FIFA 17 Demo

Autumn is usually the season for a new FIFA game, and this year is no different than the last. The franchise has been going strong for quite some time now, although it doesn’t take huge leaps when it comes to innovation and improvements. Every once in awhile EA SPORTS refreshes the series with a heftier list of changes, and it would appear that this year is one of those times.

FIFA 17 appears to be a noteworthy episode in the franchise, mainly because there are quite a few changes in regards to gameplay and graphics. In essence, the goal was for you to have a lot more control over the ball in every situation, regardless of whether you are attacking, defending, or just toying with the goalkeeper. On the other hand, this leads to tougher control schemes that might be a tad annoying at first.

There’s a new career mode as well, which is now called The Journey. This mode puts you in the role of Alex Hunter, a young man who dreams of becoming a soccer legend. Thus, you get to be a part of his rise and see the world of football from a variety of new perspectives, especially since you have to deal with managers and coaches like never before.

Although it’s difficult to say whether the gameplay is a lot more different than in the previous episodes, it does appear to be a bit smoother, especially when it comes to how the players interact on the pitch. Not everything is perfect, but it feels like all that extra control is worth it sometimes, because it’s easier to put your strategies into practice and take advantage of each player.

As for the Frostbite engine, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it looks great even in this situation, despite the fact that there are no explosions and no collapsing buildings. The animations look great from up close and during replays, not to mention the fact that the facial expressions are much more spot on. Even the commentary is on point most of the time, even if there are still times when that’s not the case.

In the end, FIFA 17 is not a revolutionary soccer sim, but it’s certainly different than what came before it, and it does many things pretty well. As such, the fans of the series should be pretty happy with the changes, especially when it comes to graphics and gameplay.