Ripping open the case of a new FIFA game is a yearly tradition for most football fans, and whilst there’s a lot of familiarity in this year’s iteration, FIFA 18 is a very different game to any offering in the series thus far.

With single player games modes clearly taking precedent this year, the hard work certainly shows. The rebuilt career mode makes the game far more entertaining, with dynamic transfer dealings and improved video content making the mode far less repetitive. Narrative-based mode ‘The Journey’, which follows the career of Alex Hunter, is also far more engaging and entertaining, also returns and should keep players invested for its duration.

The online modes haven’t been neglected either, with Ultimate Team getting a few minor tweaks to make the gameplay more fluid, whilst Seasons Mode remains as addictive as ever as you look to move up through the leagues.

As is the case every year, updated squads and kits make the game fresher, offering something different for seasoned FIFA veterans regardless of which mode they play. Likewise, improved dynamic lighting and refined graphics make the game a sight to behold, with the benefits of the Frostbite Engine coming to the foreground.

The game is not without flaws, and some players may dislike the reduced pace that this iteration in the series offers, but for the casual player it ticks all of the boxes. FIFA is, at its core, a football game, but as with every year, the improvements made to the latest offering make it a title that fans will find hard to put down for the next 12 months.