Pro Evolution Soccer

[ratsoalbion]

Although I have been mainly a very happy FIFA player since 09, I have kept up with PES and purchased (or at least played) most incarnations since, but the last football game from Konami which I really loved was 2006's PES 6 (aka World Soccer: Winning Eleven 10).

As the reviews have alluded to, each year since the arguable nadir of PES 2008, Pro Evo has splutteringly threatened to catch back up to FIFA in terms of gameplay, and for me it's been increasingly close as to which one I've enjoyed more for the past couple of years - each franchise offering slightly different but equally valid and engaging takes on the sport - as far as I'm concerned.

However, while 'sparkling return to form' type reviews for PES have been as much of a cliche as they used to be with REM albums and Woody Allen movies, what I will say is that - while I'm still very much looking forward to seeing what FIFA 17 offers - my first couple of days with 2017 on PS4 have undoubtedly been my favourite with PES for maybe 10 years.

It is still a bit of a pain to have to import kits and so on and so forth, but the support is out there (my Master League side is already sporting the Albion's current kit, new for 16/17) and they've made it easier than ever. The first roster update rolled out this morning - out of date squads have been a major bugbear with PES in the past - and my beloved Brighton looks absolutely spot on as of this week.

[Suits]

Yeah, I've been a fan of the whole series since I can remember also. It's always been my preferred football fix since FIFA '98 on my Mega Drive.

I clocked about 700 hours on last years one on my Xbox One, then picked up a copy on the PS4, just to see how easy and good it looked with a OF patch.

The lack of support for Option Files on the Xbox One is so deflating. Even more so the fact that the 360 used to accept them, even if you had to install a piece of software to be able to partition your USB to read the Xbox files.

That said, and even without the bells, whistles and perfect polish of FIFA, I still prefer the gameplay of Pro. That said, the swing of play and the mechanics of the series are starting to become more clear to me know, however that may be an indicator of the time I spend with the series as opposed to flaws in the game balance.

I've gotten into the MyClub setting in the last few years. The 10 game season being much more approachable than the Master League at times. Plus, the non-aging attribute of the game mode makes for some really interesting and memorable player interactions. For example, I'll buy a 32 year old forward in ML but in MC, pulling a rounded experienced 32 forward is a welcome thing. Anyone that's not tried this mode yet, I encourage them to give it a try. It's a bit confusing at first but ince you settlie into a routine and start looking forward to pulling players cards, its great.

Taking my experience with the franchise with a pinch of salt, perhaps its nostalgia that makes me thing the best release was perhaps 2008, I think that now, it really is into its stride as the best football fans game on the market.

My collection (missing a few from that photo, that I've since found).

[ratsoalbion]

Not only does the Xbox One version not support the OF stuff, it is also a fairly shoddy port that looks and runs demonstrably worse than the PS4 version.

[Suits]

Not only does the Xbox One version not support the OF stuff, it is also a fairly shoddy port that looks and runs demonstrably worse than the PS4 version.

Yeah, that's true. I did notice that the PS4 version, loads considerably faster than the Xbox One.

I put that down to perhaps the extra HP under the hood of the PS4.

Other than that, I didn't really notice much else different ?

[ratsoalbion]

First thing to do on every PES ever: Put all music and commentary on mute.

[Suits]

Bring back Brian Moore from Adidas Power Soccer IMO.

[Stanshall]

Alan Green on Olympic Soccer was my first experience of the partisan Liverpool imp, and what an absurd, hyperactive performance it was. In fairness, he was commentating on 90 minutes of long balls, chest traps and bicycle kicks from 50 yards. What a game.

On the Pro Ev front, did anyone ever play the Wii version? I thought that was genuinely something I'd never experienced before, and haven't since. The ability to point and sling runners and thread through balls with pinpoint accuracy was second nature and felt more fluid than any football game of the modern (pitch side camera) era. I find the skills and flicks a massive turn off in modern football games, they're laboriously slow and fiddly, to me, but Wii Pro Evo captured something of the hyperreal of Sensi, with the increased perspective of the modern angles.

[ratsoalbion]

Yeah, the Wii Pro Evos were a very different and really interesting take on the sport, I quite agree.

[Suits]

It seems, rather strangely in my opinion, that Konami have changed the colour system on their form arrows.

Not just changed it either, they've flipped the scale they'ed used for years making even harder to get used to.

It had previously been red to indicate a player on form and a changing gradient to purple, to show a player off form.

Well, it's now the opposite , nutters.

[Alex79]

I watched a trailer for this, and I have to say it did actually look better than FIFA, think I'll download the demo and have a play. After I've swapped the lobbed pass and shoot buttons of course.

[ratsoalbion]

Ah, see I always still swap my FIFA buttons to PES style.

[ColinAlonso]

Olympic Soccer, haven't thought about that in years. Used to wind my brother up playing as Germany because they had a sweeper that pretty much stood on the penalty spot to try to block everything or tackle when he was about to shoot.

Anyway, I'll get PES on Tuesday.