like Rio Ferdinand now understand if the striker they're tussling with is much smaller than themselves, bypassing FIFA 12's tame shoulder nudge to outright barge in front of their man, shielding them from the ball and reclaiming possession.

It looks very impressive, and the ramifications to how you play are even more promising. As opposed to last year's scripted stumbles, defenders can now use their physical presence to affect how dribblers control the ball, forcing them to take extra touches they perhaps don't want to make. EA's created a whole new suite of animations just for this - we saw one defender nudge his marker just as he struck the ball towards goal, putting the shot off balance and resulting in an easy save for the goalie.

Combined with the new 'First Touch Control' system, EA hopes this will give players more tools to defend, and make FIFA 12's big lapses in possession a bit more strategic and entertaining. Unlike previous instalments where 40-yard passes magically glue to your feet, FIFA 13 introduces more realistic variety around how players control difficult passes. 50-rated defenders no longer perfectly trap like Ronaldinho, and long passes can bounce or even see you lose control altogether.

It looks far more realistic and makes you realise just how assisted and absurd the old system is. It doesn't mean you'll lose the ball all of the time, but hopefully it will result in more thoughtful play both when pinging the ball around the pitch when in possession, and applying pressure to force mistakes when out.

The repercussions that not every player can trap like a ball like a Brazilian wonderkid means the real stars, Messi and Ronaldo, now really stand out - and they'll be even more intelligent attackers in FIFA 13.

The next buzz-phrase EA pulls out is 'Attacking Intelligence', and while it's more impressive to see in action than it is to describe in words, it means computer players position and move around the pitch in a far more realistic fashion.