FIFA 17: 8 Things EA Still Can't Get Right

8. Crowds

With even more licensed and perfectly-replicated stadiums available in FIFA 17, you would think that EA may have finally addressed the issues with the poor crowd designs that have plagued the series for years.

Unfortunately, they haven’t. The fans still look terrible, they still react unrealistically to the events on the field, and the strangely negative reactions to slide challenges that marred last year’s Pro Evolution Soccer seem to have crept in as well (it’s nowhere near as bad as PES 2016, but the boos and jeers that occur when someone even attempts a sliding tackle are still noticeable).

With console power getting bigger and better each generation, and with upgraded consoles on their way, there’s no excuse for EA to neglect the crowds. There are games on the PS2 that made more of an effort with crowds than FIFA do.

World Championship Rugby, released in 2004, showed short cutscenes of fans celebrating, waving to the camera or holding their heads in their hands following tries and conversions. It was primitive, but at least it made an effort to engage with the crowd and make the game really feel like it was being played in an actual stadium.