The reason that PES has been the best for such a long time is depth and realism. The games are so insanely deep that you could be playing your 1,000th match and still be discovering new tricks and manouvres along the way. Never played a PES game before this? Then you're in for a rude awakening. PES is not FIFA, and it is definitely not an arcade title. It’s sports simulation at it’s absoulte peak. The only way we can really emphasise the game’s reality is that you’ll barely ever score the same goal twice.
Someone who picks up this game and tries to play using conventional arcade tactics is probably going to wonder, why are the defender’s crowding the box so quickly or why do I keep losing the ball so easily? Maybe it’s because you sprinted down the sideline and gave the defenders time to get back into the box or you didn’t plan your attack properly enough. This is the kind of game PES5 is. It’s unforgiving to your errors but at the same time, remarkably satisfying when you actually pull something off.
A diving contest
While the appearance of the game may be similar to most soccer games, the similarities don’t really go any further than that. You can pass, lob, shoot and switch but on top of that, there are a myriad of moves, manouvres and tricks that the player can engage in to get around opponents. There's the move of using the right-thumb stick and R3 button to pass with absolute precision. It takes a while to get used to, as do most things in the game but you put all of them together to make the experience. It really is amazing the amount of functions that have been crammed into the controller; it’s just up to you to utilise.
As mentioned, the PES series is built on the notion that this is a real game of soccer. As a result, virtually everything you do demands absolute precision and buckets of forethought. For vets, this shouldn’t be an issue with PES5, but for newcomers this can be quite frustrating. For those who stick it out and dedicate a lot of time to learning and discovering the game’s intricasies, vast rewards await. The main issue is that this can that a very long time.
There have been a few changes and additions to PES5 from the previous games. The first is one for the newbies. The training mode has been heavily fleshed out to give newbies a much closer look at some of the game’s more complex manouvres. It now includes a Challenge mode that will allow you to test out your new found skills in very demanding scenarios. Another change has been a slight tweaking of the Master League. These mainly concern who gets the levelling up and how it’s done. For example, younger players will start of quite unskilled but will level-up faster and older players will have their skill diminish over time.
The ball physics are very realistic
In terms of gameplay, when something is not broken, we all know that there is no need to fix it. So any adjustments have been minor ones. These include changes to the use of R2, so that side-stepping is now placed on the D-pad/analogue movement, and 45-degree movement adjustments involve active use of the R2 button. Some of them will take a bit of time to learn but again, it’s nothing that vets won’t be able to handle. To add to this, the ball physics have been tightened and the developers have attempted to implement a much more realistic handling of the ball. This is good and all, but the issue with these additions and changes is that opinion is likely to be divided as to whether it makes the game better or more worthwhile than the previous one. It isn’t clear-cut and not everyone will be pleased with it, as the game can sometimes boil down to mastery over the mechanics, rather than the game of soccer.
While PES5 continues the legacy of unlicensed content and general low number of teams, there have been a few more licenses added, with Chelsea and Arsenal appearing with their full kits, as well as all the correct players and kits for top-flight Italian, German, Dutch and Spanish leagues. The game makes up for this lack of licensing with some excellent customising tools that allow you to go through and fiddle with player’s names, stats and team aesthetics. To complement this, the game has a quite absurd amount of stats, all of which can be tweaked or built upon. These stats play a big role in the game, as virtually every single player controls and plays differently than everyone else. The difference is especially noticeable when looking at and playing with the top players.
Multiplayer is a huge part of the game. If you can get numerous people of similar skill, there is a fantastic time to be had. For those who are unable to get around the higher level AI, they may get a much more enjoyable experience when they take on someone of the same skill. However, as in a real game of soccer, there will always be some issue of contention, such as close offside calls and the usual pushing and shoving. While PES4 was only online for Xbox and the PC last year, PES5 is now online for the PS2 also. We tried out a few games on Xbox Live, and the lag seen in PES4 has been largely reduced, even if it does occasionally rear its head from time to time. Things are also further improved by the more sensible menu layout and the addition of more statistics.
Since when does George Gregan play for Brazil?
Graphically, the game looks very similar to the one that most were playing last year, especially during conventional play. The main differences can be noticed during the times when you're not playing, as there has been an enhancement in small details. Now, the condensed breath of players in cold weather is clearly visible, and a lot more players are more instantly recognisable. The frame rate has been smoothed, but it still lags very slightly at times. A big downfall is the cardboard crowd that’s particularly noticeable in penalty shoot-outs. But, at least they’re lively. Sound-wise, the commentary is very good. It doesn’t annoy you too much, and is fairly accurate. There is some nice music in the menus, and in general the sound effects get the job done.
PES5 is a great game. However, we couldn’t help notice that even though the game is a front-runner among sports games in terms of physics, realism and simulation, there are a few quirks that can’t be blamed on the player. Refereeing decisions are very inconsistent, a ball that ricochets of a bunch of knees and shoulders somehow always ends up in favour of the opponent, and we hit the woodwork a lot more often than the actual goal. These and a few other annoyances can be overlooked but at the end of the day, this is the nature of simulation gaming. Not every gamer will warm to the complexities of a simulation such as PES5.
Pro Evolution Soccer 5 may seem to shine a bit more as the FIFA series declines, but that doesn’t mean that it takes away from the game's underlying brilliance. However, the tweaks made on the gameplay aren’t really something that can be unanimously agreed upon and the game is extremely demanding, especially on those who have never played. Still, PES5 provides the most realistic and satisfying game of football on the market today. The statistics, gameplay depth and variety, realistic physics and AI are second to none, and it results in a a game that's likely to take up a lot of your Saturday nights and game time. Until next year's edition, that is.
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