FIFA remains utterly dominant off-the-pitch, however. Of course it has the extensive licensing, accurate kits and stadium facsimiles, but even beyond that its presentation is immaculate. It looks great, with lavish animation (which doesn't seem quite as drawn out as previous years) and smart lighting but special mention must go to the sound. The ball has a satisfying thud, cannoning off feet, posts and advertising hoardings with a wonderful 'wumph'.
Graphically, FIFA 16 hasn't changed all that much since last year's iteration. There's some better lighting and more detail to be found in many of the included stadiums, but player models still look slightly awkward at times, and some embarrassing clipping issues remain, if you know where to find them. Make no mistake, though - this is still an attractive footy sim, it's just that we'd like to see a bit of an update on the visual side of things by the time that FIFA 17 rolls around. As it stands, FIFA's looked just about the same since it first appeared on the PlayStation 4 - and that was three games ago.
Which side you take is a question of faith. Because, particularly for a FIFA Ultimate Team devotee, the feeling that directionless and seemingly arbitrary changes are being made to the way FIFA plays each year is a troubling one. I'd like to believe that these guys know what they're doing; that the fact that my 92 pace striker won't be able to out-sprint a 42 pace defender for another 12 months is all part of a richer playing experience. But with hundreds of hours of my life at stake, each year that optimism becomes just that little bit harder to tap into.
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Draft mode isn’t the only concession to accessibility. Inter-match drills are better than ever, teaching genuinely useful skills and strategies, while a new built-in trainer surrounds the current player with a glowing ring plus context-sensitive prompts for appropriate buttons to press. Old-hands can switch it off quickly and without remorse, but if you’re trying to learn FIFA or teach someone else, you’ll find the trainer’s tips invaluable.
Though it seems to take longer for strikers to get their shots away, and the best female players don’t quite have the close control of the superstars of the men’s game, these matches are often more dynamic, unpredictable, and exciting. The main caveat is that women’s games seem far more prone to random glitches: I got a bug that rendered one pre-match tackling exercise uncompletable, while on three separate occasions my defensive line stayed rooted to the edge of the 18-yard box, leaving me with little support going forward.
It doesn’t matter how good you are at defending: switch off for a second, and these ridiculous runs can cause real problems. And that’s why people try this type of nonsense so often - it sometimes works. FIFA 16 Ultimate Team provides a great game of soccer when you’re on the pitch, but it’s watered down by everything off the field. FIFA 16 Ultimate Team is good, but it’s not as good as it could be because it doesn’t cater to individual preferences.
So, as you've probably realized from my earlier ramblings on the genius that is FIFA International Soccer from EA Sports, I’m a bit of an addicted FIFA gamer and it was only going to be a matter of time before my two sons Daniel who is 10 and Christopher who is 8 became as reliant on it as I have been since 1994. Last seasons FIFA 15 was that year, and now, having played a few games of FIFA 16 with them I’m beginning to feel like the teacher who has been taken over by his students.
Players yell and the crowd roars, reacting in a believable way to the action on the pitch and singing songs you might recognize from the terraces (the first time my crowd murmured into the familiar 'Watford FC' refrain at Vicarage Road had me beaming). While the on-pitch action should always be the number one concern, these things matter, creating an atmosphere that give a sense of occasion to matches.
