FIFA 17

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If you enjoy an inspiring story filled with emotion, twists, and great characters FIFA 17 is something you'll want to pick up. Even if you don't know much about the sport, it's pretty easy to get into as the controls are pretty simple and mechanics are...

Kick off The inexorable march of the FIFA games goes on, and another year means the same, large core fan base will be buying the latest in football simulation. FIFA is usually the innovator, bringing new modes like Ultimate Team which other sports games...

FIFA 17 ReviewIs FIFA 17 a big change for the series or more of the same? It's a bit of both really.Listen to Tom's thoughts about FIFA 17 in this video review. With added Dave, and Messi in goal!FIFA 17's The Journey is EA's best footballing move since...

What do you give the sports simulation that has everything? In Fifa 17's case, the answer is a 15-20 hour, Mass Effect-inspired story mode called The Journey.Charting the rise of 17-year-old prospect Alex Hunter, it takes you through the first year of a...

FIFA 17, thanks mainly to The Journey, feels like a reintroduction to the things that have made this series EA Sports’ pride and joy for the past eight years. It may be a safe and well-trod story path, but it’s walked with characters I cared about. When I finished The Journey, I beelined for Be a Pro, something I have rarely touched, to create myself there and carry on what I had learned with Alex Hunter.

This is what makes FIFA 17 so special; instead of churning out the same old rehash of last year’s game, EA Canada has chosen to add a whole new element to their soccer sim. From the fast fluid gameplay, to Alex Hunter’s story, FIFA 17 puts together everything into what has to be the most complete package of football that we’ve seen to date.

What value is there, though, in having all these different ways of playing, if the playing itself just isn't that enjoyable? That's the question I've had to ask myself as I've sunk hours into The Journey, FUT, career mode, and will doubtless continue to ponder over the coming weeks. EA sells such an attractive package it's hard not to be lured in. But that package is devalued hugely when what lies within is so fundamentally dissatisfying.

That remains a combination of still-excellent fundamental gameplay (on a par, at least, with Pro Evolution Soccer 2017's much-improved showing) and Ultimate Team, the game-above-the-game to which PES still has no serious answer. Put together with an improved Career mode and best-in-class presentation, and FIFA 17 is still out in front--even if its lead has been cut this year.

For all that FIFA promises something for every football fan, from the casual observer to the full-kit fanatic, I still find myself wishing that EA Sports would spend a little more time focusing on the basics. You could probably create the perfect football game by letting Konami handle everything on the pitch, with EA Sports responsible for everything off it.

The Journey isn't the be-all-end-all of FIFA 17. It's a good start that adds to the game despite its flaws, while the title is anchored by the overall gameplay and other modes. Solving the riddle of how to blend player agency seamlessly with a well-crafted story remains a tantalizing prize, one that will pay off handsomely when attained.

The FIFA franchise has been going strong for over 20 years since it first debuted during the Christmas season of 1993. One thing the gaming community can count on year in and year out is a new installment of EA Sports' soccer simulator with incremental...