As expected, FIFA 18 made its gameplay debut at the Electronic Arts Press Conference in Los Angeles today, revealing a several slick cuts of new cover athlete Cristiano Ronaldo (and others) darting left and right as they navigate the ball beyond opponents. The first official gameplay trailer for FIFA 18 didn't have any long cuts of uninterrupted  gameplay, but it does build up the feeling of anticipation and drama, aided by player movement data reportedly fueled by Ronaldo himself.

While the crowds featured in the FIFA franchise have transitioned from PS2-era cardboard cutouts into legitimate 3D objects for the current generation of consoles, it looks like FIFA 18 has put a strong focus on making these stadiums come alive. If the new trailer is to be taken at face value, gone are the days where crowds simply consist of a team's home or away colors, with a more realistic blend of fans wearing other garb now dispersing the sea of uniformity. In short, it goes a long way to make the atmosphere seem much more vibrant and realistic

We compiled a list of improvements we hope to see in FIFA 18, and while the above trailer hasn't answered those questions, the latest entry to the FIFA franchise looks like has a high degree of polish attached to it. While gamers can expect this level of pomp and circumstance on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, it should be noted that the Nintendo Switch version won't be powered by the Frostbite engine, so some of the aforementioned atmospheric improvements may be lost in translation.

Beyond the gameplay trailer, EA Sports also revealed that the story of Alex Hunter would be continued in a new iteration of The Journey, with the game centering the drama around where Alex Hunter would transfer to after the events from FIFA 17 have concluded. The trailer for the new version of The Journey featured several cameo appearances from professional athletes and managers alike, so player should expect many more familiar faces to play a larger role than the mode's inaugural showing last year.

What do you think about the first look at FIFA 18 gameplay, Ranters?

FIFA 18 is slated to launch on September 29, 2017 on Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

Source: YouTube