EA has also tinkered with the ball physics to allow for more varied flight paths than in previous titles. In the past, you could pretty much guarantee a goal when the ball was struck from certain positions. Now the ball can dip, spin, or spiral not-so-cleanly off your player’s boot. This randomization is even more noticeable if you strike the ball off-balance, or shoot using a player with less lethal finishing. On the other hand, less predictable flight paths means more opportunities to score those wonder goals that flick into the top corner or skim in off the crossbar. Change is good but there’s no logic to the way FIFA 16 plays compared to its predecessor. It’s neither better nor worse, just completely different. And you get the horrible feeling next year is going to take the opposite approach once again, simply because nobody can think of any substantial improvements or new ideas to justify another ￡60 purchase.

 

The lack of meaningful advancement isn’t just limited to the gameplay, as the interface and single-player modes are so similar to FIFA 16 we almost expected EA to describe this as a ‘Legacy Edition’. They haven’t even bothered to copy across new ideas introduced in their last gen-only World Cup game, despite things like making training drills part of the career mode being such obviously good ideas. This bounty is wrapped in stirring TV-style presentation that makes even the pause screen attractive. The commentary announces the sides’ lineups, replays past goals, delivers more timely analysis, and even goes back to comments interrupted by the action. The new player emotion feature is surprisingly unremarkable, but I frankly don't care when the overall package is otherwise this good.

 

It opens up a whole new world of unique attacking advantages (or disadvantages, if you believe the assertion that it’s the only time you have 10 men on the pitch without being shown a red card). Most importantly, you can now skip that irritating phase when there are two balls on the pitch. Corners have also been enhanced, with special tactics activated by pressing one of the four directions on the D-pad. Rather than just hoofing the ball hopefully into the box you can instruct players to crowd the keeper, make a run to the near or far post, or drop to the edge of the box. How successful they are depends on your delivery of the ball and the quality of the defending, but it’s nice to finally have some tactical options at set pieces. While the publisher's first efforts in its transition to Xbox One and PS4 last year were gorgeous in their own right, FIFA 16 makes a bigger stride in delivering presentational elements that set it apart from other sports games. Players emote in ways that help tell the on-field story of soccer from near-missed goals to celebratory last-second triumphs. Similar to Madden 15's post-whistle, in-engine animations, every digital footballer on the field reacts and animates based on the circumstances of the on-field play.

 

Colliding opponents might stand up and push one another while jawing for a moment, or a player might turn to their teammate and give them a thumbs-up after missing a shot to let them know the missed goal was the fault of their foot, not a bad pass. A player might discuss their foul with the referee, or even run up and smack the flag in the corner of the field. Some moments play out in the engine, but most are close-up cuts to the animations, often accompanied by expertly-delivered lines from the returning commentary team, Martin Tyler and Alan Smith. Sports games often tout "like it looks on TV" presentation, but FIFA 16's broadcast style is much more lifelike thanks to these subtle changes.

 

FIFA 16 is not quite the great leap forward that many would have hoped for but it’s a bigger jump than it initially appears to be. The changes, although infuriating to begin with as they make you re-learn elements of your game, ultimately make for a more realistic game of football. There’s more nuance, more fidelity in the tactical systems and there’s greater movements from the players on the pitch. In a series that is synonymous with incremental improvements, FIFA 16 manages to feel like more of an evolutionary leap. Elsewhere, aside cosmetic touches, the only major change is to the online lobbies, which are far better to use, and show you live updates and scores while you wait to join the next match. You can also have more control over scouting players to join your Pro Club, but in truth, it’s likely most people are going to stick with their friend-group, anyway.