Get a glimpse of FIFA 17 with the game's first official trailer

Published Jun. 6, 2016 3:30 p.m. ET

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Andrew Lynch

Good news, soccer fans! The long wait for FIFA 17 is almost over.

Well, kind of. You're still going to have to be patient for another three months, which seems like a lifetime. For now, though, we at least have the first official trailer -- with a voice-over from Jose Mourinho, no less -- to tide us over until demos begin:

You'll probably note one very distinct different right off the bat: there's no Lionel Messi on the cover. Instead, FIFA is going with a four-pane this time around, featuring Real Madrid's James Rodriguez, Manchester United's Anthony Martial, Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Dortmund's Marco Reus. 

The trailer offers a brief glimpse of the newest cover athletes taking part in motion capture for the game, which will feature a new engine called "FrostBite." According to the official release, FrostBite was developed by the minds behind EA's Battlefield series of games and aims to deliver "authentic, true-to-life action, takes players to new football worlds, and introduces fans to characters full of depth and emotion."

That's all well and good, but FIFA players would likely settle for a more robust AI; FIFA 16 was at times criticized for computer-controlled opponents who were too good at maintaining possession and computer-controlled teammates who were too good at giving the ball away. Although to be fair, some of that is undoubtedly user error; many diehard FIFA players appreciated the new passing system for adding an unprecedented level of control in the midfield, even if it limited the impact that faster players such as Ronaldo could have in the attacking half.

But each iteration of FIFA has been better than the next, and we expect FIFA 17 to continue that tradition and make the necessary adjustments. Until then, we'll be counting down the days until September 29, when the game is released in North America.

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