EFOOTBALL PES 2020
Enough improvements to Piqué your interest
After spending the last few years sitting on the bench watching FIFA play to the crowds, this year PES has laced up its boots, puffed out its cheeks, and is getting a run in PS4’s first team. And it’s not wearing a knock-off market stall kit. For the first time Konami has tackled the issue of licences, or lack of, head-on. That name change? EFootball.pro’s an eSports company, founded by Gerard Piqué, that features pro gaming teams from the likes of Barcelona, Celtic, and Monaco. So they’re in, as are over 400 other fully licensed clubs, including Manchester United and Juventus. There’s even training this year on how to import edited kits, teams, names, and stadia.
Marketing aside, PES 2020 has had a visual overhaul. Famous player likenesses are perfectly recreated, and while lesser-known players like rising cult star Teemu Pukki can look odd, the overall impression is excellent. This is particularly true of animation, which has been expanded to include new traps, flicks, and blocks – such as defenders obstructing shots with their thigh. The overall impression is of a game that evokes the feel of watching a real football match.
The improved animation feeds into the two new strands of gameplay for this year’s edition: lifelike physics and finesse controls. Players now barge and bounce off one another in a realistic manner, and defenders will hold off smaller players while burly attackers can hold their own. PES has always gamified its players’ stats, but this year we can physically see it in action and it forces you to consider your positioning on the pitch.
The new finesse controls are an adaption of the traditional special moves players could perform. While you can still hold i and wiggle the right thumbstick for outrageous flicks and feints, now just using the stick without the modifier performs simple dribbles.
PES EVOLVED
In-game this means you can wriggle out of a tackle or swerve slyly past a defender, adjusting your run slightly without changing direction. Overall it means PES 2020 feels slower than past editions, with an emphasis on one-on-one duels with defenders. It does mean you’ll be seeing more free kicks, as skilful attacks can draw fouls. Defending now is more about positional play than hammering q to bite at a rival’s ankles.
Playing PES 2020 feels more open and creative too, and go-to ‘cheap’ moves no longer work every time – low crosses from the wings are out.
Off the pitch everything has been streamlined. Menus are simpler, online eSports modes and data are clearly signposted, and even Master League feels fresher – managerial conversation choices and better transfer events deliver muchneeded personality.
The downside? Your choice between PES and FIFA has just become even harder. Or has it…
VERDICT
“OVER 400 FULLY LICENSED TEAMS ARE IN, INCLUDING MANCHESTER UNITED.”
Fantastic improvements on and off the pitch, from licences to new gameplay refinements and a visual upgrade, ensure this year’s PES is the best it’s been for a generation. Ian Dean