FIFA 17's Story

The Mass Effectification of FIFA worked better than I could have ever hoped.

- Tom Hatfield

When FiFa 17’s story mode was announced, the response was mostly mockery. Will there be Renegade and Paragon options for post-match interviews? (Yes). Will it end with a ‘suicide match’ consisting of all the characters you’ve met so far? (Sadly, no). Yet when I actually gave it a try it ended up being one of the most unusual and innovative stories I’ve ever played.

Let’s set the tone: the game begins with you, Alex Hunter, as a ten-year-old boy playing football in the park. After winning or losing the match, Alex goes back to his tiny, pokey terraced house and distracts himself playing keepie ups while his parents argue downstairs. This is not the kind of scene I’ve ever encountered in a videogame before. It’s more akin to Eastenders than Mass Effect.

There’s a reason for this: the story is set across a full season of Premier League football and Alex can sign for any team in the division. Because of this, there’s no way