@Horndawgie @Dunk1970 : Well seeing as the average review from all sites that contribute to Metacritic is 80%, 85% is hardly a revelation. Especially since some of those sites gave it 95% - LOL.
Also, there are lots of modes, and certainly all the ones I'm interested in. Just because FIFA has more and seemingly concentrates its effort more on that and licences does not mean that PES is poor. My review lends less weight to these aspects ahead of gameplay ... and always will for obvious reasons. As you point out, I'm a seasoned player and I have come to actually like the knock on effect of limited licences. It means that Konami have made the game far more editable than FIFA, to enable those that create option files. Leaving aside having any kit you like, the editability of in game audio has really been ramped up this year. Playing as LFC, I have YNWA being sung at the start and end of all matches, various team specific chants of my choosing randomly playing throughout or even after specific events (goals for, goals against, when you are playing a specific rival team, etc etc etc - about 30 files per team). There are even specific chants you attach to particular players, so they travel with the player and only play when they are on the pitch. I'm guessing that as a FIFA fan, you've never explored this whole area in PES, so yeah, you won't get why PES is as good as 85% or higher.
The thing I find funny is that FIFA fans go on about the lack of modes in PES, yet they don't have the Champions League. While with option files, PES can have any league or cup competition that exists and by default it comes with both the European cup competitions built in.
@kaizeric Before drawing that conclusion, click on the Metacritic score at the top of the page to see that this is the lowest score PES 2014 has received from *all* the sites they include. The average score being 80%.
My main point is typified by Digital Spy's 5* rating of FIFA 14, with 4*s to PES 2014. Despite the 100% rating for FIFA 14, Digital Spy still state that PES has the more realistic gameplay. It is plain wrong for a simulator to get top marks when a rival product provides a technically better simulation.
Looking at the "positive", "Negative" and "Mixed" User Reviews on Metacritic, the distributions for the two games are pretty identical.
@Horndawgie Is the MLS really so slow paced that PES feels too fast? I play with the pace upped one notch from the default, otherwise it is too slow to represent the Premier League and top teams in European football. Obviously, you can reduce the pace via the options if you want to to mimic the MLS.
What camera angle were you using to get the issues with the goal and keeper not being visible when shots are taken? I've never had that on the default camera. I do want to experiment with the cameras though, as a little bit further out would be my preference.
There is no doubt that the game isn't perfect, but having played both the FIFA and PES demos to death, FIFA lost for me hands down. While it is always the more polished product, it still doesn't feel like you're playing football during gameplay, so what's the point?
@Kusann : You use the DPad for quick switching of players. The left stick is for placing players more precisely no the pitch. You can also select re-defined 4-4-2 etc formations. Also, all the terms are explained if you press the [Select] button on your controller. It states this on most of the screens. You are blaming the game because you don't know how to do it. Pretty sad really.
As for the game play issues you are having, these are all settings. If your players are bunching when you are on the ball, you need to increase the "Support Range" slider. If they are bunching when you are defending then there are several other sliders you can change.If it isn't the settings then I'm afraid you sound like a button masher and FIFA probably is the best place for you. ie You may well be pressing X and [] repeatedly, where the latter is supposed to pull more defenders over each time you press it.
As for the passing, the longer you press X for, the further the pass will go. If you don't like where the Assisted passes send the ball, drop the assist settings down to one of the less assisted settings or even to totally manual.
This game is way more flexible in how you can set out your team to play than FIFA. This is why reviews still often say that PES rules gameplay and that the individual players on the pitch can be better matched up to their real life counterparts. That said, I did have to tweak the stats for several LFC players (some up and some down), but now they play very realistically. eg I improved Suarez's "Dribbling" and "Control" and downgraded his "Finishing". Before the change, he was creating less chances, but scoring nearly every one.
This is a poor review by someone who repeatedly states they have a background of preferring FIFA over the years. He touches on topics, but bias has prevented him tweaking enough of the game to make it play accurately for him. Where the reviewer rates the game down for "inconsistent AI", he should be praising the game. Players don't make the same runs all the time and there are player stats which see some players make better runs than others as well. FIFA has always been formulaic since its conception (yes I go back that far). Once you learn an effective style of attack in FIFA, you can usually repeat it ad nauseam.
The defending in FIFA is also not very realistic. By default it plays as man-to-man. This does make the game very tactical, but ... not in a football way. Anyone for FIFA Chess - LOL. The reviewer clearly needs to spend much more time tweaking the settings in PES and watching the training videos, which show how to trap the ball in a fluid action as well as showing how to perform flicks over and turns around the defender marking you.
Also, the massively editable nature of PES is a major plus for the franchise, which goes noticeably unmentioned. The immersion level of playing as LFC with "You'll Never Walk Alone" and over 20 other specific chants pumping out from the crowd (each of which can have its volume adjusted) randomly and at specific points (eg when you score) is fantastic.
Also, where PES has the licence for the European cup competitions, the reviewer forgets to mention that this is huge mode that FIFA doesn't have and even tried to make it sound stale by stating that it remains unchanged. How do you change a competition format that already feels like you are watching the intro to a real Champions League match?
There is so much more to criticise about this review, but I'll stop with one last comment : The passing is great in PES. None of the floaty nonsense that exists in FIFA 14. Yes, if you play with the AI assisting you with it determining who you are passing to based on the angle and power gauge input from you. Any half decent PES player switches all assist levels to the minimum they need.
There are negatives though and these are mentioned in the review. But a rating of 6 is just childish fanboyism. This is a new engine and a great base to move on with next year. I'd give it an 8.5/10. FIFA is harder to grade. The FIFA gloss is great, but it plays unrealistically which kills it for any serious football fan wanting a proper simulation of the beautiful game. FIFA for kids wanting to play chess with footballer pieces : 9.5/10. FIFA for those wanting accurate football : 7.5/10.
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