PES 2017 Review
PES 2016 played a fantastic game of football, it was fluid, slick and fun and felt authentic on the pitch. It wasn’t the perfect game however and had problems on and off the pitch. On the pitch goalkeepers were awful, shots were far too easy mostly bulleting in the top corner and through balls were over powered. On top of that the AI were poor at defending, they were not huge problems but they were there.
PES 2016 lacked mode depth too which held the game back. However the pros outweighed the cons purely because of how refreshing it was to play a football game like that and was just a blast to play. Overall PES 2016 was a good football game and better than it’s counterpart FIFA last year.
So what about this year, is PES 2017 a title winner or is it slipping down the table?
PES 2016 lacked mode depth too which held the game back. However the pros outweighed the cons purely because of how refreshing it was to play a football game like that and was just a blast to play. Overall PES 2016 was a good football game and better than it’s counterpart FIFA last year.
So what about this year, is PES 2017 a title winner or is it slipping down the table?
The identity of Pro Evo is that it’s all about the gameplay. It does it’s talking on the football pitch. So lets start by talking about where PES shines. The gameplay.
Gameplay:
Lets start on the noticeable improvements from last year. The first thing you will notice is that the pace has been slowed down making a more balanced and authentic feel to the game. The game has been toned down a notch to give off a real tactical feel to this year’s football game.
You now have a little more time to think about what you’re doing, which is important because… You will need to think about what you are doing. You can still instinctively play, but you have to do it in a clever way rather than impulse smashing the through ball over and over again. Tactics in the gameplan actually make a much bigger impact than last time and the AI will frequently change how it plays to counter your play style.
Gameplay:
Lets start on the noticeable improvements from last year. The first thing you will notice is that the pace has been slowed down making a more balanced and authentic feel to the game. The game has been toned down a notch to give off a real tactical feel to this year’s football game.
You now have a little more time to think about what you’re doing, which is important because… You will need to think about what you are doing. You can still instinctively play, but you have to do it in a clever way rather than impulse smashing the through ball over and over again. Tactics in the gameplan actually make a much bigger impact than last time and the AI will frequently change how it plays to counter your play style.
Crosses and wing play are a very relevant part of the game now and are very dangerous. Headers are much more improved both defensively and offensively and crosses whip in with power now and don’t just float in.
Physicality plays a big role now and strong players benefit, although I will say that collisions do seem quite buggy leading to players at times flying in a really unnatural way that can even cost you goals. Sometimes players will slide in and the other player will stumble and could have easily carried on running but instead freezes like an idiot and then goes flying. This can be a problem at times.
Goalkeepers are completely reworked and are much much better than last years, in fact the best I have ever seen goalkeepers in a PES game. What I love about the keepers now is that they’re good, and the top end keepers feel world class, but not to the point where they feel superhuman like they do in FIFA. It’s just right. They feel human. They still make mistakes, but they can pull off world class saves but won’t stop things that just aren’t humanly possible.
Physicality plays a big role now and strong players benefit, although I will say that collisions do seem quite buggy leading to players at times flying in a really unnatural way that can even cost you goals. Sometimes players will slide in and the other player will stumble and could have easily carried on running but instead freezes like an idiot and then goes flying. This can be a problem at times.
Goalkeepers are completely reworked and are much much better than last years, in fact the best I have ever seen goalkeepers in a PES game. What I love about the keepers now is that they’re good, and the top end keepers feel world class, but not to the point where they feel superhuman like they do in FIFA. It’s just right. They feel human. They still make mistakes, but they can pull off world class saves but won’t stop things that just aren’t humanly possible.
The shooting seems to have been slightly reworked where now players will frequently put it wide, or hit it straight at the keeper. Shots feel less assisted and defenders feel more like a defenders shot. A complaint I had last year was every player had a bullet strike and it was easy to strike it into the top corner. Now shooting is actually quite difficult and only the top players really will be able to put it into corners at tight angles at fair comfort. However that doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to score with a top player at tight angles.
The improved defending AI, the tactical nature to attacks, improved keepers and more difficult shooting makes it overall difficult to score goals in general and gives the game a much bigger learning curve and skill gap to the game now, which is fantastic. It is very satisfying when you finally score and some goals you can score are much more appreciated now, especially when you score a worldie. Likewise when things are not going your way, it can be extremely frustrating and that is a sign of a good game, when the highs and lows are extreme. It’s frustrating in a good way on the most part. Well when the game does not screw you over. As I said there are some issues regarding collisions that can cost you.
I feel like it takes a lot of skill to master PES this year which is fantastic, and I feel like the gameplay of PES has got a whole new layer of depth to it now. The steep learning curve may be frustrating for some by I for one enjoy the challenge.
The improved defending AI, the tactical nature to attacks, improved keepers and more difficult shooting makes it overall difficult to score goals in general and gives the game a much bigger learning curve and skill gap to the game now, which is fantastic. It is very satisfying when you finally score and some goals you can score are much more appreciated now, especially when you score a worldie. Likewise when things are not going your way, it can be extremely frustrating and that is a sign of a good game, when the highs and lows are extreme. It’s frustrating in a good way on the most part. Well when the game does not screw you over. As I said there are some issues regarding collisions that can cost you.
I feel like it takes a lot of skill to master PES this year which is fantastic, and I feel like the gameplay of PES has got a whole new layer of depth to it now. The steep learning curve may be frustrating for some by I for one enjoy the challenge.
Playing against the AI is tough this time around and on harder difficulties against teams with top players, they will punish you. It’s not as brutally difficult as the PS2 PES games, but it’s getting closer to it now. I have noticed however strangely that the AI plays very differently on Exhibition than it does on Master League. The AI is quite timid on exhibitions even on higher difficulties where as on Master League on harder difficulties they can be ruthless especially in different circumstances of the season.
The AI seems to change its tactics as the game plays out and changes the way it plays. This is the adaptive AI that Konami have been talking about. For example, I played a game of Real Madrid vs Real Betis, at first they were playing short balls, as the game went on they started playing aggressive long balls to try and split open my defence
They make use of the tactics which means you should learn how to use the tactics and change yours too if things don't go your way. It is almost mandatory to start understanding the tactical side if you want to be successful on master league on harder difficulties and again I absolutely love that, it gives it a really managerial element to essentially the manager mode of the game.
The AI seems to change its tactics as the game plays out and changes the way it plays. This is the adaptive AI that Konami have been talking about. For example, I played a game of Real Madrid vs Real Betis, at first they were playing short balls, as the game went on they started playing aggressive long balls to try and split open my defence
They make use of the tactics which means you should learn how to use the tactics and change yours too if things don't go your way. It is almost mandatory to start understanding the tactical side if you want to be successful on master league on harder difficulties and again I absolutely love that, it gives it a really managerial element to essentially the manager mode of the game.
Edit mode: you can now import option files meaning all you now have to do is download a folder packed with files from the Internet, and then import it to PES and with just one click of a button, all teams are ported. All team names, kits etc are all applied for you. No more having to go to every team and apply it manually. This makes the no licence issue almost irrelevant now because of how simple it is. It’s a fantastic addition to the edit mode.
Unfortunately the game still only really shines on the pitch. The modes still lack depth and the online is still not good enough.
Lack of real and generic stadiums is one of the problems that leads into the Master League campaign. Lack of teams in general is also quite alarming. No Bayern Munich, many missing teams and leagues and even missing teams that would be in the Champions League this year, which is quite poor considering that they own the official licence to the Champions League. I just knew that the PES team were covering the crack lines when they overhyped and marketed the official partnership and licence with Dortmund. This leaves PES 2017 short on the content side.
Master League
Master league is still very bare bones and flat. Players have no morale system, players don't care if you never play them, and players don't try to leave if a big club comes in for them. The stories that come up are just a gimmick and play no role on your game. Injuries are still minimal without you being able to customise how frequent you want your players to get injured. It's strange considering how much more aggressive the AI are with their tackles. Some games you will get taken out several times and you would expect your players to walk away with serious injuries but they don't. I love the fact that certain teams play more aggressively and the AI relentlessly takes you out, so it feels like a real missed opportunity to not have them injure your players frustratingly to add drama and challenge to the mode.
Unfortunately the game still only really shines on the pitch. The modes still lack depth and the online is still not good enough.
Lack of real and generic stadiums is one of the problems that leads into the Master League campaign. Lack of teams in general is also quite alarming. No Bayern Munich, many missing teams and leagues and even missing teams that would be in the Champions League this year, which is quite poor considering that they own the official licence to the Champions League. I just knew that the PES team were covering the crack lines when they overhyped and marketed the official partnership and licence with Dortmund. This leaves PES 2017 short on the content side.
Master League
Master league is still very bare bones and flat. Players have no morale system, players don't care if you never play them, and players don't try to leave if a big club comes in for them. The stories that come up are just a gimmick and play no role on your game. Injuries are still minimal without you being able to customise how frequent you want your players to get injured. It's strange considering how much more aggressive the AI are with their tackles. Some games you will get taken out several times and you would expect your players to walk away with serious injuries but they don't. I love the fact that certain teams play more aggressively and the AI relentlessly takes you out, so it feels like a real missed opportunity to not have them injure your players frustratingly to add drama and challenge to the mode.
Matches thankfully as mentioned before all feel different with every team playing differently giving the Master League experience some ground to build on. Player’s condition also plays a huge factor and usually a player with an up arrow means they will have a good game. Combine this with the fact that the game is tactical this year, and it makes for a tactical Master League experience, which is great. However fatigue and tactics give you the only reason to have squad depth and that’s not a big incentive. In real football the biggest reason to have a bigger squad is to cover for injuries. The lack of injuries and no player morale or motives really takes away the modes depth.
The lack of injuries actually makes the mode get quite stale for me personally and I actually had to make up players having injuries for a few months just to spice it up for me.
It’s the little things too that they still haven’t got right. For example points are on the left of the league table with it not showing how many games have been played.
As said earlier there is also a severe lack of stadiums just like last year. Not only that, it appears that PES has lost stadiums from Europe. Old Trafford and Allianz arena have gone. It seems like a step backwards. Only one generic stadium seems to have been added. A generic stadium that was needed and was for smaller stadiums but it’s still not enough. I can understand that getting the licences to have real stadiums can’t be easy competing with EA. However that doesn’t have to stop them from making generic stadiums. For me, playing in the same stadium over and over starts to kill the authenticity of a single player manager campaign.
There are some nice touches to the mode however, such as players having roles or perks. Players also have a character rating for example, charisma and passion.
The training system is a little bit more detailed with more customisation. It now seems to show xp bars too and it appears that xp increases faster through game time and performances on the pitch. You can also teach players certain traits such as fighting spirit provided they have sufficient appropriate attributes to learn it.
I like the player stories that come up and how the images are not generic images and are actual shots captured from the match you have played. It’s cool even if it doesn’t actually impact your game and is just an aesthetic for the home page of Master League.
The player growth system is also neat and doesn’t seem as scripted as FIFA. Having good performances with a youngster will build up momentum and he will start growing faster. Their condition will also be up and max when they are in form, which will cause them to grow faster if you give them game time. It’s a nice touch.
Master League for me is the life and blood of the game in terms of depth outside of gameplay, and unfortunately, there just isn’t enough depth in this mode. Thankfully in your master league campaign it does have character to it in gameplay because of how the AI plays making each game in gameplay feel different and there are some neat ideas in this mode that gives it originality and charm, making the mode just about feasible enough. However there are too many missing elements that make Master League in the long run stale and it doesn’t have the legs to sustain my attention after a season or two.
The lack of injuries actually makes the mode get quite stale for me personally and I actually had to make up players having injuries for a few months just to spice it up for me.
It’s the little things too that they still haven’t got right. For example points are on the left of the league table with it not showing how many games have been played.
As said earlier there is also a severe lack of stadiums just like last year. Not only that, it appears that PES has lost stadiums from Europe. Old Trafford and Allianz arena have gone. It seems like a step backwards. Only one generic stadium seems to have been added. A generic stadium that was needed and was for smaller stadiums but it’s still not enough. I can understand that getting the licences to have real stadiums can’t be easy competing with EA. However that doesn’t have to stop them from making generic stadiums. For me, playing in the same stadium over and over starts to kill the authenticity of a single player manager campaign.
There are some nice touches to the mode however, such as players having roles or perks. Players also have a character rating for example, charisma and passion.
The training system is a little bit more detailed with more customisation. It now seems to show xp bars too and it appears that xp increases faster through game time and performances on the pitch. You can also teach players certain traits such as fighting spirit provided they have sufficient appropriate attributes to learn it.
I like the player stories that come up and how the images are not generic images and are actual shots captured from the match you have played. It’s cool even if it doesn’t actually impact your game and is just an aesthetic for the home page of Master League.
The player growth system is also neat and doesn’t seem as scripted as FIFA. Having good performances with a youngster will build up momentum and he will start growing faster. Their condition will also be up and max when they are in form, which will cause them to grow faster if you give them game time. It’s a nice touch.
Master League for me is the life and blood of the game in terms of depth outside of gameplay, and unfortunately, there just isn’t enough depth in this mode. Thankfully in your master league campaign it does have character to it in gameplay because of how the AI plays making each game in gameplay feel different and there are some neat ideas in this mode that gives it originality and charm, making the mode just about feasible enough. However there are too many missing elements that make Master League in the long run stale and it doesn’t have the legs to sustain my attention after a season or two.