FIFA 17 , thanks mainly to The Journey, feels like a reintroduction to the things that have made this series EA Sports' pride and joy for the past eight years. It may be a safe and well-trod story path, but it's walked with characters I cared about.

Frostbite Fidelity; Goals galore; Compelling story mode;

Set-piece nightmares; Hit-and-miss build up play;

For me, football (or soccer, depending on what part of the world you occupy) is an integral part of who I am. While it might sound like an exaggeration, it's influenced the friends I've made, the clothes I wear and, in the example of EA Sports's FIFA series, the games I play.

The best thing a sports franchise can do is take a risk. In the standard annualized cycle, sports games tout smaller improvements that can help the overall experience, but these bumps rarely wow the player.

The Journey is a unique experience; Same enjoyable on-pitch action; Ultimate Team continues to improve; Improved visually

While unique; The Journey can get a bit repetitive; Gameplay needs a new feature

FIFA 17 doesn't need much of an introduction as everybody knows all about the FIFA franchise. It is a game endorsed by one of the biggest organisations in the world, after all.

There's a lot to be said for the popularity of the FIFA franchise over the past 10 years. Its rise has been pretty similar to that of the real game, to the EPL especially and to the ever growing marketing trend that aligns with the sport.

The Journey is great l Lots of Content l Ultimate Teams with new challenges l Production Value

Annoying commentary l Same AI issues remain l A bit too much emphasis on pace

Following in the footsteps of EA's very own Fight Night Champion from 2011, FIFA 17 introduces a story mode to the series for the very first time. The Journey, as it's called, is easily the headline feature of this year's game, and it's a mode that has obviously had a lot of effort put into it.

"FIFA 17 feels like an evolution, rather than a marginal update."

EA Vancouver introduces some pretty significant new features in their flagship sports sim. Are they successful? Disclosure: FIFA 17 was partly reviewed at a one-day event in EA Vancouver, with the rest being played at home. Airfare and hotel was covered by Electronic Arts.

My son loves this game improvement is much better and he got his early after being released will buy again from zavi .