If you were to tell me back in the heyday of Pro Evolution Soccer, and even before that - International Superstar Soccer, that I would well and truly be a FIFA man in the year 2015 I would have laughed you out of the room. Such is a strides that FIFA has made of the years, and PES has missed that it is the exact situation that we’re in. Every year I look longingly over at PES like it’s an old lover that I will never quite get over, hoping that one day we can rekindle what we once had. And as the years have gone by I’ve grown to almost accept that PES will never be the game that I lost so many hours to during my teens. Over the last year or so though, there has been a glimmer of hope, and here we are with the latest iteration PES 2016, and it’s just loudly announced ‘let’s get it on’.
It’s going to be difficult for me to not let this review descend into a bit of a comparison article between my experiences on FIFA and now PES 2016, so I’m not even going to try to stop it from happening. Let’s just start with this, PES feels good, it feels very good. It has come on leaps and bounds from what I remember it being last. It is by no means a perfect game at all, but it has finally made a jump to challenge FIFA to the throne of the football gaming world. Its FIFA influences are obvious from the get go looking at the new modernised tile menu approach. The developers look like they are struggling to accept the need to freshen up their menu systems, because it doesn’t look quite right with regards to scale and sizing on the screen, but it’s nice to see they have accepted that historically the menu screen have been very drab. And it’s not just there the influences end, the game modes have great similarities (I’ll go into them in a bit) and there is even the same song on the game that was on FIFA 15.
Time for some honesty before we continue. I’ve been craving something new from a football game for what seems like a long time now. Taking part in the leagues on this very website has highlighted the massive problems I had with FIFA 15. The game was quite frankly a mess. From problems with the collision system, embarrassing goalkeeping errors, overpowered through balls, speed being exploited, dodgy penalty and foul decision left right and centre, it really did have me pulling my hair out. But I kept going back because I like playing football games, and it’s the best we had. But it has put me completely off getting FIFA 16, and that feeling still hasn’t changed after playing the demo and trials of the game. And ever since I played the demo for PES 2016, I’ve liked what I’ve seen.
Let’s start off with what I feel PES does really well – the general gameplay. And by that I mean the passing, the movement, and build up play. Playing in the offline modes I’ve enjoyed knocking the ball about the pitch, using a variety of different passes. I wouldn’t say that it is ‘realistic’ because one touch passing can be a bit easy at times. But it feels good, it feels fun, it doesn’t feel like a chore at all. And what we need to remember is that this is a game, and while I’d no doubt enjoy more of a simulated football experience, I think it is time to accept that no one is going to make that happen. It seems nigh on impossible to balance a football game correctly to make it feel like a simulation, so why not have something that in at the very least enjoyable to play? The players seem to react well to each other, the animations are solid, and the weight of the ball is well balanced. The defensive play it also solid, with the referees a lot more lenient that what I experienced with PES last year. General defending is tight – it is difficult to break defences down, and once you master the controls and what you can do you can be solid too. And hitting those last gasp sliding tackles is extremely satisfying.
The game modes offer a decent variety aswell. Konami have done well to get the license for some official tournaments – UEFA Champions League, Europa League and the Super Cup. Along with correct team names and kits for a lot of the top leagues now, though they are still lacking with the English league, with only Manchester United correctly represented with name and kit. Thankfully player names are much better represented than they have been in the past. Konami also have the licence for UEFA Euro 2016 so expect the international tournament to be represented in some capacity nearer the time. Unfortunately at the time of writing team rosters still haven’t been updated, with last year’s squads still in play. And it looks as though we will be waiting until the end of October until this is fully rectified, something that for me is unacceptable.
Making its regular appearance is the in-depth as every Master League mode where you are able to start up with a bare bones team and build them up to be world beaters, it feel very football manager with the amount of stats available to consider. Alongside this is the MyClub mode, PES’s take on Ultimate Team. It focusses on the same principles as its FIFA alternative, buying new players (using ‘scouts’ rather than packs) and emphasising on team chemistry. It is much more in depth than FIFA though, needing to try to match players play styles with the stats of the manager. It makes you think a lot more about which players you want to include in your team. They will improve over time to the manager’s way of thinking though. And to make you think more, to get the best out of the best players, you need better managers. It is very very good, my worry is though, that with the depth of both game modes, they aren’t both really needed. And could have been combined to make a more effective formula. Instead Konami seem to be confused as to what to provide, trying to lure FIFA players over, and also trying to appease their regular audience or people like myself coming back to the game. I appreciate the choice, but it isn’t needed.
I’ve been championing PES 2016 for a while now since I started playing it, I’d been really enjoying the game. But I had been mostly playing offline, and after a while of getting to grips with the game, goals started to flow more and games started turning into high scoring affairs. And I’m not completely sold on the shooting on the game. On replays some of the goals look fantastic, but as the game plays out, the shots feel a bit tame and boring. Then I went online…. Those of you expecting the quick matchmaking found on FIFA might want to look away. It is by no means long, however I have been sat a good 5-10 minutes without finding someone to play on multiple occasions. Online the game seems to change, and not for the better. In fact, I saw things that I wanted to turn away from FIFA for. Over powered through balls are the norm, with my defence being at sea more times than not. I’d be dominating a game, then one quick over the top through ball and I’m conceding on their only attack of the half. It is disappointing to see, and it is seemingly the norm in my experiences so far. The keeper are also not great, there are some promising moment, but they are quickly wiped from your memory when they may aswell not be there at all.
It’s a difficult thing this. Because I was so hyped about this PES game, and was enjoying it so much, but the more I play it the more I don’t want to play it. That’s not to say I want to play FIFA mind you, because I feel that this is a much better game than FIFA 15 (I’ve not playing enough of 16 to make that judgment). Maybe I have just played so many hours’ worth of FIFA over the past few years that I just need time away from football games all together. It feels a bit like ‘COD’ syndrome I guess. PES 2016 is a very solid football game, and those looking for a restbite from FIFA will find this a breath of fresh air I’m sure. It is enjoyable offline, but like I say, my enjoyment of the game is starting to diminish quite quickly, and I just don’t know whether it’s my interest in the genre, or the game itself….
**Thank you to XCN for the opportunity to review this game**