

Where FIFA always provides a trendy and up to date indie soundtrack, you’ll find that PES in this instance plays generic background music to fill the lulls.

Sound is also an asset that really suffers in this title.

Meaning that if you’re not in tune with the idiosyncrasies of the PES series, you’ll feel pretty alienated. Then when it comes to the things that you absolutely need in this title such as the editor that would allow players to rename in-game assets to get around the licencing restrictions, the game has decided to leave these out of the title altogether. The modes on offer are very much the same, resting on their laurels, chaining the UI and fine details so it isn’t the exact same experience but it pretty much is just that. Small improvements have been made but honestly nothing of note worth harping on about. The sad fact though, is that there isn’t much that separates it from the last instalment in the series. The gameplay is as excellent as it has been and still blows FIFA out of the water in terms of detail and depth. It seems that Konami hasn’t done an awful lot to push the series on since their last release. However, when we say the same highs, we mean exactly the same highs. It’s a pitfall that the series continues to fall into and it’s a real shame because the game hits the exact same highs as well.

The player models for the iconic players are recognisable but as you stray away from these players and teams, you find that you’ll struggle to tell the players apart, especially since the names aren’t accurate as well. Sadly though, they fall flat once again with this outing. The game has never been able to match the licences that FIFA can provide, leading to team names like Merseyside Red and Man Blue but for the most part, this is something that can be overlooked provided the graphics hit the mark. The game series has always had one key drawback preventing it from truly blowing FIFA out of the water and that is its visual presentation.
