Micho, g221911g, redz123, MysteryMan and a few others...you are absolutely correct!
I am a massive fan of the Pro Evo series but now, I am certain that it is finished unless there is a MASSIVE overhaul (by "overhaul", I mean "going back to the basics of what made PES enjoyable in the first place!")
As someone said before, it is as if Konami have never seen a game of football in their lives.
Pes 12 is without a doubt the most frustrating, tedious and unresponsive football game I've ever played and, when the difficulty is raised to "Top Player" or "Superstar", it becomes almost unplayable.
Shooting at goal is nearly impossible, since every player in the opposing team appears to form a brick wall in front your attacker as soon as you get anywhere near the penalty box. The opposition sprint back into defence at superhuman speed, their left-wingers start tackling like Beckenbauer, thus all you can do is watch in frustration as the ball ping-pongs around, deflecting off your team and theirs until someone clears it or hits a pathertically feeble shot on goal. When have you ever seen a football team defend with 10 men in their own box while the opponent is on the counter attack!?
Add in the ridiculously awful "first touch", where your attacker moves with all the agility of a 90 year old, and most attacks break down by handing possesion over to the other side. All you can really do is try to "thread the needle" with pointless through balls that usually get intercepted or unrealistic crossing which lands bang-on your attackers head..
You have literally no control over your players, which makes dribbling intensely irritating. However, watch as the CPU waltzes by your defenders with (as has been said before) PERFECTLY timed turns. Even Kuwait and North Korea are able to run rings around the best defenders in the world simply by running at them. There is nothing that can be done about it and you can see goals coming a mile off.
Also, the tackling is absolutely appalling. Slide tackles might as well not be included in the game as they don't work. The referee punishes the most tame shoudler tackle with a free kick (which ALWAYS results in a goal).
Ah, and onto the Free-kicks. This has been needing sorting since 08. 90% of free-kicks go in, regardless of which CPU player is taking them. When the free-kick is the result of a dubious, "tame shoulder challenge" the free-kick success-rate is basically 100%. Conceding on the edge of the area might as well be an automatic goal to the opposition.
Also, what is with this IDIOTIC "trick stick"!? I hated it when FIFA introduced it about 5 years ago, it was borderline passable in Pro '11 but the concept is utter shite! What happened to the old PES notion of having control over your player, turning people quickly, the odd stepover and Marseille Roulette? We don't need to be locked into a shitty sequence of pointless moves that usually end with your player running the ball out for a throw-in. GET RID OF IT!!
I remember saying to my mate, after a few months of playing Pro Evo '11, that it was like "playing football in a grid". There are certain sequences of things which can happen when you press certain buttons and, as G221911g said, Konami locks you into a series of moves. This results in your defenders parting like the Red Sea when the opposition plays a through-ball, your attackers running away from passes, goal keepers moving to the side and players generally dancing around the ball whilst noone is able to take control. Player freedom is non-existant. It's horrible!
The sad thing is, that FIFA is just as bad. FIFA has always been shite so, when they make a few tweaks and steps forward, it's more noticeable that it has improved. It is merely a polished turd.
PES, on the other hand, was once the king of all games and now it has regressed so much that it is almost unrecognisable.
I'm off the play any PES game from 2008 backwards to appreciate how far this franchise has fallen in the past few years..
