They kind of blend into the same thing, I don't want the game to look fancy as such, but I want it to feel smoother and more responsive regards the animations which for me will effect game play, so for me they merge into one.
Graphics and animations for me are two totally different things.
Game play has always been a giver on PES, it is light years ahead in terms of fun and enjoyment over "that other football game." PES 2009 was diabolical with out a shadow of a doubt, for me that has been the only year that EA Sports have beaten PES.
Both are not as good as they should be today, however PES is the footballers football game and always has been, if you know your football and want enjoyment PES has always brought that to the table. If you want Licenses with little gameplay improvement each year then the "other game" is up your street.
I buy games (especially yearly sequels) mainly based on how much improvement and change (for the better) it has over the older version. Graphics really mean fuck all, as long as the game play is solid. PES 6 on the PS2 had me playing that for 3 years from its release. It really was THE football game, no football game even today has come close to its aura. It was that good and ahead of its time (at the time) even though I bought the new PES's every year, I always ended up going back to PES6. Those were the days