So...who would have thought?
I for one was hoping for it...since I LOVE football and i have always bought both games and enjoyed both. Am not a fanboy of either EA or KONAMI (in ROCKSTAR I trust), so when i got FIFA euro 2008, i was really enthusiastic about how the FIFA09 and PES09 would both great games. One was great (FIFA09), the other was a royal bust (PES09). Then came out FIFA10 and PES10...one has set the standard on how games should give you more for your hard earned money (tons of enjoyable online and offline things to do), while PES10 just didn't care and gave you the same poor effort.
Now enter FIFA11 and PES11...some consider unfair to compare FIFA11 with FIFA10, but unfortunately that game set the measurement for all football games to come (within the FIFA franchise as well), so FIFA11 seems basically just like an upgrade to say the least or patch...the goalie addition was just something bound to happen, no surprise there and the new passing system is no big adjustment that deserves you to take out $60 to buy this game.
"What's not broken, doesn't need to be fixed" biggest true stament known to mankind, FIFA is a good and awesome game. NO debate there...but everyone must keep in mind, FIFA videogames come out every year (same as PES and every sport game out there). So we are bound to hope for something bigger and better than FIFA10...even though is only a year in between games.
FIFA holds the bar right now, and is on the position were PES was a few years back, in which PES was king of jungle and only made tweaks and fixing minor details here and there, while FIFA was really down on a pile of dirt...scratching and clawing a way out of it. NOW it's sideways, and FIFA is the one making the tweaks and fixing the minor details. So with that said, is obvious that FIFA11 is a good game...but the price tag is what bothers me...$60 for a couple of add ons?? here's an idea...why don't just make something like expansion packs? that would be fabulous in this case and when they make a REAL adjusment, then say here's the NEW FIFA...or NEW PES or NEW MADDEN...this idea applies to all sports game. $60 right now for a couple of new shirts, some uninteresting leagues and a few tweaks simply is an abuse.
Now, on the other side of the pitch, the developers for PES11 finally received the memo from MOST PES FANS and they finally read it and cared. So we have a pretty good game on our hands. The online still needs work (not bad, but still feels ripe. Probably down the road it might be fixed? who knows), NO complete license teams (by now you just have to wake up and grasp the idea that when it happens, it happens). Still feels kinda like a catch-up kind of game (PES11 feels like how PES09 should have been)...but it's a really refreshing and great start, that makes you jump into the hope train for things to come for this series.
The graphics are good, superstars are recognizable, but the animation part is were it still needs work. FIFA has better animations and player movement, while PES still feels kinda robotic...not as before like in PES09, were i thought i was using robocop instead of Amauri. But they have really worked on it and the flow feels better. Probably something a patch can improve? hope so...
But the main dish is the gameplay...man, this is PES! Simulation at is best...felt great! You cannot count on giving the ball to the super dribbler and hoping he'll go down the field and score...scoring opportunities are really not that often and so far, shooting from afar or long shots are really a 5 to 10% opportunity to becoming goals...just like in real life.
For us latinamericans, Copa Libertadores is a REALLY AWESOME addition (TEJADA y BARAHONA papa!! PANAMA all the way), hopefully FIFA will take note of that and start looking to expand the leagues and cups for the AMERICAN territory (please, remember FIFA developers and mankind, it's called united states OF america and latin america IS NOT only mexico). The UEFA Champions league and EUROPA league are also a nice touch...but nothing compared to Copa Libertadores! what a surprise!
Here is the rating i would give each dept.
Sound - no love for this dept. yet..still the same borefest from past years.
Graphics - It's good. Star players recognizable and player movement or animation is less robotic than in previous instalments, nice improvement.
Gameplay - PES was simply known for being the best simulation sports game out there. The past 2 years were somewhat dreadfull because of trying to please both arcade and simulation fans. NOW the are back to simulation and it appears they nailed it...the biggest improvement on this game by far.
Replay - Since this game is sim, the game will simply grow on you as you go along...basically the more you play, the better it gets! trust me.
And finally, is it worth $60??! since this game actually feels it should have been the PES09, still it is worth $60. Why? Because this time around the PES developers made their homework and the improvements were made. Playing a game that brings that real to life gameplay is more than welcome. Yes, FIFA brings 11 players on the pitch online without sweating (Kudos for FIFA development team), and it's fun don't get me wrong, but PES brings football as it is to your living room, with more depth to gameplay and makes it a really enjoyable single player experience everytime you pick up the controller.
So in the end, FIFA11 feels like an upgrade, while PES11 improves and makes much needed adjustments. Where FIFA relies online community playing bravado, PES11 prefers bringing a more in depth and personalized experience to single players. FIFA likes or tries to combine arcade with simulation, PES prefers to stay with simulation this time around, since trying to combine sim with arcade exploded in their face.
No FIFA11 is NOT BAD, and PES11 is NOT SUPERIOR, but I prefer to spend $60 bucks on PES11 due in part to the improvements done to the whole package, rather than the "expansion pack disguised as full game" FIFA11 appears to be.
See ya!