There's a lot more to sport than just what takes place during the games, and developers have started to tap into all that surrounds them with more narrative-driven ways to play sports video games in recent years. A story mode makes its debut in "FIFA 17" and it has proven to be a natural fit.
In "The Journey," you play as a character named Alex Hunter, somewhat of a departure from the typical career mode where the idea is to place yourself into the story. In this case, it works well as the context of what takes place and various interactions are more grounded and believable.
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The story begins with Hunter as a child and runs through a debut season in the Premier League. EA Sports has done a good job of pacing the story well alongside the user-involvement, which includes playing in the games, completing drills to improve ratings and acquire new skills, and interacting with other characters. There's a built-in conversation system that offers up three responses to choose from, and based on the attitude reflected by Hunter, his relationships with managers, teammates and fans will be affected.
Like most story modes, the focus naturally shifts to the main character, which can negatively influence the way games are played. You can choose to play as the full team, or control only Hunter, but either way you'll feel pressured to funnel the ball his way and force things to try to boost his match grade. This is especially the case when he's just a substitute and has limited minutes, and the only real way to reach the grade the manager wants is to score a goal — something that's a rare occurrence normally for any player, but the pressure is on to make it happen regularly.
The story is well written, acted and scored, and reflects the ups and downs that might be expected early on in a promising career, with drama and emotion that develop naturally. "The Journey" also succeeds in being an introduction to the series for novices, with the opportunity to grow along the way and better transition into the more traditional ways to play.
The other heavily marketed feature with "FIFA 17" is the introduction of the Frostbite Engine. Where it makes the biggest difference is with the visuals, which have taken a big step forward particularly with the lighting and the player models. Only the crowd now looks to be outdated, but atmosphere within the stadiums remains one of the best aspects of the series.
Where "FIFA 17" didn't show much progress was with its other modes. The game still offers up a great deal of content and a terrific online suite of features, but clearly the primary effort this year went toward "The Journey" and the integration of Frostbite. Ultimate Team and Career Mode will be very familiar to those who have played in recent years, but do have a few minor new features that will provide additional challenges within them. Unfortunately, there is still no online franchise type of mode, as resources instead are being heavily (and somewhat understandably) funneled toward the revenue-generating Ultimate Team. However, for one of the highest-selling games in the world on an annual basis that also rakes in hundreds of millions in digital revenue, there's no excuse for that still being non-existent in the franchise.
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In terms of gameplay, there are some good things to report. Increased physicality and the ability to better shield the ball and retain possession is notable. New set pieces and options during them are interesting to utilize, but do take some time to learn. There are some legacy issues still present, but those frustrations are beginning to be minimized. Gameplay in "FIFA" may not be quite as refined as that found in its competitor, but it's in a steady place and is generally fun to play.
"FIFA 17" is a well-rounded product offering up tons of official licenses, several different ways to play, including the intriguing story mode, excellent online features and performance, and gameplay that is accessible and enjoyable. It may feel a little too familiar in some areas, but the additions and improvements that were made have helped to reinvigorate a series which began to stagnate in recent years. 
"FIFA 17" was reviewed on Xbox One and is also available for PlayStation 4 and PC.
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the Press Row Podcast, and be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre.