Hey Gib, don't be put off by the negativity or 'perceived' negativity, the thing with these forums is that PES fans are a different stock of people to FIFA who will just big up the game even if it's shit. On here every angle is covered both good and bad. I have personally given full length opinions and updates continually since I had the game and things change all the time. I think this game, overall is excellent. The hardest part will probably be adapting to Top Player and getting your defensive play sorted (which will NEVER truly be 100% sorted if you get my drift). The game this game is way too overpowered for the attackers with defenders seemingly being stripped of every possible advantage. So, this year it's all about positioning, patience and in Top Player picking the right formation that gets some players behind the ball.
You can't pressure rashly, or leave your unit, and you need to press within reason cutting down space where they have some.
The game isn't without its issues, if you don't play defence the way KONAMI intended it to be played, you'll see more and more scripted goals from the CPU, it's the game modes way of punishing anything reckless. You know that silly pass you gave away in your attacking third when the short ball was on, well be prepared to be punished. But conversely, the more you play the game with patience in defence the fewer of these cheat scripts you're likely to see.
With that said, and I'm sounding a bit negative myself, if I was to say that I have played the game everyday since purchase for a minimum of three hours a time, you'll get the idea. It's a crazy mix of coming back for more, getting that fanatstic 1-0 against Norwich away, then getting battered by Chelsea 4-0 inside 30 minutes.
You have to analyse each team and really knuckle down, concentration is vital this year. I can play FIFA and enjoy it (but you don't really enjoy it if you know what I mean), but when I play PES it's business.....the joy is in all the beatings the CPU dish out and then to get that injury time winner to get you through the group stages against some shit Eastern Europe team lol.
I can win, lose, draw on FIFA and my emotional state never alters. I won 3-1 against Man Utd the other day, and nothing changed. I also lost to Stoke 2-0; facial expressions - nonplus.
BUT PES, man this brings out ALL the emotions. I've gone from jumping around and screaming two inches away from my huge plasma right in the face of a celebrating Andy Carroll after a last minute winning header, to almost throwing my controller through the tele; and that's no lie (when Chelsea came back for the second time with an injury leveller of their own). I could have smashed Torres' pixellated face all over the carpet.
But that's why I play it, it's a kind of sadistic pleasure I get from it, which hasn't been matched yet by any game. Saying that I loved PES2011, played the shit out of it, but I have a feeling that this game, maybe after a patch or two could be the one.
