Fifa 17 Xbox One / Series X [Pre-owned]

Another installment of the leading sports game series by EA Sports, featuring a great many licensed national teams and top-league football clubs. Apart from the well-known elements of the franchise and a wide range of varied singleplayer and multiplayer modes, FIFA 17 is the first game in the series to also feature a story campaign, called “The Journey.” In this mode, you play as Alex Hunter, a young footballer starting his career in the Premier League, and your task – apart from playing the matches – is to participate in many side activities. Mechanics-wise, the creators focused on polishing such aspects of the gameplay as offensive techniques, set pieces, physical clashes, and the opponents' AI. An important novelty is also the fact that FIFA 17 is the first game in the franchise to utilize the esteemed Frostbite engine, known from e.g. the Battlefield series.

FIFA 17 for Xbox One is another instalment of the FIFA game series. The production, developed by EA Sports (the creators of other sport game franchises, including NBA Live, NHL or Madden NFL), features the majority of clubs from various leagues and national teams. Electronic Arts has been buying the licenses to use the real names of teams, players, and stadiums for years, thanks to which you can play as accurately portrayed footballers on virtual version of real-life arenas.

Plot

FIFA 17 is the first game in the series, which features a story campaign, called “The Journey.” You play as Alex Hunter, a young footballer starting his career in the Premier League. The 17-years-old boy has trained under the watchful eye of his grandfather, Jim Hunter, who used to be a star of the British league, scoring twenty goals in the 1966/67 season. Alex has football in the blood, then, but it doesn't necessarily mean he's good enough for one of the world's most demanding leagues.

The story campaign in FIFA 17 does not consist of matches only, since the developers created an engaging plot full of interesting characters you also meet outside the pitch—in the dressing room, onboard a plane, and in other places. The campaign also features dialogue options, which should be familiar for RPG players. The campaign mode was developed by such celebrities as Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur, Tom Watt (the author of David Beckham: My Side) or Marco Reus of Borussia Dortmund.

Mechanics

The basics of the gameplay remained unchanged, and so FIFA 17 for Xbox One is still a football game. Apart from the story campaign, the production also features normal gameplay modes, such as the league mode, friendly match mode, and multiplayer mode. Moreover, the developers focused on upgrading four aspects of the mechanics – set pieces, physical duels, AI, and offensive techniques. Due to that, for example, during a free kick you can run to the ball in many difficult ways, so that the ball will rotate properly. When dribbling, you can block with your body, but it's dependant on how far your opponent is. The AI adapts to the situation in a dynamic way, e.g. by increasing the activity of the players currently not in the possession of the ball or by changing the way they move. The game also features such moves as low shots, through passes, and more.

Technical aspects

FIFA 17 for Xbox One utilizes the Frostbite engine, known from e.g. the Battlefield franchise. The latest instalments utilized the Ignite engine, but because of the introduction of the story campaign, which takes place both on and outside the pitch, the developers opted for a more advanced solution. Thus the footballes, stadiums and other elements look more realistic than ever. This technology was also used to portray several famous coaches, such as Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Arsene Wenger (Arsenal), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool) and Jose Mourinho (Manchester United).