So the juggernaut rolls on for another year, and what have we got to show for EA Sport’s non-American flagship title?

The Champions League is the biggie. The theme tune, the stupidly ungamely trophy, the Portuguese fellow posing in the corner with his shirt off: it’s all there.

And this shiny European competition is driven firmly into the heart of The Journey’s third installment. Alex Hunter’s story continues, this time alongside his best mate Danny and sister Kim who get a run-out for a three-strong attack on this engrossing, questionably scripted tale.

Kick Off has some fresh bits for local play (sadly, not online) with a bunch of great rules available for those who would rather rip up the rule book. Eliminate offsides, rule out certain types of goals and get a sweat on for survival mode. There are some other additions to Kick Off, mostly statistic-related and none of them particularly interesting.

There are a few tactical tweaks at hand with Dynamic Tactics, for those who want more than a pick-up-and-play title. It’s a hit-and-miss affair, though, and certainly sucks up gaming time to get it right. The unrealistic beauty is that getting it right with one team should see it succeed against all the rest, so similar are the AI patterns.

Timing is a big deal, and double-tapping the shoot button launches a ‘timed finish’. Get it right and the results are obvious. For me, though, it needlessly clutters the system.

Not a lot has changed with Ultimate Team, save for the new Division Rivals mode which matches players with similar levels in the hunt for glorious prizes. Otherwise the status quo remains, which is fine because it really isn’t broken.

Other than the new stuff, you won’t find the gameplay too much different from 18. The first touches are a little nicer, but PES still has the edge when it comes to how the game feels as a game of football. But that hasn’t stopped you in the past, now has it? Hell, it's worth it just for the effort they've put in to Sterling's flappy-handed running style.