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7 ways FIFA 17 has the edge this year
We look at how FIFA’s got Pro Evo pipped this year in our launch day breakdown.
When a football game creates these mini narratives and tales to tell your friends around the water cooler, well, that’s when you know it’s a good year.
See, the reason Aguero wasn’t working for us is that we were putting too many crosses in, and while he’s good in the air, a strong tall defence will often dominate the smaller, more skillful forward. As in real life, Iheanacho was our backup, and it paid dividends.
Let’s take a deeper look at what’s in store this year, and where FIFA 17 truly shines.
About to ping a pass
© EA Sports
Speed
With the right tactics you can string six passes together before the opposition even gets near you. But be aware, that same thing can happen to you. Even on semi-pro difficulty, Barcelona will give you a run for you money, simply due to how hard it is to win the ball back when you lose it.
Alex is hitting the grass to train
© EA Sports
The Journey
Before release, EA’s latest new mode came under the microscope from all corners. Would it be a car crash, or would it be successful?
Thankfully, The Journey looks like it could be the start of something genuinely special, as long as it’s not dropped after the one game. It’s unique to football games and it works so well because it knows who it’s targeting.
If you’re playing FIFA 17 then you’re a fan of football, which means you fall into any one of multiple categories: are you the teenager who wants to make it as a footballer still? Are you the parent who watches the kids play every weekend for their local team? Are you the older player who thinks back to a failed trial that happened as a youngster?
Emotion
A look at the Squad Builder Challenges
© EA Sports
FUT’s new squad-building challenges
Ever the behemoth, Ultimate Team has had a few minor tweaks this season (when you open a pack, there’s a dramatic showing of the biggest player you packed), but the best thing is that EA have realised there’s a large portion of the player base that just loves making squads.
Oh, and the gold upgrade challenge is repeatable, which is ace as you get to exchange your gold players for two rare gold player packs. You get the idea; we’re addicted already.
Liverpool’s Mané scoring a penalty
© EA Sports
Co-op skill games
FIFA has long had the skill challenges available to play while you’re waiting on the match to load, but if you were playing with a friend, one of you would be stuck in goal, or worse yet, just watching on as the other player had control.
FUT Champions
Champions is an online versus mode which ultimately leads into the big prize Weekend League. Here, you’re rewarded for various different rankings, all the way up to the ridiculous 125,000 coins with 2 premium TOTW packs and a jumbo rare players pack.
Every week there are going to be new Daily Knockout tournaments, and if you win one, you gain access to that Weekend League. It’s clearly designed to be an eSport-focused feature, because if you are able to continually prove yourself as one of the best, you will have a chance of competing in the Ultimate Team Championship Series.
Jose Mourinho leading out Manchester United
© EA Sports
Licenses
Yes yes, we know, and it feels a little unfair to mention this, but if you want the fully licensed teams and players, FIFA 17 is the go-to game.
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