Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 Review: Same Old Perfection

Sep. 26, 2017

Note: We reviewed the Standard Edition on our PS4 Pro. The features and gameplay, however, remain constant across all the editions and platform, with the little differences mentioned in the Pricing and Availability section of this review.

Gameplay

In my experience with the game, I could easily say that while attacking, the game feels supernatural, offering the users with so much control that you have a plethora of options to deliver the ball inside the box. That being said,defending in this game is rather a mixed bag. There are times where the player will just dive instead of issuing a proper shoulder challenge, and more often than not, I found myself rushing the keeper towards the striker’s ball, for that was the only way to stop the goal.

Also, even though the AI is generally quite smart, there are some cases where I felt there was some scope for improvement. The biggest flaw being the goalkeepers. Yes, the ever-persistent problem with Pro Evolution Soccer is present in the latest iteration as well. To be very blunt, thegoalkeepers in this game absolutely suck. You’ll constantly find them bouncing the ball off their hands in the easiest of situations, allowing for a second striker to score from an easy tap-in. And don’t get me started on how easy it is to actually nutmeg a keeper, as they stupidly charging towards the ball with their legs wide open. Apart from the keeper, the other players also do miss out on a couple of spaces. And not just from the opponent’s team, from my own team as well. Though it wasn’t that often, there were times where theplayers would be off the mark, and would not be keeping up with their proper positioning.

Another thing that is quite prominent and noticeable from the get-go is thespecial traits of each player. The players seem to exhibit these traits quite realistically, and more often than not, bring out a sense of ecstasy. For example, for a player having a special trait of great passing such as Luka Modric or Tony Kroos, one could easily notice the special trick passes that the players automatically do without the need for any user involvement. Or if you’re crossing inside the box using Neymar Jr, more often than not, he’ll be delivering the ball with a rabona pass. This does end up adding a taste of flamboyancy to the entire gameplay. The same stands true while taking penalties. Players having higher shot power had a advantage over other players. Furthermore, top dogs such as Ronaldo, Messi, Suarez, Dybala, Neymar, and more have extra special traits added to match their playing style.

But for me, the 3v3 co-op wasn’t the highlight, rather, I was spellbound with the return of theRandom Select Match feature. Newer PES users might not be aware of this mode since it was last seen back in PES 6, more than a decade ago. What this essentially does is randomly selects the team members for you and your opponent, and then you move on to play with them. How this effectively works is that initially you are asked to pick a team. The team you select will apply the team name, strip, emblem, formation, and strategy to your final team. Next up, you’ll be given 4 spots to fill up, where you can select a team, a league, or a nationality from which players will randomly be selected. Once done, the system will automatically pick out a team of random players for you and your opponent.

But wait, the fun doesn’t end there. Next up you havetrade rounds, that allows you to trade players from your competitor’s team. How this takes place is that first, you select a target player that you’d like to occupy. Next up, you select one player that you’d like to protect from your team and another player that you don’t mind losing. Finally, the trade round takes place, and players are exchanged depending upon the selection criteria. For example, in my case, the final team that I ended up was Dortmund, having an attacking front that included Ronaldo, Suarez, and Neymar. What luck, right?

Other game modes include themyClub, Master League, and the Become a Legend mode. If you’re a FIFA fan who’s unaware of the terminologies, the Master League and Become a Legend mode are comparable to FIFA’s Manager and Player Career Modes. Though, that would be a very slight comparison, for the modes included in PES rather make you start from square one, building your team from scratch and taking it to new heights.

ThemyClub mode, on the other hand, is PES’s answer to FIFA’s Ultimate Team. And to be very frank, it is still lacking behind. The mode is great, allowing you tobuild your own team, and compete in online matches against other playersfrom around the world. You can get star player cards for match loans, or you can even purchase them using real money. In the end, it does offer an immersive experience that’ll make you play the game for a lot of hours.

Lastly, the way PES has always been, it is aUEFA licensed product, so we do have the officialUEFA Champions Leagueas well as theUEFA Europa Leaguewithin the game. Though, as a football fan, I must say that it is quite suspicious of a gaming featuring FC Barcelona on its cover page and being the UEFA Champions League’s official game, both at the same time. (If you don’t know what I mean, just Google ‘Uefalona’). Also, if you’re looking to create your own custom competitions, there are options for custom tournaments and cups, alongside other online competitions.

Online gameplay, in general, happens to be great. Thematchmaking process works relatively well, matching you with players similar to your playing style, thus giving you a fair competition. That being said, like every other game, online multiplayer highly depends on your region as well. For instance, since I was reviewing this game here in India, I had to stay up late to actually play with the majority of the world online. Secondly, since most of my matches took place with players far away from my region, there wereslight regions of noticeable lag. To be honest, it was nothing that would spoil the gaming experience totally, but then again, the slight lag was there.

The graphics in this year’s PES have improved vastly, offering rich and in-depth changes. Thestadiums feel much more lively, and fan celebrations add to the feel. The player models of the top players are quite detailed, while the lower league players, well, not so much. I feel there is a relatively better balance amongst the graphics though, especially when compared to the previous iterations. TheFox Engineis a rather powerful engine as we all know, thanks to the Metal Gear franchise. Similar to that, the weather transitions feel highly realistic, and the one does feel that he’s actually on the pitch. Though, while we are on the topic of the pitch, let me be brutally honest that thegrass feels unnatural, and it seems as if the players are running on a green mat. Don’t get me wrong, while everything else is immersive, the pitch’s detailing is a noticeable miss.

The official soundtrack of this game is also quite appealing. While having a list of merely 12 tracks, these are all fromhigh rated artists such as Bruno Mars, The Chainsmokers, Coldplay, John Legend, Linkin Park, and more. Though, to put things into realism, if you’re a casual player, most of your time is spent on the pitch, so you wouldn’t care much about the background tactics and other customizations. But if you’re a power user like, who spends equal time on and off the pitch, digging deep into menus, customizing the tactics, formations and other stuff; having an engaging soundtrack playing in the background makes a whole lot of experience.

Now while all this is good, let us get to the negatives of the presentation. To start off, let me begin by addressing the elephant in the room. Yes, most of you who’ve been long-time users of PES must be aware of crappy commentary it packs in. Also, another prominent issue with most users is thelack of licensing of teams, with almost all the teams having weird names and even weirder jerseys. Well, to be honest, the latter one will most probably never change, considering FIFA is the official governing body for the game of football, and so the preferences to the official licensing will undoubtedly be given to EA Sports’ FIFA. That being said, I have curated a list of the real team names for your convenience below:

Now, while all the little aspects of the gameplay have been ticked, most of the checkboxes in the presentation have been left out. The simple aspect of menu animations is so displeasing with lag being prominent amongst all the menu switches. Eventhe glitch animation of PESthat props up once you’ve scored a goal or any other highlightis just so longthat you’ll constantly find yourself annoyed with it. Yes, it might not seem like a big issue at first, but play the game for a few times, and you’ll understand my emotions.

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC

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