This series has collected accolades as the best soccer game out there, and I don't dispute that. As an almost haughty acknowledgement of the near-perfect action on the field, there isn't much that's different for this year's installment. Instead, Konami has turned its attention to solidifying some of the sim aspects of its franchise. It's not a quantum leap, but it's the kind of adjustments that will only endear the faithful to this already beloved series even more.

Gameplay wise, it's very hard to see much that's different from last year. That sounds like laziness on Konami's part, but it already runs as smooth as the bald head of "Kojak" Collina. Positioning is very important in this iteration, as players jostle and interact better when it comes to dribbling and steals. I also like how teams play with different strategies, making you adjust your offense and defense accordingly.