3. Player Movement
This was it, the clincher in my argument for years when discussing Pro Evo's superiority. Bold claims about official licenses mean nothing when your full-back has no concept of over-lapping, I said. And I always knew I'd be proved right. FIFA has greatly improved over the years but when the two games are compared side by side, there really is no competition. The genius of Pro Evo is that the players seem to make mistakes and find themselves out of position (albeit too often in defence), and it's this irregularity that keeps the game exciting, the player always thinking, trying to create and exploit weaknesses, and if that goes wrong you can always blame the player, and not yourself. This blame-tactic made the Pro Evo career modes that little bit more enjoyable as players were encouraged to form an attachment to the players and their various foibles. FIFA's tedium is partly due to a system based on speed and whether the player is stupid or not. It lacks nuances that vary a striker's movement, or whether the centre midfielder should drift out wide to allow the full-back to cut inside. It does feel like I'm embellishing the differences somewhat, but it stems from an overall feel. One of fluid football, and one of Stoke. And again, there can only be one winner in those stakes as well.