PES 2014

[Baddar]

This is meant to be Kolo Toure on the new PES...

The licences Konami has lost is really worrying. Toure has looked perfect for a few years, and they've lost the true likeness of many others this year too.

It's retarded because they're relying on people to fix/mask over lack of licensing with option files every year. It doesn't work like that because the average person doesn't want to go to that trouble. And why would they when it's all in FIFA already?

I prefer the PES gameplay over FIFA and have been open about it for a while, but they're taking stuff out of the game and losing more to EA every year.

As it stands, I have a relatively updated file for 2013. I think I'll be building upon that to get my football game fix this year.

And I know it won't be an issue to many, but they don't even have a fucking cover star any more.

[Colly]

I still can't see why people still complain about the licensing, seven or eight years ago I was individually drawing crests and sponsors pixel by pixel while I can now just download a zip file and have the game updated by September. Yes, its not as handy as FIFA but it never has been or will be. I'll wait til release to see if that ends up being Kolo Toure (I doubt it, I can't remember licensing affecting faces previously) but its still a step up from black Shay Given and Luke Young.

My bigger gripe is that once again they've put out a demo far too early that's blatantly unfinished, or if it does represent the quality of the final game I'm going nowhere near. That demo is designed to pull in new customers surely, not push away people who've had pretty much every one since ISS Pro Evolution, so why not finish the bastard thing first. That year where they put out two demos was even worse.

[Baddar]

But it's like Konami are relying on people to stick by them each time. Even editing is further restricted this year. Why give up my 2013 game which can be improved upon by patching myself, and lose all of the well created PL stadiums for a game with just 18 in total.

If they start making an effort, others will too. As much as downloading a file isn't an issue for us, it is for the majority who'd rather put the FIFA disk in and just play.

Oh, and you say about waiting for release - it's already out. It came out yesterday. Again, no effort these days to pull in the UK market.

[Colly]

They haven't got much option though, they can't get the licenses that EA already own and have had for decades. That said I don't know how much the edit mode had been cut down so can't really comment.

Out yesterday! Bloody hell. I think this'll be the first year I don't buy by default, though largely just down to not having the time to play it as you know more than most.

[Baddar]

The ability to obtain certain licences is impossible, I agree, and they have included leagues from other countries to cater to those audiences.

But you don't go from having 40+ stadiums and 20 slots to create your own, to no stadium creator, and less than 20. The La Liga stadiums have gone. Fine, but where's the effort to make knock offs?

Rain, as trivial as it is, should be in a football game released for 2014, it's as simple as that.

If Konami are content with just keeping their loyal buyers, then however much they take out of the game won't have much affect, but to truly challenge the number of copies FIFA shifts every year, they've got even longer to go than ever before.

To elaborate on the editing, the base copy of players option is supposedly nowhere to be seen. That doesn't matter to me directly, but it's an issue for those who provide us with option files.

And of course, no stadium editor, as mentioned above.

They really need to support option files to work online in some fashion too. I love playing against the PES AI, but that's just me, and people who want to play online (the vast majority), want to be Man City, not Man Blue.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

This is meant to be Kolo Toure on the new PES...

The licences Konami has lost is really worrying. Toure has looked perfect for a few years, and they've lost the true likeness of many others this year too.

It's retarded because they're relying on people to fix/mask over lack of licensing with option files every year. It doesn't work like that because the average person doesn't want to go to that trouble. And why would they when it's all in FIFA already?

I prefer the PES gameplay over FIFA and have been open about it for a while, but they're taking stuff out of the game and losing more to EA every year.

As it stands, I have a relatively updated file for 2013. I think I'll be building upon that to get my football game fix this year.

And I know it won't be an issue to many, but they don't even have a fucking cover star any more.

Because the gameplay on PES is on a completely different level, while Fifa continue to focus on licensing and presentation, rather than put in any attempt to fix their horrendous AI and offline gameplay. Fifa's popular online modes mask how poor their offline gameplay is. So to me I have a choice, do I take presentation and licensing or do I take the better, more enjoyable and more lastable gameplay?

The faces will also be fixed soon in a patch, apparently hundreds of new faces coming. No excuse for why they've left so many out (and the rain excuse is pathetic), but sounds like most will eventually be fixed in the coming weeks.

Anyway, I got this yesterday. Night and day between this and the demo, the difference is massive.

[Baddar]

I do choose gameplay, but for reasons already stated above, sticking to 2013 is best for me, for now at least.

[Colly]

This is meant to be Kolo Toure on the new PES...

The licences Konami has lost is really worrying. Toure has looked perfect for a few years, and they've lost the true likeness of many others this year too.

It's retarded because they're relying on people to fix/mask over lack of licensing with option files every year. It doesn't work like that because the average person doesn't want to go to that trouble. And why would they when it's all in FIFA already?

I prefer the PES gameplay over FIFA and have been open about it for a while, but they're taking stuff out of the game and losing more to EA every year.

As it stands, I have a relatively updated file for 2013. I think I'll be building upon that to get my football game fix this year.

And I know it won't be an issue to many, but they don't even have a fucking cover star any more.

Because the gameplay on PES is on a completely different level, while Fifa continue to focus on licensing and presentation, rather than put in any attempt to fix their horrendous AI and offline gameplay. Fifa's popular online modes mask how poor their offline gameplay is. So to me I have a choice, do I take presentation and licensing or do I take the better, more enjoyable and more lastable gameplay?

The faces will also be fixed soon in a patch, apparently hundreds of new faces coming. No excuse for why they've left so many out (and the rain excuse is pathetic), but sounds like most will eventually be fixed in the coming weeks.

Anyway, I got this yesterday. Night and day between this and the demo, the difference is massive.

In fairness I don't think that argument is anywhere near as valid is it was in 2005. I still prefer PES but the online is completely ruined by the fact even top defenders can't cope with long through balls, and the top players constantly picking the same two teams with no penalty or incentive to do otherwise.

For me its not an either/or, I'm simply not going to buy either. And as I said, the actual game being miles better than the demo yet again is beyond stupid.

[METALMAN]

As much as I've loved PES in the past, I can't help but wonder when they pull the plug on the franchise. It has started to look worryingly small time.

[METALMAN]

And the licensing decisions are abysmal. They get the Champions League license, which must have cost a bomb, but all you get is the name and a song. You can't even play as the teams in the competition, so it's really quite pointless.

[TCO]

Yeah I'd rather have all the teams and not have the name than vice versa.

PES is on it's deathbed. Before it had vastly superior gameplay to FIFA and that made up it's lack of licenses, but now it doesn't have much redeemable features.

[JasonM]

I played some, I find the gameplay tricky but fun in a way and everything feels weighty. You can't spam the through ball or just run up a wing every time out, that's good things...

But then you have goalies who are the drizzling shits and the lack of everything in terms of licenses, stadiums, faces and whatnot and I am happy I have downloaded this game instead of paying top money for this... Konami needs to get their shit together, because this is just a half-finished product through and through.

Edited September 21, 2013 by Jasonmufc

[ZJ Penn]

It's a shame because a few years ago it seemed that PES was actually in a position to affect FIFA in terms of sales. Unfortunately Konami made some awful decisions (too many editions with 'static' or even backwards gameplay, no meaningful licences advances, generally crappy presentation (no game on the 360/PS3 should have menus like that)) while EA made some great decisions (stealing PES's control scheme, Pro Clubs, Ultimate Team) to go with its always stellar presentation.

I honestly think the gulf is beyond recovery now for Konami, unless they do something incredible and EA start slacking off. The worst thing is that unless FIFA goes back to tapping Triangle to run there's no way another football game can do anything to get into the market.

And people need to stop quoting the Kolo Touré picture. It makes me cringe everytime I see it. I sunk hundreds if not thousands of hours into the numbered series and it kind of saddens me to see what it is now. The PES series is probably the video game series of my childhood.

[Baddar]

Kolo Toure!

[ZJ Penn]

Jesus. I mean, who at Konami OK'd that?

[King Ellis]

Yaya Toure!

[Baddar]

A genuine lol. All the likes.

[Whisper]

Honestly. Anyone who thinks the gameplay in PES far outweighs FIFA these days either hasn't played both games or is just a massive fanboy.

Don't get me wrong, I've always been a huge PES fan and the gameplay has always been enough to keep me buying it. But lets be honest, in recent years EA have done a lot to bridge the gameplay gap and Konami have done nothing to address how far behind they are with presentation and licenses. They've gone backwards even. The game modes are dated, the online is terrible and I'm afraid the gameplay isn't good enough to mask that anymore.

Add that to how much more difficult Fifa is offline and I can't see where PES beats it this year. It's a shame because they made some decent strides last year.

[Baddar]

Fifa has always been the better game to play online, regardless of whether the gameplay was any good or not.

But I enjoy playing offline, and the AI in Fifa is just awful and so one dimensional. If I play on Legendary, it matters not if I'm against Barcelona or Barnsley. They play the same way.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

Honestly. Anyone who thinks the gameplay in PES far outweighs FIFA these days either hasn't played both games or is just a massive fanboy.

Don't get me wrong, I've always been a huge PES fan and the gameplay has always been enough to keep me buying it. But lets be honest, in recent years EA have done a lot to bridge the gameplay gap and Konami have done nothing to address how far behind they are with presentation and licenses. They've gone backwards even. The game modes are dated, the online is terrible and I'm afraid the gameplay isn't good enough to mask that anymore.

Add that to how much more difficult Fifa is offline and I can't see where PES beats it this year. It's a shame because they made some decent strides last year.

Fifa more difficult offline? Don't be silly. The AI is horrendous. Like I said before, Fifa's online popularity is what masks it's awful offline game. The AI is shockingly poor and there's no real urge to keep playing after a while like you get with PES.

The gameplay in my view isn't even close. Fifa have basically come out again this year and released almost the same game as last year. Konami have decided to change it up and take a few risks. You played the full game?

I think the most interesting time will be the step up to next gen. Konami struggled last time with that, we'll see what happens next time around.

There's quite a few flaws in this current game and still clear things that need fixing or need to be worked on, but the ground work is there to take this even further. It's already a fantastic game. Still a matter of preference though.

Edited September 22, 2013 by JohnnyPerfect