We’ve put the next-gen version of Pro Evolution Soccer through its paces, and it’s really good.
Pro Evolution Soccer didn’t make it to PS4 and Xbox One last year. Reassurances were made – the delay was necessary to make the eventual debut all the more impressive. One year on, and it’s time to put PES through its next-gen paces.
PES might not have the rights to the Premier League – although you’ll find pretty much every other league well represented – but it’s concentrating on something much more fundamental: gameplay. In recent years, PES has experimented and explored new directions, but the plan this year is to recapture the spirit of the game in its pomp but with all the power of a cutting-edge engine.
If you’ve followed PES 2015 at all this year, you’ll have undoubtedly seen some of the player likenesses that have done the rounds. They’re incredibly detailed and strikingly lifelike, with the FOX engine seemingly overcoming the ‘uncanny-valley’ problem. In game, they still impress, though occasionally the effect is undercut by lifeless eyes and some awkward celebration animations. But on the whole, the team has succeeded in creating some of the most convincing likenesses around.
This extends to the game’s overall appearance, which has taken a notable step up in quality. Whether it’s shots of the teams lining up in the tunnel before a match or a close-up of an injured player writhing on the floor, PES definitely seems more concerned with presentation than ever before. That said, off the pitch, the visuals suffer in comparison; the stadiums are detailed, but even with the added power of next-gen, the crowd is still flat and fuzzy.
While players have never looked more realistic in PES, this illusion is really helped by its impressively varied animation. Players receive and trap the ball in a variety of context-specific ways. For instance, in one passage of play, I chipped the ball through to Mata who was tearing into the box, and he was able to control it high-up on his chest with ease, as you would expect from a player of his class and ability. Actually, that cuts the heart of how it feels to control PES’s players – you feel like a skilled footballer, capable of spotting a pass, taking on a defender, or scoring a world-class goal. It’s exciting.
One of the big objectives for PES 2015 was a return to the ‘super-responsive’ controls that defined the series at its best. And on the whole, it seems like a promise well kept. Players across the pitch feel nimble and spry, and this benefits the experience in so many ways.
In attack it’s possible to ghost past defenders, creating the space to unleash a shot or sprint through on goal. In the middle of the park, the crisp close-control allows you to outfox an opponent and create a few extra seconds on the ball. It means you spend more time analysing the play ahead, spotting runs and crafting attacks.
Defending is more a challenge to come to grips with. You can’t simply turn-off your brain and apply pressure. It’s all about reading the game and how a particular passage is unfolding. If you see a player making a dangerous run, it might be wise to get in the way and shutdown the option. The slide tackle isn’t a get-out of jail card – players launch themselves fiercely into the air, and it has to be used with the utmost discretion.
If you’re unfamiliar with PES then the passing may seem unforgiving. It gives greater responsibility to the player rather than reading between the lines and assuming you want to pass to a particular player. The downside is that while you get used to knocking the ball quickly between players, using both long and short balls, you’ll likely be off-target as much as you are on. But once it becomes instinctive it offers much greater control and precision, enabling you to thread pin-point balls that split the defence. Better still, there doesn’t appear to be a silver bullet pass that’s guaranteed to work – chipped though-balls can be devastating but can be easily defended if you spot the run; similarly playing it wide draw defenders out, giving attackers more room in the box, but skilled players can cover their bases with ease.
Shooting is undoubtedly one of the most appealing aspects of PES. While it’s not easy to score from anywhere on the pitch, it’s easy to put a shot in on target. It encourages you to be daring, to take a risk, and take a punt.
But there’s also so many ways in which to score. Depending on how your team is set up, wingers and full-backs are eager to bomb forward, overlap, and provide options out wide. Crosses are potent, often resulting in chances. If such direct play seems inelegant, it’s also possible to really craft a goal. You can pass the ball crisply at speed, and it’s possible to carve defences open. This is thanks to the precision control but also the AI of your fellow players.
Player intelligence is smart and your team-mates read the game surprisingly well. Pick a decent team like Real Madrid and Benzema and Ronaldo will work together closely, the AI players pushing against the opposition’s back four to create chances that, if you time your pass well, can split a defence with ease. Mercifully, for such an attacking game there are very few instances of offside – strikers play the line perfectly and any offside call is usually the mistake of the player, and as a result the game flows smoothly. Of course, there are times when the AI doesn’t quite click, choosing to run away from the ball or back-track rather than counter-attack, but it’s mostly spot on.
Written by Daniel Krupa and Alex Simmons on October 15, 2014 for IGN