It needed a bit of tuition, however, to see some of the subtleties of the game and interestingly our two favourite additions are more in line with the kind of button modifiers we've come to expect from FIFA in the past. First up is the ability to play a more accurate cross ball while making a run down the flanks.
By holding down R1 and L1 the attacking player will slow down, take close control of the ball and look up to see where to play the ball. Hitting the long ball button then plays a far more accurate, targetted pass into the box, allowing us (in one instance) to pick out a striker with pinpoint accuracy. It's a clever addition that doesn't feel overly forced and makes ground on what was previously a bit of a hit and hope.
But the best new feature is the dive. Having said that, it might also turn out to be the worst if used against you.Sure to prove controversial (what next, a shirt tug button? a spit button?) it allows you to commit the most cynical of football crimes and try and trick a hapless ref into awarding you a free kick.
In order to pull it off you hold down L2, L1 and R1 and watch your player theatrically slump to the floor. The guy playing aginst us tried it once and got away with it (the bastard) but fortunately not in a dangerous area. However, our botched attempt in the box just resulted in the correct decision - a yellow card for the offender.
Our advice is, don't actually tell your regular playing partner about it. Hide the manual. Anything. We're just imagining the situations where a dirty dive unnoticed could turn the fortunes of a game and lose you a few games - especially in an online scenario. It could get ugly...
