PES 2012 faces the same long battle as its predecessor. It's a new year, a new season but the same uphill struggle for Konami in the battle for virtual football glory.
Why? Because of the rival. Have a look at our FIFA 12 review and you'll see another fantastic follow up, with EA Sports snapping up some big name features and having the balls to shake up its winning formula to incorporate them.
It seems the last thing that Konami can do is rely on a bit of complacency from the champions.
Where FIFA 12 might be a bit too bright and clean at times to trick the brain fully, PES 2012 has a slightly darker tone and makes better use of shadow to add more weight and dimension to the stands, the players and pitch itself, which can look comparatively flat in FIFA.
Looking down the pitch towards the far stand for a goal kick is the best example of this. We actually felt a swell of nervous pride when we took in the scene which felt so real, and it's all thanks to Konami getting the lighting spot on.
Player likeness is similarly impressive in places - although, like its rival, PES still understandably pays the most attention to its top earners - with certain stars like Gerard and Ferdinand arguably looking more real in the Konami team than they do in the EA camp.
Having said that, it comes down to a matter of taste and for every PES model that knocks the socks off FIFA's effort, the latter will come back with a similarly superior doppelganger elsewhere.
Continuing the aesthetic praise, PES 2012 takes full advantage of its Champions League partnership with a full-on television intro to the tournament (including that choral piece that you make up words for) that just feels really good. All the Champions League trimmings are present on the pitch as well with players marching out towards the official black and white, fluttering centre circle flag.
It's simple but well executed visual advances like all of the above - along with returning visual features like motion blur in replays - that make PES a proper alternative to FIFA at face value.
Unfortunately graphical prowess doesn't quite hold up when players actually start to move. There's a clear lack of animations in PES 2012 compared to its opponent. Player's simply don't have the same range of movement as in FIFA and it has a few knock-on effects.
LOAD OF DRIBBLE
The dribbling itself becomes robotic when tearing into a sprint. Rather than smooth regular strides players seem to run jolt their sprint, with their legs speeding up in short bursts. This doesn't have an adverse effect on the sprint itself, players don't stutter forward, but their leg movement doesn't really fit the pace of the run itself.
There's also less freedom of movement generally, with PES players apparently unable to take quite so many touches as their rivals, turning circles are never quite tight enough. We never really felt like we had as much nuanced control as we did in FIFA.
Add to that to the PES brand floaty finish to player's movement across the turf, which hasn't changed since last year, and dribbling can sometimes be a touch unwieldy.
Comments
26 comments so far...
laminated0 on 28 Sep '11 said:
NIce review, Loved the PES demo (keepers need some work for sure tho but apparently a patch will be released to improve them), glad to see it getting good reviews (msotly) around the web, already have it pre-ordered
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paddyrx8 on 28 Sep '11 said:
Can't wait for this. I love PES. Play it to death every year and look forward to doing the same this year. Demo is fantastic and I like the new shooting system, feels very natural. Don't care about lack of animations as this actually allows you to learn the game more easily. Will be awesome as always.
kirankara on 28 Sep '11 said:
"They seem to hit the deck with the slightest of brushes and the referees are incredibly harsh. "
thank f**k for that, the borderline gbh you get away with in fifa whilst ref stares into space is frustrating as hell
Ozzie on 28 Sep '11 said:
Really looking forward to PES 2012.
Looks like it is getting back to it's best again.
I know FIFA might move better and have the licenses but PES is the game i am always playing 6 months after release!
Out of the negatives C&VG listed, animation, Licenses, Keepers and lightweight players.
Licenses (as always) and faces (for lesser known players) will be sorted by an option file (free download from WENB) their kits usually look as good if not better than FIFA's.
Keepers have a patch coming to sort for launch
I am also sure it would be easy to patch the lightweight players although this didn't bother me in the demo and is probably more realistic looking at Drogba, etc.
So hopefully PES can sort new motion capture for next year (and better sound) and finally we will have the definative PES game!
Just in time for the move to the next gen hardware again....
PureFromEast on 28 Sep '11 said:
Judging by many reviews if pes had all the licenses then it would get a extra point so it would be in the 9 rating area. Licenses seem to mean alot to people now a days mainly because many sheep have moved to fifa and have got lazy. Fifa gameplay = 8. Pes gameplay = 9.5
steagz on 28 Sep '11 said:
im sorry cvg but you are wrong
fifa 12 matches are unrealistic. fifa 12 is also the same as 10 and 11 with some crap new defensive system chucked in that nobody likes.
everything in fifa feels scripted. the crosses are allways the same the shots are allways the same the headers etc.
pes 2012 no 2 crosses are ever the same. the computer ai is amazeing. pes 12 is just 100% freedom where anything can happen.
you say fifa is still the better game? if that is the case why are so many fifa fanboys not buying fifa this year but instead are going home to pes 12
im sorry but fifa 12 is nothing compared to pes 12
smascherano on 28 Sep '11 said:
not a bad review really. 8.7 might be a bit too high considering the 'downers' you brought to light.
smascherano on 28 Sep '11 said:
I haven't seen many reviews just giving points to FIFA for just having the licences.
To give PES12 a 8.7 while coming up with serious flaws that still haven't been erradicated such as bad goalkeeping, the robotic dribbling, terrible collision mechanics and lack of animation is sort of strange imo. Although they might have given more points for the always excellent Master league.
It's fast, silly in places (the sound the ball makes when struck no matter how lightly and the animations when controlling, dribbling and striking a ball) and you can score from 30 yards with players like Badstuber. In a way I like that. It's completely different from FIFA and offers a different style of football. Might not be realistic, but it is actually fun and there is no reason really that you cannot like both. If i'm looking to play something less serious and in the mood for something less challenging, full of incredible, yet unrealistic goals and hilarious goalkeeping mishaps, then i'll stick on PES. If I want a game more representative of the real thing, with slick, dynamic animations and gameplay full of variety and more challenging then I'll stick on FIFA.
It might be a strange comparison, but PES 12 reminds me of COD. Its run and gun style that focuses on a good laugh at the expense of realism and greater challenges. FIFA reminds me of Battlefield. Its more measured in terms of realism and dynamism and calls for a more tactical, skillfull approach.
Either way, both are enjoyable in their own right and from this version of FIFA and PES onwards, we finally have 2!!! football games challenging eachother on the same page, which can only mean better games next year and years after that.
And as for this by 'steagz'
How do you call a terrible dribbling system and lack of animations freedom? FIFA has a wider variety of skill moves and flicks (passes ect) and shots (volleys in particular) that you never see in PES. Im pretty sure being able to do skills to outsmart your opponent added with contextual dribbling (bergkamp flick) adds alot of freedom.
Go on youtube and look up goals of the week FIFA 12 and you will find that there are a load of different types of goals that you CAN score on FIFA12 IF you are good enough.
ensabahnur on 28 Sep '11 said:
What i find hilarious about steagz comment is the "scripted" line. PES, in years before, was always full of scripted running, in fact its one of the reasons i defected. Every year you could see the scripted plays the players made and every year your through ball went the other way. Players never made the runs you wanted them to.
Seriously though i hope PES continues improving but its just not quite there yet for me.
Ozzie on 28 Sep '11 said:
I am really looking forward to PES 2012.
This game is the one i am always playing six months after buying, not FIFA.
I just think it has better gameplay and of course masterleague.
The negatives listed in the C&VG review
Goal keepers - i believe a patch is being released for the launch to improve these
Lightweight players - i didn't have a problem with this in the demo (more realistic see Drogba, etc)
Lack of licenses - sorted with a free option file download (from WENB) that is as good if not better than FIFA's kit/faces
Animation - the one thing (oh and audio) they need to concentrate on for next year more motion capture!! Then we will finally get the definative PES until the next gen comes in and we will probably have to start all over............
smascherano on 28 Sep '11 said:
Same here. It is quite fun and you can have a laugh on PES12, but its the first time Ive had fun on a PES game since Pes 6 and that was a few years ago now. Im glad they are making a comeback as it now means there will be more competition from each Konami and EA in the coming years which can only mean better games.
bunsen82 on 28 Sep '11 said:
Such a shame, Having defected to Fifa for Fifa'10 onwards after being a pro player for years I have always hoped that Konami would polish a few things ( Dribbling, Through balls, movement, Licences etc) and bring the game back to the top of the tree.
why can't konami simply clean up a few of these things? They insist on trying some new angle to try and thwart fifa but it never works, and at the same time they end up falling behind in other area's due to the lack of attention they end up paying.
Long gone are the days of PES4,5 and 6.
kirankara on 28 Sep '11 said:
I agree, they will term it more polished usually, but it's just a fact, people like the official licences etc, and I cant blame them tbh.
fifa has it's own flaws that get continually ignored by reviewers , but highlighted by users, and there's entire essays that establish it's issues.(thats by its fans not critics btw)
Dont totally agree with your analysis tbh. I find many aspects of fifa unrealistic, most notably, how physical you can be, whilst no getting fee kicks,its ridiculous tbh.
possibly even more unrealistic, is the fact that there is an over reliance in FIFA on skills and tricks, and button combinations etc, which is far from realistic. The majority of goals in football are scored not through outrageous pieces of skill and trickery, although this certainly can help score some amazing goals, but simply by good movement of players, and playing the ball into spaces and working those spaces. Here Fifa fails imo, with ai being shoddy and passing into space and running , not really creating the openings it should.
I find the dribbling of players on pro to be more intuitive, as it's all on stick, and clever dribbling into spaces creates chances, rather than being a necessity to use a trick to beat players. Close control dribbling also makes it far from loose. In fifa players actually seem too slow to me, and it's like balls made of lead.
what you call tactical and measured approach, I call simply "scripted" ie, there''s certain ways of playing game that are deemed by EA to be the correct way to play game, and only these really work in the game, whilst pes feels far more flexible and instinctive. you can try different things , knitting together patterns of play much more fluidly, knowing that the game hasnt deemed this "incorrect".
I agree both are different with own pro's and cons. Unfortunately I feel a lot of the cons with fifa re on most basic level and in conflict with how football is actually played in reality.
"
Yes it has lots of tricks and flicks, but the fundamental fluidity of the game is restricted, and there's an overemphasis on these tricks to make anything happen, rather than simple footballing intelligence. My brother is semi professional footballer, with fifa coaching badges, and thought fifa 11 was better than pes 11, and destroys everyone he ever plays at footballing games, just by having footballing knowledge, tactical knowledge, and a knowledge of players(right footed, left footed etc), and he refses to play fifa 12 as he feels its an abysmal representation of the game.
I dont totally agree, as I have fifa 12 on preorder and still enjoy playing against friends with fifa, but theres many aspects of pes this year that a distinct improvement upon fifa imo, but then fifa has other things that are better than pes.
pick according to your tastes i guess, but the whole fifa is more realistic thing is bs of highest order, slow and an over reliance upon tricks in game, doesnt make it realistic
smascherano on 28 Sep '11 said:
To an extent I do agree
Although I cant stand the dribbling on Pro Evo tbh. Massive strides, the ball hit too far infront, especially when turning around, its like going round a round-a-bout and the animations just look wrong. The use of close control dribbling means you have full control of the ball and it is harder for the opposition to tackle you, although like you said, its abit one paced and could use with improving that aspect and hitting the ball out infront with the right analogue sometimes isnt enough.
I don't think the physicality is the problem, but the refereeing tbh. Its my main problem with FIFA, especially with the new tactical defending and you pull off a fantastic challenge only for the ref to give a free kick. (although this is probably realistic to refs in real life even if unintentional)
There is some methods of movement in FIFA that is realistic (although not as good as PES). Iniesta and Xavi's movement is fantastic in midfield and really dont struggle in that area. The same with Alves who does bomb forward on occasions and Villa who makes diagonal runs into the box to latch onto through balls. Not many people seem to use the L bumper or L1, which gets a player to make a move forward and creates the space but I would like it to be more automatic and the AI should do it themselves and not just move forward. I think its a balance issue also. The defending in FIFA is really good and the defensive movement in the game is probably better than the attacking movement which doesnt help the overall fluidity of the game. Hopefully something that they will work more on in the next FIFA. If a footy game had Pro evos movement with FIFAs shooting and Variety of Shots, well, at the moment I can just dream.
I think EA must want us all to play like Barca with the tricks, flicks and stuff like that and you're right in a way that there is a limited amount of ways to play it.
The good thing FIFA has imo, is the customisation with the controls. Assisted, semi assisted and manual. From shooting, passing and crossing, to through balls and lobbed passes ect. Also you can change the speed of the game and make it a bit quicker, or slower. You can even turn the harder defending system off if you want.
dwhlufc on 28 Sep '11 said:
I was almost sold after the first demo but the second sealed it,i did try FIFA expecting to be blown away but apart from the new defensive controls its more or less the same game.Thats no bad thing but i'm not paying for transfers and kit updates also the new commentary team are as bad as PES offerings.
NugNugs79 on 28 Sep '11 said:
Jesus, It says post a comment not an essay.
dwhlufc on 28 Sep '11 said:
At least he's on topic.
laminated0 on 28 Sep '11 said:
Irony?
dwhlufc on 28 Sep '11 said:
Nope,hypocritical.
And my point still stands.
MattyR95 on 28 Sep '11 said:
I wish you'd just review the bloody game instead of comparing it to FIFA at every opportunity. Yes, they're competitors but just say what the game does well and what it doesn't. Stop comparing it!
charlyd on 29 Sep '11 said:
Fifa just isn't as much fun to play as pes ,it may have improved hugely over the years but i dont enjoy fifa half as much as pes i feel they were leaning a bit more towards realism rather than the fantasy football that pes is.
Noobsaibot on 29 Sep '11 said:
LOL. It's true.
As for the review... PES 2012 > Fifa 2012.
nezzko on 30 Sep '11 said:
I don't give a tiny rat's ass how many Bolivian premier league sides FIFA have, i'm buying PES because i enjoy it more.
FIFA 03 and 09 excepted, i've never enjoyed that series as much as PES, hell, i preferred This Is Football ahead of it! FIFA is generally a decent game, but i get bored after 4 weeks whenever i get both and stick to PES.
liveswired on 30 Sep '11 said:
I am no FIFA or PES fanboy but I am shocked at PES.
Downloaded and had extensive plays with both demos, FIFA was sensational. PES on the other hand diabolical - it has brought back so many memories of Konami's cack handed destruction of the ISS series.
As for 8.7 - the game must be completely different to the demo.
Noobsaibot on 1 Oct '11 said:
Did you play it on the Xbox? I noticed a few glitches but I'm sure they will be out of the release. The PS3 demo plays sublime (even the first, "basic" demo)
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