PES and FIFA have this long standing rivalry of competing for the title of the best football game. Every year EA Sports and Konami go head to head and try to bring out the best version of the game. FIFA always had the modes and the teams while PES had the fast gameplay with those amazing replays. Konami took its eye of the ball for a bit, but now have stepped up their game and taken the fight right to EA’s doorstep. Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 sees Konami’s version of the game back on track and better looking than ever.
Gameplay
If you’ve played both the games over the years you might know that a majority of people would say that FIFA was the clear winner for many of the years and not all of Konami’s efforts resulted in success. But it no longer feels like PES is fighting a battle it can’t win. If you have played FIFA’15 and feel that it is not for you, then PES 2015 is the game that you need to grab right away.
Big improvements have been worked on since PES 2014. The menus have been done over and now look much slicker, while the modern EDM soundtrack is probably at par with FIFA’s latest iteration. They have worked on the crowds also as they rise and fall in response to the action on the field. And you simply can’t go wrong with Jim Beglin and Jon Champion’s expert commentary of the game.
Graphics
The graphics look like they have been done up a notch and shows that Konami is finding its place with the next-gen consoles. The players look more solid and convincing like—hair and facial details are more life-like and reactions are to the point. EA Sports has done a great job with the lighting, cloth dynamics and better replications of players. Not to say that Konami haven’t done their homework because the close ups of the post tackle injuries and goals look quite convincing. Weather and pitch variations too add to the whole experience.
Modes
One of the aspects that PES has made major improvements in is the various modes that has been brought in. You get Master League and Become a Legend career modes, UEFA Europa and Champions leagues, the AFC Champions League, the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana, while both the English premiership and champions leagues are represented. However the most important thing PES came up with is their response to FIFA’s popular Ultimate Team mode with myClub, which is essentially an overhaul of Master League Online.
But all this comes at a cost. While most tournaments are filled with flair and atmosphere, Master League sort of struggles with a slightly glitched interface while Become a Legend isn’t quite what FIFA has to offer instead. In FIFA you can manage your player’s career and still have control of the team on the pitch. Whereas in PES you only have control over that one player, which means you spend half a match watching the game and maybe spend a few touches during the game. And not having rights to proper team names is like a trademark of PES. It’s just something that should have been sorted out by now, because its really irritating trying to figure out who East Sussex or London F.C are.
myClub
And when you compare myClub to FIFA’s Ultimate Team, you’ll see that the two are a class apart. Things like strange mechanics for scouting and transfers and an awkward interface for managing your team are what show that Ultimate Team is an evolved version of the two. Not to say PES hasn’t done a good job, let’s just say it’s a start and needs work.
PES always seems to have had a faster paced gameplay compared to FIFA. Even though EA did a lot to make FIFA’15 a little faster, PES probably nailed this aspect. The dynamics of the game seem to fall into place when you play the game– the urgent pace and flow to the action, sudden breaks into a full on assault on the goal—are aspects that make you feel like you have more control on the team as a whole. The attackers do a good job of supporting aggressive players while your defenders seem to work as a team to subdue the opposition. So when you score its most likely because you created opportunities and when you concede its most likely because you failed to hold the attacking opposition.
The game is just full of energy and most importantly it’s insanely fun. You play the game as the teams would. Tackles are hard to pull off too; if you do not time them properly you could be on the receiving end of a yellow card. It is a game that rewards your skill.
Cons
If you want official teams, insane graphics, nice graphics and better game modes, then perhaps FIFA15 is the game for you this year. Although it needs to be said that PES is finally closing in the gap that separated the two games. PES has become better in many areas and is more believable than it once was.
Verdict
PES’15 has taken major strides forward in terms of graphics, presentation and game modes but not necessarily better than FIFA’s strides in the same. It honestly is all about taste, for me it could go either way really but I’ll probably have to give it to FIFA, but who knows maybe next year it might overtake FIFA in more aspects that FIFA will overtake PES.
Here’s our initial impressions of the game in case you missed it
