OK, I've tried PES demo now.
The AI doesn't get super human powers when defending and actually has different behaviors while doing it: pressing, contain, etc. As opposed to just running at you regardless of which player is doing, or if he even has the attributes to do so.
It also passes the ball back! I can't overstate how much this surprised me. In FIFA an AI player would rather dribble with the ball stuck in his foot all over the pitch (and I really mean all over; I've seen AI players dribble from outside my box, back to their own) before considering a back pass. It also feels like you can build up play through the midfield and open spaces that way. In FIFA you almost exclusively compete in the last thirds of the pitch. Midfield is nonexistent.
I was extremely surprised when mind-run I could pass the ball to the side before the animation finished, something that in FIFA is clumsy as hell and is almost impossible without doing shit like cancelling moves or animations with RT+LT. In PES it would feel like it takes into account the position of your body during the run and even if you smash the power, physics takes precedence on how you actually end up hitting the ball. It's easier to lose the ball, but it's also easier to dribble with just the LS.
I know some of these example have always been the case when comparing both games, but the difference never felt so sharp as they feel now. Some of the recent PES games have shit like locking you to animations and trajectories and felt slow as hell. This one doesn't.
Playing against my bro was enjoyable too. Through passes aren't nerfed just because they can be abused like in FIFA.They are easier to make hear, but also easier to miss so there doesn't seem to be much pass assist. Much has been said about player ID so I won't go into that. I was actually surprised at the amount of different animations for simple things like turns and how they linked. I don't know, it feels really different.
That said... everything else sucks ass. Presentation is below subpar even for their standards. Like, I can't overstate how old and clumsy everything feels. I love the robust game plan options, but setting them is a nightmare. crowd models (if you can even call those pixelated cut-outs "models") and their animations are so bad. I feel like it doesn't matter if some faces look better when everything else looks so bad and so LQ. Lighting is so flat. The sound is the worse I've heard in a football game in forever, with the same loud thuds every time the ball is hit regardless of power. And before you nerds come and tell me how bu-bu-bu it's gameplay that counts, there's a few gameplay problems with it too. Refereeing is terrible inconsistent. I've done ankle breaking diving tackles from behind without so much as a foul call, and simple challenges end up in yellow card. And no it's not "realistic" just because referees suck ass IRL. In game it can even feel unfair. Players also suffer from the FIFA 15 syndrome of falling and stumbling over each other, although not as frequently or comically, but it does happen. I feel keepers are better here, but not by much, and they are as prone as letting dumb goals in as they ever were. I swear I saw the same behavior from everyone defensively during 3 straight corners, all ending up in the same punching the ball out animation. I've always hated their inverted cursor thingy during corners and goal kicks. I swear whenever the ball goes where I want is by chance. It's so counter-intuitive and takes more time than it should. Didn't take a penalty so I don't know how that is, but PES is famous for fucking up this shit since 12 so I don't know. No idea how online is, but I'm not expecting much. They've always fucked that up too.
All in all, I thought it was just the same crazy ramblings about how the king is back and shit I've been hearing for years, but this time it really does feel different. Maybe if you idiots haven't done this same dance for 5 years+ now I would've believed sooner. I still doubt I'd buy it, considering I'd prefer the PC version and god knows how that one is. The mode I'd like to play the most is BAL and I'm sure that is still an afterthought anyways. Maybe on sale in the future.
You win Snitch, it's gud. #thekingiskindabackbutnotreally
The AI doesn't get super human powers when defending and actually has different behaviors while doing it: pressing, contain, etc. As opposed to just running at you regardless of which player is doing, or if he even has the attributes to do so.
It also passes the ball back! I can't overstate how much this surprised me. In FIFA an AI player would rather dribble with the ball stuck in his foot all over the pitch (and I really mean all over; I've seen AI players dribble from outside my box, back to their own) before considering a back pass. It also feels like you can build up play through the midfield and open spaces that way. In FIFA you almost exclusively compete in the last thirds of the pitch. Midfield is nonexistent.
I was extremely surprised when mind-run I could pass the ball to the side before the animation finished, something that in FIFA is clumsy as hell and is almost impossible without doing shit like cancelling moves or animations with RT+LT. In PES it would feel like it takes into account the position of your body during the run and even if you smash the power, physics takes precedence on how you actually end up hitting the ball. It's easier to lose the ball, but it's also easier to dribble with just the LS.
I know some of these example have always been the case when comparing both games, but the difference never felt so sharp as they feel now. Some of the recent PES games have shit like locking you to animations and trajectories and felt slow as hell. This one doesn't.
Playing against my bro was enjoyable too. Through passes aren't nerfed just because they can be abused like in FIFA.They are easier to make hear, but also easier to miss so there doesn't seem to be much pass assist. Much has been said about player ID so I won't go into that. I was actually surprised at the amount of different animations for simple things like turns and how they linked. I don't know, it feels really different.
That said... everything else sucks ass. Presentation is below subpar even for their standards. Like, I can't overstate how old and clumsy everything feels. I love the robust game plan options, but setting them is a nightmare. crowd models (if you can even call those pixelated cut-outs "models") and their animations are so bad. I feel like it doesn't matter if some faces look better when everything else looks so bad and so LQ. Lighting is so flat. The sound is the worse I've heard in a football game in forever, with the same loud thuds every time the ball is hit regardless of power. And before you nerds come and tell me how bu-bu-bu it's gameplay that counts, there's a few gameplay problems with it too. Refereeing is terrible inconsistent. I've done ankle breaking diving tackles from behind without so much as a foul call, and simple challenges end up in yellow card. And no it's not "realistic" just because referees suck ass IRL. In game it can even feel unfair. Players also suffer from the FIFA 15 syndrome of falling and stumbling over each other, although not as frequently or comically, but it does happen. I feel keepers are better here, but not by much, and they are as prone as letting dumb goals in as they ever were. I swear I saw the same behavior from everyone defensively during 3 straight corners, all ending up in the same punching the ball out animation. I've always hated their inverted cursor thingy during corners and goal kicks. I swear whenever the ball goes where I want is by chance. It's so counter-intuitive and takes more time than it should. Didn't take a penalty so I don't know how that is, but PES is famous for fucking up this shit since 12 so I don't know. No idea how online is, but I'm not expecting much. They've always fucked that up too.
All in all, I thought it was just the same crazy ramblings about how the king is back and shit I've been hearing for years, but this time it really does feel different. Maybe if you idiots haven't done this same dance for 5 years+ now I would've believed sooner. I still doubt I'd buy it, considering I'd prefer the PC version and god knows how that one is. The mode I'd like to play the most is BAL and I'm sure that is still an afterthought anyways. Maybe on sale in the future.
You win Snitch, it's gud. #thekingiskindabackbutnotreally
