It's a tough ask to expect consumers to give up their hard-earned money on a yearly basis. There's only so much developers can do to make worthwhile changes in 12 months, and that's partly why new features are a necessary addition.

Still, most of them aren't just there to fill a void. Many of 2016's sports games introduced features that greatly enhanced or even revolutionized each series.

We gave you the chance to vote on your favorite new feature of 2016, and the results were incredibly tight. Check out the video above, subscribe to us on YouTube and click below to see the results of this year's reader's vote.

Best New Feature

1. FIFA 17's The Journey (17.95%)
2. Madden NFL 17's Play The Moments (17.09%)
3. Madden NFL 17's Weekly Updated Commentary (14.53%)
4. MLB The Show 16's Battle Royale (10.26%)
4. FIFA 17's Frostbite Engine (10.26%)

Yes, it was that close between FIFA 17's The Journey and Madden NFL 17's Play The Moments. Ultimately, it was the former that reigned supreme, introducing a single-player story mode for the first time in the franchise's history. The immersive tale of Alex Hunter's rise to stardom was made possible by the introduction of the Frostbite engine, which also made its way into your list at number five.

Madden also gave us two particularly noteworthy additions. Play The Moments only just missed out on your top spot, offering the ability to quick-play games with a variety of intuitive tools, while Weekly Updated Commentary allowed the game's presentation to feel fresh at all times.

Finally, MLB The Show 16 cracked the list at number four (tie), introducing the draft-based Battle Royale mode into Diamond Dynasty.

Do you agree with the winner of the Best New Feature category? Let us know in the comments.