FIFA 17 was undoubtedly an amazing game, but improvements always find a room for themselves and with PES 17 given it a tough competition and vying for the top spot among football games, EA will have to up its game. While there are barely any details on the next FIFA franchise, you just need to see where the game can improve to anticipate what you can expect.
Gameplay Won’t Change Much
FIFA 18 will run on the same Frostbite engine as its predecessor, which is an upgrade on the Ignite engine used in the versions prior to FIFA 17. Soon after FIFA 17 debuted, users started getting concerned by the way their players would receive yellow cards from refs for almost every foul and they’ll be played down for a foul while in possession of the ball. FIFA 17 is full of physical collisions, which might be realistic to an extent but sometimes become too much for a video game. We might also see added celebrations, especially some which are unique to players. Other than this, you can also expect players to feel even more different from one another — which they already do, but a bit less than they do on PES. Although the developers have tried a lot at their end, they can still improve more. Don’t expect any major changes except a few tweaks here and there based on the user experience so far.
Expect Graphics Improvements
Since FIFA 18 will work on the same Frostbite 4 engine, not any major developments can be foreseen, but EA Sports is surely going to give more attention to detail — they should. While player likeness stands out in the game, crowd details, as well as manager likeness, can be retouched and made better. Graphics get better with each passing instalment of the game and this time won’t be any different as the designers are sure to give sharper animations to players running, kicking as well as falling after a tackle. Glitches like player’s hands disappearing when they touch their heads might not be as concerning, but it sure adds up to the complete experience of the game — we do want our players to have hands that don’t vanish into thin air.
Cristiano Ronaldo: Best Player and Cover Star
Cristiano Ronaldo has had another great season in the world of football and shall be crowned the top player of FIFA franchise yet again, with a slight boost on his overall in the new game — to reflect his real life achievements. FIFA 17’s team of the year update is going to make it to the titles soon, and CR7 is surely going to star in that too. Messi’s rights are now owned by Konami, who make FIFA’s rival PES, so it’s highly likely, actually, scratch that — Cristiano Ronaldo will adorn the covers of FIFA 18 titles.
The Journey will get a Boost
The Journey was an amazing addition to the title last year, and we are surely going to see more upgrades to the new feature this year as people get settled in and get used to Alex Hunter and are left asking for more. This feature is kind of a glorified version of the ‘Be a Pro’ feature on FIFA’s previous titles but nonetheless adds enough glamour and feel of the game to be upgraded. We might also see more than just Alex Hunter this year in The Journey mode and might as well get to customise our own pro and start a journey with him.
VR
It’s a possibility that FIFA will indulge into VR gaming experience. Don’t be psyched yet, you running around as a player is still a far-fetched idea, but maybe getting the view from the stands might just be a viable idea FIFA might be working on. Virtual Reality has been slowly growing onto people and collaborating gaming and VR tech seems to be the next obvious way to go for game developers as even having VR set enhance the visuals — making the game look like it’s being played on a big screen is worth it right now.
Women’s Football: Something We Want
One of the most welcome features that were added to FIFA 16, Women’s Football players’ inclusion was the rave of the year, but nothing major happened towards the same end in FIFA 17. Here’s hoping that not only do the international teams get an update, but there is some headway made into including Women’s Football Clubs to the fold too. The game will be released the same time of the year as every year — September 2017 — and EA Access members might get a little bit before the rest of us.
