8. Ultimate Team
FIFA Ultimate Team feels like a game entirely of its own, channelling the huge appeal of fantasy football and Football Manager to allow players to build and trade their own teams of stars. It's a hugely addictive addition to the main game, also channeling that wonderful child-like joy of buying and unwrapping Panini sticker packs, which makes it a huge money-driver for the developers without feeling too much like an obligatory addition. This year, EA Sports have rebuilt the system with new players in mind as well as introducing some new features to bring even more depth to the game, and Ultimate Team is a lot better for the developments. It might have already suffered an exploit, but Ultimate Team will still be a resounding success - and indeed the fan reaction to the conduct of those players naughty enough to take advantage of the exploit to flood the market with inaccessible star players and boost their own finances hugely proves exactly how highly regarded the sub-game is. And those players, who are now banned for life, will no doubt be extremely frustrated that EA Sports came down on them so hard. In both cases, the fact that so many players already had access to the game proves how successful Ultimate Team is - as EA Sports made the UT web app available for returning players with a selection of rewards to thank them for returning. A smart marketing move, and a very clever way to retain custom when the biggest rival on the market is making such big strides back to their own success. http://youtu.be/UtT_geeYKAs