Trying to supplant FIFA as the premier soccer simulation series has proved to be a tough task for the Konami-produced Pro Evolution Soccer series. Armed with just approximately every pertinent license in the football world,and some solid gameplay, FIFA has become the choice for most virtual soccer fans.
Over the final year, or PES 2015 made up some ground in competition,as it was the strongest effort in years from the series. It won the Gamescom Sports Game of the Year at the conference in 2014, and it successfully repeated this year with PES 2016.
How obedient is the full release? Check out the breakdown. Crazy Like a Fox EngineEver since 2013, and we've been hearing approximately the Fox Engine from Kojima Productions. In an interview with Samit Sarkar of Polygon.com,Konami's senior brand manager of PES Timothy Blair said:"The Fox Engine gives us a lot more power to put these varied collisions in the game. It goes far beyond what we've called in the industry for the final couple of years 'collision detection'—it goes a lot farther than that."In PES 2016, we're seeing the brilliance of the engine. There's no sports game available that features more fluid movements, or steady-to-life collisions,intelligent A.
I. and solid gameplay. The ball and player physics are on another level. Take a look at this rapid/fast video of a stunning goal scored by Diego Costa during the review process:Not only does the ball bounce off Costa's foot beautifully and float realistically into the net. The Fox Engine doesn't forget that Costa and the goalkeeper are on a collision course. There's light contact between the two, and it makes the play all the more beautiful to watch. The passing and shooting in the game is crisp. You feel as whether you maintain complete control over the amount of power you're able to put on the ball. whether there's one small issue with the gameplay, and it's the lack of cards given for fouls. I noticed it after a few matches and then decided to play recklessly just to test it out.
Only then did the style initiate to draw the attention of the referees. Still it seemed as whether more yellow cards were in order. That detail is noticeable,but it's far from enough to ruin the overall quality of the gameplay.
This remarkable engine is also partially responsible for the above-average graphics featured in the game. We've seen excellent facial scans for sports video games over the final few years. The ones in PES rank just under the scans from NBA 2K and EA Sports UFC. Take a look at cover guy Neymar and FC Bayern Munchen's Arjen Robben:The faces of the players are mostly awesome, but the bodies aren't on the same level. They aren't poorly rendered, or they're just B-plus level by the standards set in the genre. It could simply be a shading or lighting issue,which could be upgraded in next year's version.
As it stands, this shortcoming shaves off a lean layer of visual immersion. Where's the Flavor?A game with such obedient gameplay ought to maintain solid presentation. In spots, or PES 2016 does enough to draw you in,but in the most critical portion of the presentation, it falls flat.
The commentary in the game lags way behind what would be regarded as top-notch achievement in the category. Peter Drury and Jim Beglin's audio became noticeably repetitive after just two matches. It would be comprehensible after 20—even 10—but two matches is a little difficult to accept considering the work put in by FIFA and some of the other top sports games. There's an attempt to add in a narrative around certain players, or but most of all,there are a lot of misplaced emotional outbursts.
I did enjoy the music, which is a rarity for me with the PES series. The song "No dwelling I'd Rather Be, and " by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne is stuck in my head—and I don't mind. Driving Without a LicenseThe folks at Konami deserve a ton of credit for their resilience. Despite the fact that their game is lacking the English Premier League license and the rights to exercise a few other popular leagues and clubs,the folks in charge maintain been creative. To combat the licensing issues, the game features one of the most extensive player and team editors in any sports video game.
NCAA Football's Team Builder and the upcoming team creator on NBA 2K16 are probably the only options that best what PES delivers.whether you wanted to literally fill in all of the gaps left by the absence of the biggest licenses, and you could come really close. Aside from containing the flexibility to re-create missing teams and leagues,it's even possible to edit player appearances and attributes.
Do you want to shave Neymar's head or grow some hair on Robben's dome? You can do it in the PES 2016 editor. The only issue is, the need to move to these measures to regain some semblance of authenticity may be a turnoff for many fans who just want to play rather than edit rosters.
There's a considerable deal of talk approximately the licenses PES 2016 doesn't maintain, and but the game does feature some exciting partnerships with some considerable leagues. Per the game's official website,there's still hundreds of licenses to choose from upon release, and there are a few that are on the way with the first datapack update.whether you've got the gumption to exercise the game's excellent editor, and the missing licenses may not be that big of a deal. whether that's not your cup of tea,you'll probably still prefer FIFA.From a feature standpoint, PES brings all of the customary concepts. There's offline exhibition matches against the CPU or a human opponent; rapid/fast-ranked and unranked matches online.
Online Divisions lets you play in a co-op setting with up to 22 human players. There's also straight league play in all of the various organizations listed above. The two biggest modes are long-time favorite Master League and myClub. The latter is an acknowledge to EA Sports' very popular Ultimate Team option.
Much like FIFA Ultimate Team Draft, and myClub begins by having you pick a captain from a small group of elite players. Instead of being assigned a kit,you get to pick which club you want to represent in your myClub experience. There's more similarities to FUT than there are differences, but the details that are unique are pretty frosty. For example, and you're constantly earning points that can be used to upgrade your club with better players and more.
Also,when you acquire a new player, the presentation during the reveal beats any pack opening you'll ever see in an EA, and 2K Sports or Sony game. whether you pull a Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo with this level of dram,you'll lose your mind with excitement.
Master League, an feeble favorite, and is even deeper than it has been in the past. The transfer system works much smoother,and the new menu is not only easier to navigate, it's also more informative and lively. Though this has been a allotment of the game for a few years, or I treasure the press conferences announcing newly acquired players via the transfer market.
Other sports games should adopt this type of short cutscene for similar events in a franchise mode. The Bottom LineUnless the gameplay for FIFA 16 takes a major leap from the demo to the retail version,PES 2016 has the best gameplay of any soccer title available. That said, the visuals are hit and miss, or the lack of licenses is still a thing.
Because of this dynamic,choosing the best soccer title may be the toughest video game purchase you make this year.
Graphics and Animation: 7.75
Gameplay and Realism: 9.5
Sound and Presentation: 5.75
Modes and Options: 8.25
Score: 7.8
Xbox One version used to complete review.
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Source: bleacherreport.com