5. The Database Update
It might seem like a relatively small factor, but the official roster update that comes with every new version of Football Manager is one of the most exciting aspects, affording players the luxury of seeing their team's new star players start out at the right club, as opposed to having to rely on the Editor to change details. Each year also brings new player ratings, based on SI Games' extensive scouting network and means that players who were perhaps overlooked last year, or underrated are usually at their full potential in the new game. And that highlights a key point - more than any other football title, I tend to trust Football Manager's judgement and the scouting teams who inform the player ratings system. Unlike FIFA and Pro Evo, where there are invariably multiple misjudgements every year in almost every team, SI Games tend to have a more successful hit-rate for judging their players, and it's something that shouldn't be ignored (apart from the odd anomaly in the past, with Rory Delap capable of winning European and World Defender of the Year for two seasons running once, memorably.)