With FIFA 17 being unveiled at EA Play there’s plenty of new features to be discussed. The game looks set to be one of the biggest leaps forward in the series for some time and Football FanCast have been fortunate to play the latest instalment. Here are some of the best features of the game due in late September.

The main improvements and additions to the game have been spread into three sections. First of all FIFA 17 will run on the Frostbite engine for the first time in the series’ history. Frostbite has been used on the likes of the Battlefield series – another EA title – and has the aim of bringing the players to life.

The graphics and lighting are far improved on FIFA 17 and with a raft of new player expressions and emotions the game becomes a great deal more immersive. It’s reportedly been a two-year process to apply the game to it but from early impressions it’s been worth the wait.

Speaking to Nick Channon, FIFA 17’s producer, he told us just what working with Frostbite has meant for the latest title.

“It’s incredibly exciting, it’s great innovation and the shared technology within the company now allows us to work more closely with titles like Battlefield for story creation.”

And it’s this ability to create better stories that have led EA to be able to introduce a new game mode, arguably the biggest addition to the game since Ultimate Team. It’s called The Journey and is something we’ve never seen from the game before.

The Journey sees the player follow the career of Alex Hunter from starting out trying to secure a professional deal to becoming a hero for his club. It’s similar to ‘be a pro’ where you control one player but far more detailed and the storyline behind it demonstrates the amount of thought gone into the mode.

The new Frostbite engine really comes into its own here, as scenes take place from Alex Hunter’s bedroom as he receives calls from his agent to the dressing room before a game. The Journey also employs a number of flashpoints where you decide how Hunter reacts to scenarios, moulding him not only as a player but as a personality off of the pitch.

The game’s makers have really tried to capture what it’s like to be a professional footballer with the story’s authenticity aided by those that play the game at the highest level, recording their voices and introducing Premier League managers to the touchline. Yes, Premier League managers will be in the game for the first time.

FIFA 17’s gameplay is also markedly improved with the game appointing Marco Reus, James Rodriguez, Eden Hazard and Anthony Martial as ‘ambassadors’ to make all aspects of the game more accurate. There’s been a complete set piece overhaul, corners now give the player more control as to where the ball goes as well as the ability to control those attacking the ball before the cross comes in. Free kicks have also been revamped as you stay with the camera behind the taker for the whole shot and the same can be said for penalties, where no green sweet-spot needs to be hit. It’s all about controlling the run up and then picking your spot when stepping up.

There’s also been a real effort on the physical side of the game. Winning the ball in the air and bringing it down whilst jostling has been introduced as well as the ability to shrug off challenges more effectively just like in a top level fixture. Collisions with the ‘keeper are now possible and ‘pushback technology’ has been bought into play – improving the balance and impact engine of the players.

One of the most exciting new gameplay features has to be the better use of space the AI employs. Often on FIFA 16 stalemates would occur with strikers being completely dominated by defenders but now getting forward is an absolute thrill ride with players breaking from deep and making diagonal runs exploiting space that they wouldn’t have done in the old game. The whole feel to the attacking make-up of the game is different this year and allows for much better chance creation that its previous version.

Speaking to Nick about the improved use of space, he told us: “FIFA 16 was the base for this. We introduced having to build attacks through midfield but sometimes this meant the old game was quite tight. We wanted to keep midfield play but open it up with more runs into space.” Certainly, building on what they had has proven to have gone well from initial impressions as the game now feels great to attack with.

Overall, the game is a winner. EA have really gone for a more immersive game than just playing football matches and the use of the Frostbite engine makes this a worthwhile exercise. The game is much more free flowing that its predecessor and encourages creative expansive attacking and that’s really what football should be about. EA have wanted to make this the most realistic edition yet and have done so whilst returning to what makes us buy these games in the first place – they’re just really good fun to play and FIFA 17 certainly ticks that box.