FIFA 17 Review

FIFA 17

Release: September 27, 2016
Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA Vancouver
Genre: Simulation, Sport, XBox One Reviews
PEGI: E
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Late last month, we posted our review of PES 2017 and praised the game for it’s approach to the actual action on the field. The debate between PES and FIFA has been one that rears its ugly head year after year. FIFA 17 brings a lot more to the table than PES, but does on field play equal that of the Konami giant?

Not Lacking Content

If we compare PES and FIFA, it is only natural as they are both football titles, and the ultimate question from many of our readers will be, “Which should I buy?” In our PES review, we noted that the game lacks content; this is definitely not the case in FIFA 17.

All the modes you loved in past FIFA titles come back in 2017, including FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT), career mode, and of course your regular seasons, exhibitions, and more.

FIFA Ultimate Team

FUT is back, and frankly, better than ever. With more tools at your disposal for creating the ultimate team, getting started – even without the extra preorder and ultimate edition bonuses – is quick and easy. Before you know it, you’ll have lots of packs to unlock and players to slot into your roster.

Unlike in Hockey Ultimate Team in NHL, there really never is a completion goal in FUT. THere are just too many teams and leagues, and completing any one team would be almost impossible. Fortunately, a new mode in FIFA 17 FUT allows you to use those extra cards you might no longer need. In the Build a Squad mode, you will be tasked with using your own cards to fill numerous conditions. For example, you might need to create a back line of 4 defenders all from the same country. Using cards from your collection, you can complete the Squad Builder challenge to get coins and packs of cards.

Once you use the players, however, they are elimnated from your pool of athelets. Only use players in Squad Builder challenges that you no longer want to use in FUT matches.

FUT also brings back offline seasons, online seasons and tournaments, trading, and more. It’s a game in-and-of-itself, and worth the purchase of FIFA 17 alone.

The Journey

A new addition to FIFA, The Journey follows the carrer of Alex Hunter, and young, English soccer player who comes from a long line of Premier League elite players; both his dad and granddad were Premier League players, and now it is your turn. As Alex, you will experience the ups and downs of making it as a professional player, including tryouts – which you will have to complete and do well in to place on the squad – practices, games, and event being placed on loan.

You begin your adventure alongside your best mate, but that relationship will quickly be strained by the competitiveness of the Premier League. In The Journey, you can pick which position you will play on the field, and within each game, you can either play as Alex exclusively, or play a more traditional match as the whole team. Your manager will require certain things from you during each game, and completing them will provide you with more experience and skill points, allowing you to improve Alex’s attributes and overall level.

It really is a great addition to FIFA 2017, especially since it is such a fresh idea.
There are many other great new and returning modes to FIFA 17, but these two really peaked my interest in the title. Rest assured, there is no lack of game modes in FIFA 17, and all of them are worthy of your attention.

Frostbite Engine

EA Sports has created the best looking FIFA football game to date, and have used the Frostbite Engine to not only recreate the likeness of all your favorite football superstores, but also all the managers in the Premier League. By using the Frostbite Engine, the developers have made FIFA 17 the most realistic looking experience yet, with all new crowd animations and looks, improved stadiums, and of course, accurate Premier League managers.

On the field is where FIFA 17 begins to falter. PES 2017 feels very smooth and very realistic, but FIFA 17 still seems to have that ‘video game’ feel to it. Running is awkward – as it has always been in FIFA titles – and carrying the ball up the field can often be a chore. Once you’ve lost possession, have fun getting it back. The new shield mechanic, which arguably makes the game a bit more realistic – also makes the game frustratingly hard. Winning back possession will be a severe challenge, which is either a pro or a con for the title, depending on how you look at it.

Other aspects of the game that have made past FIFA titles on the field great are still present. Taking free kicks is still very rewarding, with enough challenge to make the success rate accurate. Popping a goal to break a tie or secure a point late in the game feels great, and the game’s post goal celebrations match the intensity of the current moment. The improved stadium environment also helps make the most tense points of the game, the most memorable as well.

Verdict: PES 2017 or FIFA 17

If you are talking about on field mechanics, and which titles more accurately portrays football, the edge definitly goes to PES, but only slightly. However, FIFA 17 has everything that PES doesn’t, which is basically content. What PES lacks, FIFA delivers, making it – in our opinion – the ideal football game purchase for 2017.

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