Video Game Review: Fifa 17 - EA strikes Gold with The Journey

Developer EA Canada
Publisher EA Sports
Distributor Prima Interactive
Where we got our copy Prima Interactive
Genre Simulator
Game modes Single Player, Multiplayer, Co-op
Reviewed on Playstation 4

Available on PC, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

MJ Khan

Published October 11, 2016

There are three constants in life – death, taxes and a new Fifa game every September. I must admit upfront that I’m not a huge football fan (I lie to people that I support Chelsea and Kaiser Chiefs to avoid social exclusion), I have no idea who the chap on the cover is and I won’t be able to zoom in on the incremental changes to dribbling or dissecting how the ball curves this year compared to last, but having said that, I truly believe Fifa 17 offers a compelling reason to invest in the franchise – the Journey!

The Journey is Fifa’s attempt at an NBA2K-style career mode, and places you in the togs of fictional character, Alex Hunter, a relatable and likeable teen with big dreams and a family legacy to live up to. EA have struck gold with this campaign as it incentivises casual players like me to care about a single-player mode. I became emotionally invested in Alex Hunter’s journey and I took every practice drill, dialogue option (conversations are interactive ala Mass Effect and adds to the immersion) and game as seriously as I would if I was playing out my own dream.

The Journey is a veritable game-changer for EA (like GTA 5’s 3 protagonists) and I don’t think there’s any going back for future entries in the blockbuster franchise. I really appreciated the little bonus targets I had to hit in games (take five shots at net, or assist a teammate to score) and the dynamic in-game rating mechanic, which rewards you for good play and punishes you for errors meant that every moment meant something and the pressure I felt every time the ball was at my feet was tangible.

I looked forward to practice drills as it improved Alex’s game, which in turn improved my general Fifa game. This might sound like common sense but I’ve always felt a little apathetic towards tutorials as the need for self-improvement was never compelling. Die-hard fans might scoff at that notion but I would hazard a guess that most casual Fifa players figure out the basics and just take it from there. The social media feed (a direct rip-off of Twitter) was a nice touch and I particularly enjoyed his mum’s tweets (mum-bias is a wonderful thing to behold) In this way, The Journey represents a true revolution for the series and raises the bar for accessibility.

There are a fair amount of other modes, mostly serviceable and expected – a proper career mode where you play as either a manager or a player, tournaments, like the Women’s International Cup (sadly Banyana aren’t in it – here’s crossing fingers for Fifa 18) and Fifa Ultimate Team which confused me to no end. I tried messing around with it for an hour but just couldn’t get into it – one for the fans methinks.

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Authenticity was never a major drawcard for me, and only recently did it click how important it was when I thought about playing a wrestling game with characters like ‘The Overfaker’ and ‘Bon Sheena’ (stay with me) so while the perfectly digitised stadium chants will resonate with fans, its only now that I appreciate it. Sure, authentic licencing will never trump gameplay (Superman 64 being the best example of this) but authentic licencing coupled with fairly solid gameplay is a compelling proposition and one that EA summed up perfectly all those years ago with the ‘It’s in the game’ positioning statement. The sum of all parts shines bright, with the licenced soundtrack (including a winning song by Bastille), real-life stadiums and uncanny player likeness (almost NBA2K level of detail). The only way Fifa 17 would be more authentic is if half the stadium were concentrating on their phones and taking selfies instead of watching the footy.

I played several games online, and matchmaking was quite simple, with just a smattering of lag experienced in two games – it wasn’t a game-breaker and never hit frustration levels that you’d feel in faster-paced games like Rocket League.

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler

Being primarily a Pro Evo guy, I’ve had to unlearn a lot of what I took for granted (how long to hold down the square button in front of goal, learning to use R2 to run, and just generally using more tactics than just through ball to the striker or the old one-two in the box). It appears console generation or so I find a soccer game that defines that era – from International Superstar Soccer 64 on Nintendo’s little grey box, to Pro Evo 6 on the PS2, to 2010 Soccer World Cup (mostly because of Vuvuzelas and Moses Mabhida stadium). It’s a little early to tell and the lack of a second season of The Journey hurts its chances a little but Fifa 17 could have a place next to the other titles. I’ll probably pick up Pro Evo 2017 in about 8 months when the price of a second-hand copy drops to R250 but for now, all I can think of is taking Everton to the top of the league. ‘Glory glory Alex Hunter’ indeed.

There are three constants in life - death, taxes and a new Fifa game every September. I must admit upfront that I'm not a huge football fan (I lie to people that I support Chelsea and Kaiser Chiefs to avoid social exclusion), I have no idea who the chap on the cover is and I won't be able to zoom in on the incremental changes to dribbling or dissecting how the ball curves this year compared to last, but having said that, I truly believe Fifa 17 offers a compelling reason to invest in the franchise - the Journey! The Journey is Fifa's attempt at an NBA2K-style career mode, and places you in the togs of fictional character, Alex Hunter, a relatable and likeable teen with big dreams and a family legacy to live up to. EA have struck gold with this campaign as it incentivises casual players like me to care about a single-player mode. I became emotionally invested in Alex Hunter's journey and I took every practice drill, dialogue option (conversations are interactive ala Mass Effect and adds to the immersion) and game as seriously as I would if I was playing out my own dream. The Journey is a veritable game-changer for EA (like GTA 5's 3 protagonists) and I don't think there's any going back for future entries in the blockbuster franchise. I really appreciated the little bonus targets I had to hit in games (take five shots at net, or assist a teammate to score) and the dynamic in-game rating mechanic, which rewards you for good play and punishes you for errors meant that every moment meant something and the pressure I felt every time the ball was at my feet was tangible. I looked forward to practice drills as it improved Alex's game, which in turn improved my general Fifa game. This might sound like common sense but I've always felt a little apathetic towards tutorials as the need for self-improvement was never compelling. Die-hard fans might scoff at that notion but I would hazard a guess that most casual Fifa players figure out the basics and just take it from there. The social media feed (a direct rip-off of Twitter) was a nice touch and I particularly enjoyed his mum's tweets (mum-bias is a wonderful thing to behold) In this way, The Journey represents a true revolution for the series and raises the bar for accessibility. There are a fair amount of other modes, mostly serviceable and expected - a proper career mode where you play as either a manager or a player, tournaments, like the Women's International Cup (sadly Banyana aren't in it - here's crossing fingers for Fifa 18) and Fifa Ultimate Team which confused me to no end. I tried messing around with it for an hour but just couldn't get into it - one for the fans methinks. Authenticity was never a major drawcard for me, and only recently did it click how important it was when I thought about…

Video Game Review: Fifa 17 – EA strikes Gold with The Journey

2016-10-11

MJ Khan

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Total - 8.7

87 8.7

The Journey is a game-changer that makes Fifa accessible to the football agnostic fan. Remove a significant chunk of the score if you're playing on last-gen consoles (no Journey mode)