Evolution Of FIFA 15 - 21 Years Of Incredible Football Graphics

18. FIFA Road To World Cup 98

If FIFA 97 was EA Canada gaining confidence with new hardware, FIFA Road To World Cup 98 was the moment they found their groove. It's the FIFA title many will remember as the watershed moment, the moment the franchise had come of age. The polygonal footballers from the year before underwent a subtle but meaningful overhaul, with recognizable features and hairstyles, bringing them closer in line with their real life counterparts. EA Sports used their FIFA World Cup license to the full, replicating 16 stadiums and all 172 official national teams, all recreated in their proper kit and so on. It looked great, and it played like a dream too. The now ancient 16-bit consoles had their last shout with FIFA Road To World Cup 98, another mild update of a tired game engine, marking the end of an impressive six year run. Oh, and we've intentionally overlooked the actual World Cup games for this list, but Road To World Cup 98 falls within the core canon.

17. FIFA 99

After the stunning Road To World Cup 98 iteration, FIFA 99 was quite a tame evolution. Yes, the lighting and weather effects were better, and there were even more differentiating features for the players - more accurate modeling, moving mouths when sounding off at the ref, neat cut scenes spliced into the gameplay - but the overall look was very much the same. The gameplay was boosted by a smoother, quicker pace and framerate to match, while the inclusion of more league teams than ever before made FIFA 99 a must-have update for club football supporters. Hardcore FIFA acolytes would also have enjoyed the advanced player editor, but for casual fans this was one of those years you could afford to sit out and wait for the FIFA train to come around again.