Fifa 17: Reviews and best places to buy it
This year's version introduces a flashy new story mode with big-name cameos – but is it enough?
Fifa 17 demo: Ultimate team, first reviews and how it compares to PES 2017
26 September
The wait for Fifa 17 is almost over – the next edition of the perennially popular footballing franchise will arrive next week.
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Fans have already been sampling the game through the extensive demo released by EA Sports last week, getting used to the new style of gameplay and the general look and feel of the title, which should be significantly different.
Fifa 17 is the first game in the series to run on Frostbite, the game engine used by EA to create Battlefield 4 and Star Wars: Battlefront. It's allowed the company to introduce a new way to play via The Journey, a story mode that interlaces cinematic and interactive scenes with gameplay scenarios.
The Journey follows the path of Alex Hunter, a young footballer breaking into the game. You'll be able to start your career as Alex at any of this season's 20 Premier League clubs, with your performances on the pitch and your choices off it determining how the story unfolds.
Alongside the new game mode, Manager Mode and Ultimate Team have both been tweaked and there are new stadiums and leagues too.
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Here's everything you need to know.
When is it coming out?
Fifa games always arrive a little while after the Premier League season begins. FIFA 17 will launch in the UK on 29 September, across PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. Mobile versions for iOS and Android devices are launching too, although the details for these are still fairly thin.
Is there a demo?
The FIFA 17 demo is out now and you can try the game out at home on your PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS3 or Xbox 360. For console gamers, logging into either the PS Store or Xbox Marketplace through your console is the simplest way to download it. PC players can get it from Origin.
In a blog post on the EA Sports website the teams available in the demo have been revealed. Three Premier League clubs will be playable – Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City – alongside top European clubs like Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Juventus and Lyon. Further afield, Gamba Osaka from Japan's J-League – one of the new leagues in the game – are also in the demo, plus the Seattle Sounders from the MLS and Mexico's Tigres UNAL.
There are three stadiums to play in. Chelsea's Stamford Bridge is the only European stadium in the demo, alongside Seattle's CenturyLink Field and Suita City Football Stadium – Gamba Osaka's home.
You'll also be able to sample the brand new story mode called The Journey. A selected scenario has been placed in the demo, though Alex Hunter is locked to being a Manchester United player. In the full game you can choose from the 20 Premier League clubs.
First reviews
The latest instalment of the football game isn't out until next week, but EA Sports released an extensive demo last week, giving reviewers a chance to have an early kick-off.
Wired's Oliver Franklin-Wallis is impressed with the visual changes to the game. Frostbite gives a "crisper feel" and the weather and lighting effects are "impressive" and "pleasing", he says.
The gameplay is better too, adds the reviewer, teams are more differentiated, with individual tactics, and set pieces such as penalties are more realistic – although the added complexity could alienate new players.
The big disappointment for him, however, is the failure to build on last year's innovation: the addition of women's national teams. Two more sides have been added, but "they are still marginalised to a few modes", he says.
But Franklin-Wallis is impressed with The Journey story mode, saying it is "slickly produced" with an "engaging" story replete with plot twists. The cameos from real-life players are "very brief" but add realism, he continues.
It is good, says Max Parker at Trusted Reviews, despite initial misgivings that The Journey would be like a cheesy TV movie. It is packed with cliches, he adds, but EA deserve "props" for how well it has been put together.
However, both reviewers agree it is not clear how much performance in the on-pitch sections affects the overall arc of the story, which follows up-and-coming player Alex Hunter.
Parker, also, is less impressed with the gameplay, not seeing much of a difference from Fifa 16. It "can be frustrating at times", he says, particularly for players familiar with the intuitive gameplay of rival Pro Evolution Soccer.
Is it going to be outshone by PES 2017?
Fifa's arch-rival, Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), is currently "the best it's been in a generation", says Metro, but it fails in one area – it does not have The Journey.
There's no way the Konami title can compete with the sizeable budget that has allowed EA Sports to bring in star players and managers for cameos.
Fifa also wins on the "depth and breadth of game modes", adds the paper. Otherwise, PES is "definitely the superior game", even though it will sell far fewer copies. "Sometimes it's not the best team that wins, just the one with the most money," concludes Metro.
Most reviewers – including Eurogamer – seem to think PES is the better performer this year, with IGN saying the perfect game would see "Konami handle everything on the pitch, with [Fifa developer] EA Sports responsible for everything off it".
One of the few dissenters is the Daily Star, which, like Metro, praises The Journey and the "numerous small tweaks" it says have significantly improved gameplay and presentation, meaning Fifa 17 beats PES.
Have there been any leaks?
Unofficially, @FIFA17Updates appears to be posting the most leaked content, with player ratings for every Premier League club alongside some of the world's other top teams. There are screenshots, videos and more.
Who is this year's cover star?
When EA released the first trailers at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, Chelsea's Eden Hazard, Real Madrid's James Rodriguez, Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus and Manchester United striker Anthony Martial were revealed as the title's ambassadors.
A global fan vote to choose from these four was then held - and Bundesliga star Reus came out on top, so he'll be on the box this year.
Who are the game's best players?
To build hype and anticipation for the new game, EA has slowly and steadily revealed a list of the 50 best footballers in the game, teasing fans who want to discover how their favourite players have been rated.
The countdown is complete and the top ten footballers in the game are all from either the Premier League, Spain's La Liga or the German Bundesliga.
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea is the tenth best player in the game and the second best goalkeeper. He is also a joint top star in the Premier League with an overall rating of 90.
Similarly, Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, his centre back team-mate Jerome Boateng, Real Madrid and Wales star Gareth Bale, plus new Manchester United front man Zlatan Ibrahimovic get 90 overall ratings.
The best goalkeeper in the game is Bayern Munich and Germany's Manuel Neuer – with a rating of 92, he's the 5th best player on FIFA 17.
La Liga golden boot winner Luis Suarez notched 40 goals in the league last season, but it's only good enough for 4th place on the list, with a rating of 92. Barcelona teammate Neymar is rated third, despite his matching overall stats.
The top two, as ever, is a toss-up between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. But following his Euro 2016 triumph this summer, Ronaldo is the best player on FIFA 17, his 94 rating edging out Messi's 93.
Has Career Mode changed?
While in recent years online game modes like the immensely popular Ultimate Team have been the focus of EA's efforts, this year the old-fashioned Career Mode – which allows you to create a manager or player – gets an extensive revamp with the aim of keeping the long, hard simulation slog as fresh as possible.
EA has introduced a handful of new features in a package it calls "Total Club Management". This promises to make the challenge of managing your favourite football club – or journeying between teams in need of help – a deeper, more satisfying experience.
There's a broader range of objectives to fulfil beyond the board's performance wishes in the league and cup competitions. Domestic success – and continental success for larger clubs – remain key priorities and these tasks are now long term. For instance, you may be asked to deliver the league title, but within three seasons.
Alongside this, you're likely to be delegated shorter term tasks related to club finances, youth development and brand exposure.
Each club now has more personality, with more specific goals tailored towards its history and present day situation. If you take on the role of manager at a club that's in dire financial straits, for example, balancing the books will be top of your list.
Choose one of the world's richest clubs and money may be no object in pursuit of winning everything. Teams with the best academies will want you to develop the next batch of superstars. Foreign owner? You may be asked to expand the club's appeal abroad. You can keep track of these tasks on a new menu in game that tells you how close you are to being sacked if you fail to meet expectations.
In-game finances are more complicated and there are more costs to consider than just transfer fees and wages. Match day revenue, media, merchandising, scout wages, youth facilities, stadium maintenance and travel costs now all feature.
Lastly, there's a much more in depth manager avatar system. Instead of a suited or tracksuited
figure bobbing in and out of view on the touchline, there are 11 bosses to choose from and you can see them up close and personal in cut scenes.
Anything new for Ultimate Team?
In addition to the big changes coming to Career Mode, Ultimate Team has been shown a little love.
FIFA 17 introduces FIFA Ultimate Team Champions – a new way to compete online with your assembled squad against other players. You can take part in daily knockout cup competitions against competitors. Win one and you'll qualify for the Weekend League.
The Weekend League is an opportunity to win big in-game rewards. Win as many games as you can over the space of a weekend to maximise your rewards and you'll be pushing your team further up the ladder. Win entry and perform consistently in the Weekend League, and you'll rocket up the monthly leaderboards, possibly towards real world competitions and prizes.
The web app for Fifa 17 Ultimate Team is now live, so you can head over to EA's website and start trading players to start building your squad before the game releases,.