FIFA 17: Release Date, Top Player Ratings, New Features, Preview and More

The return of a legendary franchise occurs Tuesday, September 27 when FIFA 17 hits store shelves.

Led by cover star Marco Reus, the game promises to once again give the fans the most realistic sim experience possible with notable changes in all areas. It's not simply a graphics overhaul this time, not with EA Sports going above and beyond by implementing a new physics system.

Here are the necessary release details:

EA Access Release Date	Official Release Date	Systems	Sale Price
Thursday, September 22 (Requires $4.99 EA Access Monthly Subscription)	North America: Tuesday, September 27. Worldwide: Thursday, September 29.	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One	$59.99

Whether it is the physics, epic new story mode or something else, FIFA 17 is quite a bit more than an annual upgrade to keep things moving along.

Top Player Ratings

Player	Rating
Cristiano Ronaldo	94
Lionel Messi	93
Neymar	92
Luis Suarez	92
Manuel Neuer	92
Gareth Bale	90
Zlatan Ibrahimovic	90
Jerome Boateng	90
Robert Lewandowski	90
David De Gea	90
Sergio Aguero	89
Mesut Ozil	89
Thibaut Courtois	89
Sergio Ramos	89
Luka Modric	89
Thiago Silva	89
Antoine Griezmann	88
Paul Pogba	88
Gonzalo Higuain	88
Pepe	88

More ratings available at EASports.com.

New Features and Preview

The above video did much to hype the new physics engine coming to the series—and for good reason. 

EA Sports has moved to the Frostbite engine. For those quite familiar with the gaming world, it is the engine helping the Battlefield series to stand out in one of the toughest genres to do so. Why? The engine is so smooth, so realistic, it lets players level entire buildings.

FIFA players won't be doing any of that, but Frostbite can make a football simulation better in the same way it can a war simulator. This engine means better ball physics, more fluid player movements and simply more realism in a realm detailed by Tech Radar's Jon Porter:

"Second is dynamic weather. Weather is nothing new for FIFA, where wet conditions will dramatically impact upon the movement of the ball across the pitch, but the movement onto the Frostbite engine will mean that weather can be more dynamic and change throughout the match."

The new features don't stop at physics, though. Using the same physics engine across several games is great from a developmental standpoint and improves user experience, but the addition didn't stop EA Sports from listening to general gameplay improvement wishes.

For one, EA Sports has added new set pieces. Alongside these are improved battles for positioning against a revamped A.I. with a better idea of what to do away from the ball.

Perhaps the new set pieces stand as the most welcome change. Instead of the static and repetitive pieces of the past, users will have more control than ever over how the critical situation plays out.

EA Sports detailed a pair of important changes:

"

Customize your run up on free kicks to create more variety in the spin and movement on the ball. You can now deliver worldies like outside of the foot direct free kicks that bend around the opposition. 

Move freely in your run up on the ball, approach from different angles and at different speeds, and put some personality on your penalties to take control from the spot.

"

FIFA 17 offers upgrades off the pitch, of course.

One notable change is the addition to career mode. EA Sports understands this is where most users flock and remain until the next edition of the game hits shelves, so the developer has worked hard to let those who hang around dive deeper than ever.

This year, users must take control of a team and deal with each club's board, which will have unique goals, expectations and attitudes reflecting the real thing. Sounds intimidating, but fans of teams who want to take over or boast about how they could do a better job, well, here it is.

The feature getting the most hype before release, though, is The Journey.

Following in the footsteps of the Hollywood-esque MyCareer mode from the NBA 2K series, The Journey is a cinematic experience in which players take charge of Alex Hunter.

EA Sports has the right idea here, hitting the mark between sports simulator and RPG. During gameplay, users will attempt to help Hunter leave his mark in the Premier League at any position of their choosing. Off it, users will decide how Hunter interacts with everyone he encounters through an in-depth dialogue system.

On top of all the impressive changes listed, users now have a bona fide way to project themselves into the game and experience what it would be like to forge a living in the football world.

It's all part of the master plan for EA Sports and FIFA 17 as the developer continues to aim for the most realistic and satisfying experience possible.