FIFA 17: 7 Big New Additions You Need To Know
1. Physical Play
And finally, no new version of FIFA would be complete with an original mechanic that had "problematic" written all over it, and '17 will be no exception.
In an attempt to bring more realism to the game's physicality, EA have developed what they're calling "pushback technology", which allows two players to contest the ball while running, factoring in balance, strength, and position to produce "real-time physical interactions". They've done this by creating a whole series of realistic animations that clashes will have fairly realistic outcomes.
While this has obvious implications for standing tackles and trying to nick the ball away at pace, the most interesting element of the new feature is that the collision detection advancements (stay with me) mean you'll be able to protect the ball, in real-time, around 360 degrees using the left trigger. This will allow players to finally control an incoming high ball that they're jostling for, rather than simply having to win the header and knock it on.
That's right, if you've got the stronger striker, you can hold a defender off and control a 50 yard pass on your chest, before bringing it down and rolling it to a team-mate. McHardy explains; "up until now, if the ball was in the air, as long as one player pressed header, both had to go in and head it, you werent able to bring the ball down to your feet. It brings a whole new element to our in-air play. If you have a big strong player upfront, you can take advantage of that and try to bring the ball down to start the attack from there.
All in all, the physical contents of FIFA are now going to be controlled by triggered, contextual animations. Which means that your shoulder tackles, seal-outs, and step-ins should (repeat, should) look and feel far more realistic. Naturally though, that could be a total disaster.
What do you think of the new additions to FIFA17? Everything you were hoping for, or have they missed some glaring things out? Let us know in the comments.