Played the demo on PS4 via and Asian account.
Wow, where to start?!?
Let's cut to the chase.
Gameplay wise, this plays miles ahead of not just any previous PES version but also of FIFA 15 (which by the way is a pretty decent game this year). There are so many things that make this game enjoyable, from the responsive controls, to the subtle touches, realistic defense, rewarding attacking mentality, etc. and the overall feel of playing real football.
Let’s face it – PES 14 was a mess. It was horrible from a control perspective, leading to frustration and an impossibility to enjoy the game.
Konami have really upped their game this year. Starting from more responsive controls, through to CPU build up play, this game feels great. Defensively it is really rewarding and on attack there are some great touches with player personality being very evident. Shots feel great this year, with a real zip to them. Crossing the ball in the area is fantastically recreated and it’s an absolute delight to score that way.
Another positive is the fluidity of the game. Whilst FIFA feels jerky and choppy, PES feels much smoother and the animations are much more accurate. This makes for a more pleasing visual experience but also helps especially when on defense (where FIFA is a bit of a lottery this year).
Speaking of fluidity, if you get tackled by the CPU your player will get back on his feet much quicker than before (and certainly quicker that FIFA) which is a really nice touch and helps prevent frustration.
Not everything is great of course. Whilst the graphics are generally pretty good, they are still below par for a next gen title and visibly inferior to FIFA’s. Also, the pitch and stadiums lack the FIFA atmosphere. More annoyingly, player models feel small and squashed to the point that it is hard to tell who you are controlling even if you know your team intimately. I played the demo with all teams but mainly stuck to my team Napoli and often I did know if I was controlling Higuain or Callejon despite the large difference in physiques in real life. They just look the same in PES14. I think FIFA does a much better job at recreating the correct scale of player models, including build, size, shape and the overall proportion to other objects such as ball, goals and pitch. Colour wise it is the same thing – a bit too bright and nowhere near FIFA’s stunning colour scheme, light and shadows.
Overall we have two great games this year and I will certainly play both.
IMHO, PES does a better job at gameplay (especially on defense and CPU buildup), whereas FIFA feels tighter on attack. That said PES feels amazing in the last third where shooting feels awesome and realistic and crosses in the area are a delight to watch and meet with a thumping header.
Graphically, PES is OK but inferior to FIFA’s stunning visuals and stadium atmosphere.
Granted that so far we have only played demos, I think we are in for some great fun this year. Both FIFA and PES feel great and they both have their merits, but I think PES edges FIFA purely on gameplay grounds.
Well done Konami!