Personally, I haven't been the biggest fan of the 360's more realistic sports games, like FIFA 11 and Tiger Woods - but it's not so much because of their quality. Actually, I just suck at them, never knowing what way to shoot on FIFA and forever getting the 'pass' and 'shoot' buttons back to front - and, in stereotypical woman style, I have no idea about the offside rule. When it comes to sports games, I'll stick with a bit of Mario Sports Mix, or maybe FIFA on the Wii if I'm feeling particularly brave.
If you're able to handle two analogue sticks by yourself, or remember which way round the buttons are, though, you're likely one of the millions (and millions) of people who get themselves into a state of frenzy come September time, when a new FIFA game's about to launch. If you're dying to get your hands on the latest game as soon as possible, then EA may have just the thing you're looking for - although it'll cost you.
EA have announced a new feature, called the EA Sports Season Ticket, an annual pass that grants you access to a whole load of exclusive features - and best of all, early access to four of the biggest EA Sports titles. EA Sport's President Peter Moore promises the program will let "our biggest fans play earlier, play more and play better than anyone else, […] transforming how deeply fans connect with the sports games they love through digital products and services". The program kicks off with Madden NFL 12, which launches this month, followed by the NHL Hockey, FIFA and Tiger Woods: PGA Tour franchises.
To me, to you.
Take out a subscription, and you'll get exclusive early access to each of the eligible games, with the pass letting you download a digital copy, some three days before the scheduled release. However, it's important to note, this isn't for keeps - after three days, your digital copy will time out, and off to the shops you'll need to trot to buy it on a disc. Thankfully, any progress you make, and achievements you earn, will be able to be transferred from the three-day trial period to your new copy - so it's not all bad. You'll be able to brag to/confuse your friends by getting achievements before the game was actually out - a privilege normally reserved for us games journalist types.
Subscribers will also get a 20% discount on any downloadable content for the four titles - such as FIFA's Ultimate Team packs, which give you player cards for building up your own virtual football, Madden's various accelerator packs, which increase the rate your superstar progresses in his career, gear upgrades and boosts for NHL and extra courses for Tiger Woods.
Benefits extend beyond your Xbox 360 though, as you'll get access to a load of premium stuff on the internet. This begins with FIFA 12, where you'll get premium Creation Centre packs which promise to provide a much "deeper set of customization tools and abilities within the Creation Centre to build your own teams and tournaments". And last, but not least, you'll get an exclusive badge for your profile - both in the games, and on easports.com. Wow.
As for the price? This Xbox 360 exclusive offer will set you back a whopping 2000 Microsoft Points, which works out at about £17, per year. Whether that's a price you're willing to pay to play FIFA some three days early is up to you.
