Yeah, I am a sim guy.
You dont want to know the TIME i have invested in trying to make Fifa 20 a simulation. The sliders tweaking. The players attributes editing. Hundreds of matches simulated all for nothing.
Why? Because, you see, newer Fifas (at least for F20 I am 99.99% sure) have inbuilt technology of adjusting the level of AI according to previous results.
The correlation is obvious. I have noted it many many times, when a TEAM A trashes TEAM B statistically (shots, possesion etc.), in the next match TEAM B gets a bonus and almost ALWAYS the stats look much more balanced, even beyond that.
Another thing - the game speed just randomizes up and down and you cant do anything about it. And it has IMMENSE impact on the simulation, especially in F20 which is so heavily dependant on speed and acceleration of players.
Even Fifa 18, which is probably the best comprehensive Fifa product since the Frostbite incorporation, has that problem. Random speed and slowing up of the gameplay destroying the quality balance between teams. Suddenly Japan starts to be very competitive against Argentina.
Fifa 22 just looks AWFUL in defense. I have never seen anything like that. Defenders drop back deep in their keeper's box and sit there passively. At the same time, midfielders step into the 16m box, but wont do anything against the opposing attacker receving the ball in the shooting area by himself, 2m away!!
Unbeliavable crap! And you cant override that bull**** by sliders.
I havent even tried to do any work with Fifa 23, I just didnt like the gameflow from the first second I saw that game. It just cannot be good for sim, as well.
So, you say Fifa 14 is great. I will try.
Some say F16 is good as well, I can aquire it, but not sure about f14.