Pro Evolution 2014 Review
Developer PES Productions
Publisher Konami
Platform PS3, Xbox360 & PC
Release Date Out Now
It is fair to say that PES Productions have been struggling to maintain their own high standards during this current generation and something had to give, the team took the brave move of wiping the slate clean and starting all over again. After a number of years of rebuilding from the ground up, it has thankfully paid off.
The first thing you will notice is the game feels very different, this year’s game is much slower and takes a lot longer to settle into. The change can be quite jarring at first and you could easily write it off if you didn’t take the time with the game. Once you unlock its charms it is easy to see that not only is this a return to form but might just be one of the best PES titles to date.
Behind the scenes the big change is in the game engine, the old engine was very much last gen with extra parts randomly bolted on top. This year’s game is built on the impressive FOX engine which makes the game more visually appealing, but what is important is what is going on under the hood.
Here are some of the new features, “True Ball Tech” this ensures the ball acts naturally and is an entity of its own. It controls how the ball moves in the air, how you move the ball around the team, how players take control and shoot. It is essentially what sets the better player apart since the ball is no longer locked to you, you need to actively manipulate it. This can be done by shifting your weight to gain half a yard, swapping feet in tight spots or playing that perfect through ball.
The second big jump is in the player physics or as it is called the “MASS system”. Traditionally games had preprogrammed animations created so if you got fouled you fell a certain way, if you got pushed off the ball, if you were off balance etc. This new system simulates body contact between players to ensure everything is much more natural accounting for differences within the one moment. The “Barry system” then allows players to shift their weight, you can use this to control runs, to allow yourself to gain half a yard or to just ensure that your shooting is not negatively impacted by being of balance or wrong footed.
Due to the efficiencies of the new game engine a lot more room has been created for things like Player ID which makes the player look and act like their real life counterparts. This controls how the players run and their goal celebrations.
Heart is a new concept and influences the players throughout the game, it means big players can rise to the occasion or sulky players can go absent if things don’t go their way. The crowd also influences things on the pitch they can start to boo underperforming players, they will leave if you are getting trashed or they can get behind you and will you on.
Mix all this with the traditional experience found in master league and the Champions league and you have one of the best football games out there at the moment, but it is not without its flaws.
Online a long running issue for PES is still limited to 2 V 2 when it works (which is not that often) and GoalKeepers have a new level of incompetence. Keepers make mistakes in real life but not this many and not this often.
Overall : The game has come a long way, after nearly a generation of disappointing outings it has finally delivered what fans have wanted from a football sim and done it incredibly well. It rewards those who put in the time and really only comes to life when you get to grips with it. While not overly daunting it still does require a certain level of commitment to master, something rarely seen in game these days.
Score 4.5/5
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