It is frustrating that a simple "date check" was left intact after server shutdowns. However, from a business perspective, EA has no incentive to patch a 12+ year-old game. The cost of recompiling, testing, and pushing an update to legacy consoles (which have complex certification processes) far outweighs the benefit.

Despite the hassle, many argue yes. FIFA 12 represents a golden era before Ultimate Team consumed the franchise. The gameplay is slower, more tactical, and lacks the "scripting" complaints of modern titles. If you own the disc, a simple manual date change (Fix #1) takes 30 seconds each time you play—a small price for nostalgia.