FIFA 17 officially releases in late September, but the demo is already out if you want to preview the game. FIFA is my go-to Xbox One game, so I'm looking forward to the final release. Watch the gameplay video to see the demo in action.
I noticed the players' faces this year are a lot more detailed. You can see scars, facial hair, or even pimples. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, because players now look older. Physical actions appear to have improved this year as well. When holding down the LT button, players stretch out their arms to stop defenders from getting closer or place their body in a way to block the defender from reaching the ball. The computer's passing game seems to be improved too, forcing me to make smarter passes.
While the controls mostly haven't changed, there are three new attacking techniques that FIFA gamers are going to like: the driven finish, threaded through-pass, and downwards headers.
The driven finish keeps the ball low when shooting, and it's done by pressing and holding the B button, followed by a quick tap of the same button.
The threaded through pass is a curved through-pass into space, which is another handy tool for creating scoring opportunities. The threaded through-pass is activated when you press the RB and Y buttons at the same time.
Downwards headers are exactly what they sound like. Whether the ball is coming from the corner or a cross, double-tapping the B button when the ball reaches the player ensures the header is aimed towards the ground.
Free kicks in FIFA 17 are a little different compared to last year as well. You can move your player with the right stick before taking the kick, and then you press and hold the B button to kick while aiming with the left stick. Penalty kicks will also take time to get used to since it is different this year.
There are plenty more things to say about FIFA 17, but these are my quick impressions so far from the demo. I look forward to the final release, and also want to get deeper into the new Journey mode. I'll share my full review of FIFA 17 after spending more time with the final game.
Are you getting FIFA 17? Let us know in the comments!