Pro Evolution Soccer 2017

When Konami released the demo for PES 2016 I downloaded it as I do every year in the hope that they had once again recaptured the magic and utter brilliance of the sport.  You see for me FIFA has always being a complete let down, I also download the FIFA demo to, but to be honest I don't really have any interest in playing it any more, I find the gameplay to be completely sterile and totally devoid of any kind of excitement, remember this is just my opinion, others out there absolutely love FIFA and it's no secret that it blows PES out of the water every year when it comes to sales.  PES 2015 was a good game and in a lot of ways in restored my faith in the series that for many years had being slowly getting worse and worse as Konami struggled to find its way feet and a clear direction for its much loved franchise.

Then the demo for PES 2016 landed and after one game I sat back on my couch and had the biggest stupid smile plastered across my face, Konami had done it, they had brought the magic back, it felt wonderful to play, the control it allowed you on the ball, the passing was crisp, the shooting was very natural, the weight and speed of the players was spot on, PES 2015 was a good game but 2016 is the best football game I have ever played and that's why I can't wait for this years title, Konami might have discovered the winning formula again and this years title might be very special indeed.

So what can we expect?  Well Konami have talked a little recently about some of the new features that we can all expect to see this year.  The first of these new features is "Real Touch", this is basically how different players can control the ball depending on the situation they are in, if you are receiving the ball chest height or to the feet and depending on who that player is will all have an effect, "Real Touch" will also allow you to get out of tight situations and spin away from defenders if timed correctly, next up is "Precise Pass", this combines both real ball physics and "Real Touch" to allow the player to perfectly time through balls and cross field passes, passing will become an art form in the new PES, in "Advanced Instructions" we will see playing styles like Tiki-taka and long ball, these will drastically effect how your players react to attacking and defending situations in game. 

Other aspects of the game will get an overhaul to, like new animations for both the goal keepers and outfield players, creating a more fluid and natural look to the play, for corners we will strategies like zonal marking or man to man, we will see "Adaptive AI", which means that the computer will learn how you play, forcing you to use a few different strategies from game to game, making you think on your toes.  Now that PES is using the Fox Engine from Metal Gear games, it was used last year to, but this time around we can expect to see a massive overhaul in the graphics, lighting, player models, stadiums and pitches are all going to be given a new lick of paint and polish.

I'm excited this year, not concerned that the PES franchise might be on its last legs, even though Konami has shifted its business model from highly expensive to produce console games, to the more manageable mobile market, I had a fear that this great game might be coming to a bitter end. There is only two footballing games on consoles, one has all the licences and money in the world thrown at it and one has a certain magic that the other one will never achieve, PES on its day is simply a joy to behold, it will make you smile and punch the air when you score a cracker, last years game was all but perfect when it came to the on the pitch action, this year looks like it might be even better.