Pro Evolution Soccer is back for another year, and while all eyes are on FIFA 12, Konami has proven time and again that it’s not happy to just sit back and take a beating. PES has always been a contender, sure it’s the underdog; it’s not as well pruned and it doesn’t get paid 20k a week for just turning up, but what it does bring to the game is something that FIFA has never quite been able to replicate.
What I’ve always loved about PES is it’s ability to surprise, take this year’s version. In PES 12 you head out onto the pitch and as soon as the action starts you know you are in a game. While FIFA takes a more realistic, build-up-the-play approach to the game, PES is fast and frantic. Now, some may enjoy the more laid back approach that FIFA brings, however in doing this it also seems to lack one thing that PES has always had going for it, unpredictability. You see the thing with PES is that you just never know what is going to happen next, I’ll give you a few examples here. In one game I was heading towards an opponents goal and decided to have a shot from just past the halfway line, next thing I know the ball has cracked my opponents crossbar and all of a sudden they were on the attack, the next thing that happened was my opponents hit the post, then I hit them on the counter attack and scored with what can only be described as a wonderful curling shot from just outside the box, all in the space of a few seconds; This doesn’t happen in FIFA.
I would just like to go back to that curling shot I scored with for a second, because as I was waiting for it to hit the net, my split-second feeling was that this is just like real football. When you are watching your team and the ball is heading for the net, you get that same heart in mouth feeling, is it going to go in or isn’t it? This is what I love about PES, you just never know what is going to happen next, and you can add in all the licenses and fancy menus you want to, but until FIFA captures these moments, it will never be the complete package.
Now I’m not saying PES is perfect, far from it, there is certainly still something lacking in terms of presentation, especially in the menus, saying that though the action looks great, especially the licensed Champion League matches. As soon as you load up a Champions League game you are treated to the whole works; that familiar music starts up, the atmosphere takes a grip and the teams all line up looking like they mean business, then just before the match begins the camera swoops up and off you go. It’s all very impressive stuff and it does look fantastic.
The main problems for PES comes in the defensive side, due to the fast paced and frantic action, it’s often easy for the attacking team to cut through defenders with ease, especially when the ball is in the control of one of the games more skilful players. The difficultly for defending players in this respect is that it can be quite problematic getting the ball back, however given that this is PES, most of the time the ball with be cracking off the woodwork or flying past the post at high speed on most occasions anyway.
One of the plus sides to defence is that the players seem to be a lot more savy than last year, therefore you will often find the ball being intercepted should you not put enough power in your pass, while defenders will also read the play a lot better, meaning that you’ll have to use your brain a bit more, which is easier said than done in the frantic world of PES. It’s not just defenders that have new found brains though, thanks to the new Active AI which sees players making more intelligent runs off the ball to create space. This is complimented by the fact that you can control your team-mates, directing them to make space to open up the opposition.
Player likeness may not be perfect this year, but it’s still a step up from last, especially in the animation stakes; You can certainly tell one player from another just by the little turn and quirks that they have and while they may not be too much to look at up close, they are at least slowly getting better year by year – if only more of them had their real-life names.
People often think of FIFA as the feature packed game of the two series, however looking beneath the surface of PES it’s not hard to find plenty to keep you busy. As always there is the training mode, and the fantastic Master League mode, however the latter now comes under the Football Life Umbrella which also houses the Become A Legend and Club Boss Mode. What this does is provide a whole host of options, which give you to the chance to play in more than just one way, which is interesting as it can see you playing online, while not actually playing, but coaching instead.
Interestingly when you start up Master League mode your character depicted on-screen in numerous cut scenes, which range from talking to the chairman and the press, to talking to the players on the training ground. Once the pleasantries are out the way, you also see your character talking tactics in front of a white board, which is all a far cry from when PES first introduced the Master League.
Online and social features are sewn through PES 2012, so no matter which mode you play, Champions League, Copa Libertadores or Masters League, it’s all playable online and all the more fun for it. Finally, a recent patch has also added in 3D support and the ability to share your results and stats on Facebook, adding in even more functionality to the game.
To be honest sometimes I just wish I could take the best bits of both FIFA and PES and blend them together to make the perfect football game. Sure FIFA has all the bells and whistles and to be fair more than edges it this year, especially in the sim stakes. Yes there is a clear winner, however if you want a arcade style, fast paced and unpredictable game of football then there is only one football game for you and it’s not FIFA 12.
Rating: Excellent
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You can order Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 from ShopTo on PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii.
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