9. Longevity
Like the excellent, and equally addictive Football Manager franchise, FIFA encourages the player to log in a LOT of hours not only to become the best player you can possibly be and reign supreme in the online leagues, but also so the player can develop a sense of legacy. The career mode and the Ultimate Team mode encourage the player to build their own dynasty, taking over a real life team and stamping their own authority and identity on to it with a new set of players and new tactics. In comparison, PES 2013 feels like a more immediate and thus more disposable experience, with an exceptional on-pitch experience and very good gameplay being slightly let down by the lack of depth in other modes. FIFA 13 is designed to encourage the player to stick around as long as possible, and as close to the next annual addition to the franchise - which is the biggest mark of success of this sort of frequently updated property - and based on what we've seen so far, it will succeed in that endeavour. That isn't to say that PES 2013 will be found gathering dust on gamer shelves in the near future, it's just less likely, considering the game's comparative lack of depth and diversity that it will be as frequently played as FIFA 13 when the autumn release window comes around next year. So, FIFA fans, are you excited for next week's release of the game? Share your thoughts below. You can follow all of our FIFA 13 coverage by heading over to our
dedicated FIFA 13 hub-page. FIFA 13 is released on 28th October.