Evolution Of FIFA 15 - 21 Years Of Incredible Football Graphics

12. FIFA 2004

This year's edition saw more incremental advancements to the individual player models - by now it was easy to pick out the big name footballers on the pitch based on their play styles and their physical attributes. The polygon count had shot up incredibly over the past few years, which meant more rounded features, hugely improved facial mapping and just more handsome players in general. Within reason, of course. A chap like Rooney is going to take more than an increased polygon count to suddenly be good looking. Stadium architecture was upped once again, and we were edging closer and closer to authentic crowds to fill these impressive stands. But it takes more than a shiny recreation of Old Trafford to win hearts, and at this point the consensus was that Pro Evo was still the game to beat.

11. FIFA 2005

Actual graphical fidelity wasn't refined all that much for FIFA 2005, but the overall look of the game was boosted by the impeccable animation system employed here. There was a physicality between the players which had been tried before but never with such authenticity as it was in this 2004 release. Players barged and jostled with one another, battling for dominance on the field in a most believable fashion. These improvements to the motion capture, as well as the way players seemed to react to the ball and one another in a dynamic, free-form way, made a game of FIFA look more and more like you were watching the real thing. More importantly for EA, it was around this point that specific gameplay developments started to pull people away from Konami's competing franchise for the first time in years. It would a while before FIFA re-established complete dominance, but FIFA 2005 was a step in that direction.