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PES 2013
From the most popular sport in the world we
have the realistic soccer simulator Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 or PES 13
for short.
Konami’s PES 13 is usually compared to EA’s FIFA series and for obvious
reasons, the games are very similar. On one hand you have the games
developing giant EA, producing one of the most well known soccer titles
out there, boasting a whole lot of exclusive features and a diverse
roster of teams and their players, and on the other is Pro Evolution the
more realistic feeling of the two.
PES 13
has “Full Control” precision handling, something that FIFA struggles
with. While pretty spectacular, it isn’t something a novice player can
just pick up and get right away, it has a huge learning curve and I
found myself spending most of the time trying to master its features.
Its defence system and tackling can be something that can cause a lot of
frustration, while simple to use, it takes nailing the timing of the
tackle to actually connect with the player, but the pay off is a much
more realistic way of playing the game.
Realism is what PES 13 has going for it; the new and improved physics
system gives a feel to the game that you won’t find in other titles.
It’s satisfying seeing your perfect pass line up and the flow of the
ball just glide along the field to another player, offering up some
serious strategy into working out your plays, rather then always running
up the ball to the goal, that is so automated in FIFA. AI has also been
updated, now boasting a harder more realistic feel to the players. I
always felt like playing the computer was a more competitive way of
playing rather then playing a friend, as the computer just understood
everything that was available to them on the field.
Game
modes are mostly unique to PES 13 and while it’s not necessarily a good
thing you’ll find fulfilment with the imagined Master League (a knock
off of the FIFA World Cup) offering up a chance to perfect your chosen
team with coaching and playing your way to victory. Winning games will
earn you cash so you can buy new coaches and skills to make your team
the precise way you want them.
The
graphics of PES 13 aren’t anything call home about. They feel dull and
unfinished; you’ll find they use the same body for most players. The
character animations slow and jerky and characters appear to move their
legs a lot faster then the ground they are actually covering. Player ID
is another new feature in PES 13 capturing the likeness of real players
and their specialty moves however taking a closer look you’ll only find
a small number of players featured in the game making this feature a
little under used and almost pointless.
One of
the gripes I had with PES 13 however minor has to be mentioned and
that’s the in game menus, every time you pause the game you are given
this dated PS1 feeling menu that is really painful to look at. The
simplistic menu feels like something that I might have been impressed
with in 1989 but in 2012 looks like something an intern created on their
first day of coding. The other is the lack of the English Premiere
teams, you’ll be hard pressed finding teams like Arsenal or Everton in
PES 13 as FIFA has most of the licences, in PES 13 you get teams like
North London and Merseyside Blue which are
obviously fictional and don’t contain a single player from the actual
league.
While
the game does have its flaws, they are mostly superficial and hardly the
reason you’re going to want to pick up the game. PES 13 is more
realistic and controllable compared to its competitors and leaves you
with a much more rewarding round of soccer. Whether you into soccer all
year round or dust off your Australian jersey every 4 years for the
world cup, PES 13 is a must have title for any fan. |
