FIFA 19 Vs PES 19

The beautiful game goes more than skin deep.

- Ben Wilson

If you’re a long-standing FIFA fan, some good news: EA’s latest football effort packs in all the licenses you love. If you’re a long-standing FIFA critic, even better news: EA’s latest football effort packs in all the licenses you love to hate. Whichever your side of the digi-footy fence, the big deal this year is the addition of the Champions League – and it will only reinforce those opinions, in the minds of both diehards and cry-hards.

FIFA’s colossal new tie-in brings fresh commentators in the exuberant Derek Rae and raw-but-likeable Lee Dixon, and all the appropriate presentation aspects such as official overlays, balls and music. Yet it’s the manner of its integration which is more substantial. Alongside sister competitions the Europa League and Super Cup, it slots into career mode with all the correct qualification rules, and the live draw for each round appearing as a news event. In Ultimate team, it manifests itself via new performance-related player items. And it’s included as a standalone competition, or part of the reworked Kick Off experience. Tidy.