A timely activation of a couple tactics could see your team definitively outplaying their opponents – as in my experience find your master league team badly exposed.
Fans of the tactical side of things will be happy to know that advanced strategies can be turned on and off by the touch of a button just like in the PES glory days in the mid-2000s.
Over the past few years series acolytes have felt like the tactical options available have been slightly dumbed down. The collision system also makes the fouls look far more realistic.Īnother facet of the game where PES has traditionally been strong is match tactics. Thankfully this has been greatly improved and fouls are blown and cards handed out much more readily and the game has the feel of a proper game of football. In last year’s PES you could have easily thought the ref was absent because you basically had to chop somebody down at the knee for a foul to be blown. Keeping watch over all the action on the pitch is the referee. Even though there has been a great improvement they are still prone to those clangers, but at least those clangers look like the ones keepers make in real life. Many a time I was amazed at the stops they managed to make, how quickly they reacted to rebounded shots and made second saves. Animations and goalie reactions have been completely overhauled. Trying to stop you from scoring is obviously the opposition goalkeeper, but this year goalies have been the focus of possibly Konami’s biggest change. Trying to get off a perfect shot while under pressure from opposition is a rare event, making finding space and putting a bulge in the old onion bag all the more rewarding. The collision system also plays a part here. Konami have definitively worked on the shooting, and shots on goal definitely seem more realistic than before.
You still get the option to change what type of through balls you would like: from assisted settings to fully manual passing.Īfter creating all that space and getting past opposition players we move into the business end of the pitch: time for some goal mouth action. The passing is once again crisp, and the ball physics have been improved particularly when completing aerial cross field balls. I know what you are thinking, “Great now everyone will just fill their team with the strongest players because they are unstoppable!” Thankfully I can say this is not the case, the fluidity, 360 degree range of movement and new first touch system provides all the tools to be able to get around a defender or find some space to execute the perfect pass. This enables stronger players to be able to effectively use their strength to shield balls or to ease other players off the ball – and also make executing a perfectly timed tackle much more rewarding. This makes the tackle area scrappier, much like it is in real life. The ball feels like a completely separate entity to the players, it never seemed to be sucked on to a player because they were near the ball. The major change that makes all of these very different battles play out is the new collision system in the Fox Engine.
Can the quick attacker turn the strong defender? Can the playmaker thread an eye of the needle pass through a tight defence? Can the defender use his body and anticipation to outmuscle an attacker? Can the goal keeper get his finger tips to a perfectly struck free kick? I’m happy to say that all of these little battles play out extremely well in PES 2017. The beautiful game is a sport filled with many micro battles. What they have managed to do with the engine this year, has in my opinion, resulted in the best football experience I have ever had in a digital football game. Konami has slowly been coming to terms with the Fox Engine and have improved year-on-year since it released.
Gameplay has always been the cornerstone of Pro Evo’s success, and over the past few years that has been no different. If that year was 2017 would the new PES be good enough to make those who try it for the first time change their mind? Konami just need to make sure they are at the top of their game when EA slips up or when someone is brave enough to take the plunge and discover something else. The reality is that if you enjoy FIFA there is not much PES can do to change your mind. Heck there are even enough people in South-Africa that think those inedible, cheese-covered discs in a giant box from Roman’s are Pizzas.įIFA or PES has become one of those types of arguments.
Things like how to make a cup of tea, Apple or Android, Dogs or cats are all great examples.
In life you will often find people’s opinions split right down the middle on certain subjects, with each side defending their opinion passionately.