Reviews// FIFA 17

If FIFA 17's focus this year was to change the way it plays and feels by introducing the Frostbite engine, then I'm failing to see where all the work has gone. It's an improvement over last year's effort, but the overall feel of every match reflects the emptiness I eventually felt for FIFA 16.

Games play out as though they were already decided from kick off. Sometimes the ball will run for you, other times you can't seem to get near it. Sometimes with a perfectly-timed tackle the attacking player will skip over your leg, but you'd already have known that going in because of the way the game is flowing. Movement feels like it's on rails, players make stupid decisions and this year more than ever goals feel less well worked and more fortunate.

The few changes that have been made to how FIFA plays all seem to fall flat too. The new set pieces system where you have to try to control an uncontrollable crosshair on the pitch with the thumb sticks while measuring the weight of the kick is a shockingly bad change that can only be in there for EA to claim that they've actually done something different. But when the old system worked fine, these amendments just seem to be making the game worse.

There are some positives to take away. Tactical defending still has merits and changes the dynamic when it comes to last minute blocks as a player breaks through, and there's the odd moment where the collision systems and game engine work together to create something that looks almost realistic. But there are enough "huh?" moments to completely overshadow everything FIFA 17 does right during a game.

It appears that most people don't really care and I get that. For some it's not really about the finer points of football. They don't play football games to try to imitate the sport they love to that level. Instead they appreciate the characterisation of football that FIFA represents. It's about the tricks to beat full backs, the 30 yard screamers and the intense speed that the game plays at.

There's no right or wrong here. I'm not saying PES is for the real fans of football. You just have to ask yourself what you want to get out of a football game and if you're more interested in the spectacle around the sport or the game modes that you simply can't live without then FIFA is the game for you, because this is where it excels.

The way the commentators react to the action, or the authentic chants from the crowds. Players warming up on the sidelines while the players on the pitch argue and react with emotion to one another. Even Premier League managers being included adds to everything around football that is missing from PES.

The biggest disappointment this year, though, is with how despite the claims that FIFA 17 has changed, and with a new engine on board, all potential is drained out of it when you see just how similar everything is to last year. EA had a real opportunity to mix things up this year, but instead played it safe and as a result is starting to fall way behind the competition.

I've always said that a football fan would quite happily sit and watch two teams of kids knocking a ball about in a park. There's something about it that gets under the skin and holds your attention. It's just that despite FIFA 17 being a step up from last year's iteration, it doesn't manage to get the most important thing right. That feeling.

Pros:
+ The Journey
+ Presentation
+ So many ways to play

Cons:
- The new set piece system
- Stilted gameplay
- New engine brings nothing new to the table

SPOnG Score: 7/10