Formats Xbox 360 (tested), PlayStation 3, PC
Developer Konami
Publisher Konami
Released 21 September 2012
Developer Konami
Publisher Konami
Released 21 September 2012
I've always thought that the true worth of a sports game can be found in
defeat. In the aftermath of a loss, can you turn around and still say "that
was fun"?
The first time I realised that Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 was a great sports
game was in a 1-0 defeat. I was Sheppey United, the Sunday league team I
used to play for as a boy, recreated in PES's Master League mode. My players
were a bunch of non-existent no-marks with weirdly spelled names like
Castolis, Hougelin and Gellazca and I was playing another fictional team
with an equally curious moniker.
From the first whistle, Sheppey dominated. Keeping hold of the ball like it
was an old friend, passing it with pin-sharp precision, I laid siege to the
opposition's goal. Chance after chance came my way. I hit the bar, I skyed
it into Row Z, the opposition goalkeeper tipped away any shot that I managed
to keep on target. I belted it across the face of the goal, my striker
sliding in and failing to make contact a la Gazza '96. What on earth was
going on? I wasn't exactly goal-shy, as the 6-0 demolition job in my
previous game proved.
Then my opponents, with their 30% possession and zero shots, launched a
speculative free kick into the box. Their striker peeled off his marker at
the last second, carving out the smallest amount of space and bundled the
ball into the net.
I burst out laughing. This was brilliant. This was the scrappy chaos of
proper football. This was, finally, the PES of old brought to bear in
the current generation. We've been waiting for you.
PES 2013 is not a huge overhaul of the decent enough PES 2012, rather Konami have focussed on addressing the areas that matter. And, crucially, they've directed their efforts into being PES, rather than the scatter-gun approach of recent years that has left the series scrabbling for its identity. The speed of the game has been slowed to a much more natural, but still brisk, pace. The physics model has been given a more natural weight and feel, meaning zipping the ball across the pitch feels more consistent. The AI has been made noticeably smarter and more aggressive; full-backs and wingers bomb down the wing at any given opportunity, while your forwards will push the defensive line back as far as they can, shuffling into clever positions to receive the ball.
Animation has been given a greater fluidity too. It's still slightly stilted in comparison to FIFA, but the robotic jerks of previous games have been all but eradicated. It talks to a smoother control system with proper 360 analogue movements, and the relationship between the animation on-screen and your button inputs is considerably more defined. There were times in previous games that it felt like you were fighting against the controls to do the things you wanted to do. No more.
A greater confidence in the controls has also lead to more transparency. There were always hidden depths to PES games that only the dedicated managed to exploit, 2013 not only lets you in on the secrets, but actively encourages you from the moment you boot up the game. A tricky but rewarding tutorial talks you through trapping the ball with the trigger, flicking the ball up for a volley, nutmegs, run-arounds, knuckle shots and lofted passes. The actions required are a little fiddly to begin with --demanding more manual dexterity than is strictly needed-- but once mastered they can all be a well-used, important part of your footballing arsenal. PES 2013 is all about giving you more control and some very clever little touches should have EA's scouts nosing around. Holding down the right trigger allows you to take close control of the ball, rolling it back with your feet to keep it away from a defender. Squeezing the left trigger, meanwhile, instantly disables any computer influence over your passing and shooting, giving you complete control of where the ball is directed. Perhaps best of all, you can now take control of teammates at set-pieces with the flick of a stick, dragging defenders out of position and making clever runs to find space. No more screaming "MOOOOVE" at your stationary attackers at a corner.
Everything works together to make for a much better game of football, one with a sense of purpose and direction that had been sorely lacking from PES in recent years. It's not perfect, of course. Heading is frustratingly capricious, and is the one area that still suffers from PES 2012's odd physics blunders. The physical interaction between players still feels a generation behind FIFA's too. And despite Konami's promise of players having their own individual DNA, it's rather difficult to ascertain the difference beyond the obvious boosts of core skills.
PES 2013's largest problems, however, lay off the pitch. The presentation is still atrocious to the point of parody. The menu layout is dreary, obtuse tactics screens confuse and the commentary is abysmal. While you've always been able to forgive PES for its limited amount of official licences, in recent years it feels like they've given up trying to approximate teams, hoping people will just dive into the (very good) editor. It's also a little odd that while they have the official licence for the Champions League, they don't have permission to use the kits and badges from all the teams. Which can't help but negate the authentic Europen club nights Konami strive for
Visual dreariness and eccentric naming conventions aside, however, the outdated presentation has snuck into more important areas. The main single-player component, Master League --once upon a time the finest video game football career available-- is still distressingly stagnant. Staring at a grey calendar while the game loads, struggling to come to terms with a muddled transfer system, it's a million miles away from what we should be expecting from a sports game career in terms of its structure.
But once you're on the pitch, those problems become background noise. There's no doubt that Konami need to rip out the entire front end of PES for essential modernisation, but the best menu system and career mode in the world mean nothing without a fabulous game of football at its heart. That's what Konami have focussed on this year, getting it right on the pitch. That focus and a new-found determination to not be left behind is stamped all over PES 2013, an excellent and long-overdue return to form.
PES 2013 is not a huge overhaul of the decent enough PES 2012, rather Konami have focussed on addressing the areas that matter. And, crucially, they've directed their efforts into being PES, rather than the scatter-gun approach of recent years that has left the series scrabbling for its identity. The speed of the game has been slowed to a much more natural, but still brisk, pace. The physics model has been given a more natural weight and feel, meaning zipping the ball across the pitch feels more consistent. The AI has been made noticeably smarter and more aggressive; full-backs and wingers bomb down the wing at any given opportunity, while your forwards will push the defensive line back as far as they can, shuffling into clever positions to receive the ball.
Animation has been given a greater fluidity too. It's still slightly stilted in comparison to FIFA, but the robotic jerks of previous games have been all but eradicated. It talks to a smoother control system with proper 360 analogue movements, and the relationship between the animation on-screen and your button inputs is considerably more defined. There were times in previous games that it felt like you were fighting against the controls to do the things you wanted to do. No more.
A greater confidence in the controls has also lead to more transparency. There were always hidden depths to PES games that only the dedicated managed to exploit, 2013 not only lets you in on the secrets, but actively encourages you from the moment you boot up the game. A tricky but rewarding tutorial talks you through trapping the ball with the trigger, flicking the ball up for a volley, nutmegs, run-arounds, knuckle shots and lofted passes. The actions required are a little fiddly to begin with --demanding more manual dexterity than is strictly needed-- but once mastered they can all be a well-used, important part of your footballing arsenal. PES 2013 is all about giving you more control and some very clever little touches should have EA's scouts nosing around. Holding down the right trigger allows you to take close control of the ball, rolling it back with your feet to keep it away from a defender. Squeezing the left trigger, meanwhile, instantly disables any computer influence over your passing and shooting, giving you complete control of where the ball is directed. Perhaps best of all, you can now take control of teammates at set-pieces with the flick of a stick, dragging defenders out of position and making clever runs to find space. No more screaming "MOOOOVE" at your stationary attackers at a corner.
Everything works together to make for a much better game of football, one with a sense of purpose and direction that had been sorely lacking from PES in recent years. It's not perfect, of course. Heading is frustratingly capricious, and is the one area that still suffers from PES 2012's odd physics blunders. The physical interaction between players still feels a generation behind FIFA's too. And despite Konami's promise of players having their own individual DNA, it's rather difficult to ascertain the difference beyond the obvious boosts of core skills.
PES 2013's largest problems, however, lay off the pitch. The presentation is still atrocious to the point of parody. The menu layout is dreary, obtuse tactics screens confuse and the commentary is abysmal. While you've always been able to forgive PES for its limited amount of official licences, in recent years it feels like they've given up trying to approximate teams, hoping people will just dive into the (very good) editor. It's also a little odd that while they have the official licence for the Champions League, they don't have permission to use the kits and badges from all the teams. Which can't help but negate the authentic Europen club nights Konami strive for
Visual dreariness and eccentric naming conventions aside, however, the outdated presentation has snuck into more important areas. The main single-player component, Master League --once upon a time the finest video game football career available-- is still distressingly stagnant. Staring at a grey calendar while the game loads, struggling to come to terms with a muddled transfer system, it's a million miles away from what we should be expecting from a sports game career in terms of its structure.
But once you're on the pitch, those problems become background noise. There's no doubt that Konami need to rip out the entire front end of PES for essential modernisation, but the best menu system and career mode in the world mean nothing without a fabulous game of football at its heart. That's what Konami have focussed on this year, getting it right on the pitch. That focus and a new-found determination to not be left behind is stamped all over PES 2013, an excellent and long-overdue return to form.
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