The wait is almost over—FIFA 17 hits the shelves on Tuesday, September 27, in the United States, while the rest of the world will have it on Thursday.
The game has been improved upon in many ways since last year, from the graphics to the gameplay, with new modes and additional features adding to the excellent overall package.
Here's a quick look at some of the gameplay:
For more information, check out Bleacher Report UK's review of FIFA 17 here.
Among the game's new features is a more in-depth Career Mode when taking charge as a manager. The first improvement many players will notice is the additional transfer funds available to Premier League clubs.
The Premier League hit an unprecedented level of spending over the summer as the English top flight shelled out a record £1 billion on players. Recently, FIFA has felt a bit behind in that regard, with transfer budgets and prize money in Career Mode not quite representative of the riches on offer—until now.
Here are the starting transfer budgets for each Premier League side in Career Mode:
The other most notable changes are to the day-to-day running of the club, from managing the finances to meeting the board's expectations, which differ from club to club.
For example, Manchester City will place critical importance on domestic and continental success, in addition to brand exposure, but youth development is of a low priority, and thanks to their wealth, improving the finances is even less of a concern.
By contrast, the likes of Southampton or Tottenham Hotspur will want to see young players brought through, and clubs such as Burnley and Hull City demand financial stability and improvement.
The targets offer far more depth than in previous years and make each club a unique challenge. Here are some of the more difficult outfits to take charge of.
Hull City
Hull City kicking off their 2016-17 Premier League campaign with two wins from two games—including an opening-day victory over champions Leicester City—was a huge surprise with just 13 fit senior players, no permanent manager and no new signings.
The Tigers eventually made six signings in the final two days of the window, including the likes of Dieumerci Mbokani and Ryan Mason, and while the pair are likely to be key figures in your starting lineup on FIFA, there's not a huge amount of quality to work with.
The same can be said of several other clubs battling to avoid the drop, but most of them have one or two star players—often with ratings of 80 or higher—to build the team around in your first season, such as Alvaro Negredo and Victor Valdes at Middlesbrough, Jack Wilshere at Bournemouth or Jermain Defoe at Sunderland.
Further, Hull seriously lack strength in depth—beyond the first XI there is a very small handful of players with ratings in the low 70s, and the majority of their reserves aren't even 60-rated.
With the lowest transfer budget in the Premier League, the Tigers will struggle to add much quality or depth to the squad, and FIFA players will also need to be mindful of the club's finances.
Keeping Hull in the black is a top priority for the powers that be at the KCOM Stadium in the game—indeed, players of the game will be tasked with reducing player wages by £42,500 per week and making a minimum £25.5 million of profit at the end of the first transfer window.
Signing a marquee player can help raise brand exposure and sell shirts—not to mention add much-needed quality to the team—but the money spent on recruiting him and paying his wages can equally make hitting those financial targets extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Players who progressed in this mode on FIFA 16 will be rewarded with bonuses, such as an improved transfer budget or access to better scouts—to succeed with Hull, these rewards will be invaluable.
Tottenham Hotspur
Unlike Hull, Spurs aren't lacking for talent—with the likes of Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli, their squad is packed with quality and potential. Kane and Alli's ratings can be seen here:
Naturally, they're an ambitious outfit, but meeting their equally lofty expectations will be a real test for many players.
Although none of the board's demands are given a "critical" priority, they're all high except for the financial, which is medium.
That the club would hope for a top-four finish is to be expected—which will still be difficult in itself as that requires competing with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and both Manchester clubs at the very least, not to mention the likes of Leicester City or Everton—but the board also charge you with reaching the final of the UEFA Champions League in just two years.
At the same time, you'll be expected to reach the FA Cup final, sign a player with high potential—and have his overall rating increase by 10—recruit four youth players into your first team and give them at least 20 appearances, all in your first season.
The board will also expect you to finish the campaign with £177.5 million in profit.
Falling short of some aims in your first season won't necessarily cost you your job, but having to balance all the expectations—the majority of which are given a high priority at White Hart Lane—really adds to the challenge.
All in all, you'll have new respect for real-life boss Mauricio Pochettino after you take control of the Lilywhites.