PES 2019
FIFA vs. PES at E3
Last year saw the first of what Konami described as a three-year plan to transform PES into a more competitive and substantial football sim. It’s part of a concerted strategy to bring the longstanding franchise back into contention with its rival, FIFA, and it saw the introduction of exciting new modes like 3 player, as well as further building on its partnerships with licensed partners.
2019 continues that trend, but PES has already suffered an almighty blow having lost Borussia Dortmund as a partner this year. During the E3 presentation I attended, Konami was keen to stress that it has worked hard to bring new legends, ambassadors, and authentic leagues to the package. Although the loss of Borussia Dortmund was never mentioned, you’d have to imagine that filling that void has been a top priority over the past month.
New leagues include Argentinian, Scottish, Danish, and Russian Premier League. Russia is actually a PES 2019 exclusive, as are the Allianz Parque and Camp Nou stadiums. Scoring exclusivity for the Russian league is a big get for PES, especially off the back of the World Cup being hosted by them this year. Russian football fans passionate to play their nations club teams were just given a very big reason to consider PES in 2019.
Philippe Coutinho is the new cover man for the game, and David Beckham is its notable Legend player. Interestingly, it’s “modern David Beckham,” as opposed to his appearance during his youth. He’s been body scanned recently during PES 2019’s development, so expect to see all his latest tattoos, as well as a special new pair of boots. Other legends include Romario, Roberto Carlos, and Johan Cruyff.
PES 2019 is the first current-gen-only PES game, launching on PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. The big innovations for this year’s edition center around making the game feel and appear more realistic. PES has always been terrific fun to play, but it’s struggled to match the presentation of FIFA. I was impressed during my 30 or so minute demo with just how good it looks, though it’s still noticeably less pretty than FIFA 19. The player-characters and general textures of the pitch aren’t quite as sharp, but what PES 2019 does introduce are a number of little details that help immerse players in the experience.
Interestingly, just as FIFA is doing with its new special-touch mechanic, PES has introduced “Magic Moments” and something they call ‘First Touch Impact’. Iconic players such as Roberto Firmino execute their signature skills like the no-look pass, and the changes to first touch dictate how well players trap and control the ball according to their skill. I must say, again much like FIFA, I appreciated how well PES felt to play but didn’t necessarily notice a huge disparity in control and trapping abilities between players.
PES 2019 sure does feel fun to play, though, but probably for the opposite reason that Konami was trying to portray during their demonstration – it’s fast, fluid, and arcadey compared to FIFA. Where FIFA feels overly stiff and almost too finicky sometimes, there’s less to think about and less uncertainty in possession because the game isn’t trying to always mimic real-life so pedantically. Don’t worry, though, there’s still challenge in the jostle and the opportunity to steal the ball on a heavy touch; it just doesn’t feel as though mistakes have been programmed into player-touch as obviously as it has in FIFA. That’s a good thing, because that’s often transparent and frustrating in my experience.
Along with executing special tricks automatically with ‘Magic Moments,’ players display visible fatigue if you push them too hard, and there’s a whole stack of new animations when shooting, too. The shooting mechanic has actually been given an overhaul so that you’ll have better feedback on where shots are likely to place according to player body position. During my demo playthrough, I found the shooting in PES 2019 required noticeably less nuance and precision than FIFA 19. Of the shots I took, most were dangerous without too much care as to whether they were perfectly timed or lined up. I actually found that super entertaining, but it feels slightly old fashioned next to FIFA – as if I was playing FIFA 12 or 13.
Konami were keen to highlight the return of snow as a weather system, and we were encouraged to play a match at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium during the demo. After having talked up the impact that snow had on ball physics, I can’t say I was overly impressed with how much of a difference it made. Certainly, in comparison to a damp pitch in FIFA games I’m used to playing, in which there’s a huge change in the dynamic of a match, the snow in PES 2019 didn’t really do anything but add an interesting change of aesthetic.
With respect to its game modes, PES 2019 has introduced an overhaul to MyClub. Player Packs now replace the Ball Spins of Special Agents when signing new players. The plan is to release high performance players throughout the year along with Legends. Players of the Week, too, which are upgraded players whose stats are temporarily boosted according to their recent performance in real-life. Konami also spoke of an improved negotiation and budget management systems.
