I've had quite a few matches and can safely say I really enjoy the game play. Its difficult and way different than both other PES games and all FIFA games.

Some of the close control and passing is brilliant. I tend to put everything on manual/unassisted so if I screw up I know it was me. This seems to be the case. The through balls take some getting used to as they feel overpowered. Slight tap generally does it. Shooting feels great. Both opposition AI and yours feel so much better now. They really position themselves quite well.

One thing I dont quite get yet are the corners/freekicks. Getting a bit better but it will take some time.

The graphics are nothing to write home about but the animations are like day and night from previous versions. Keepers are also better but tend to bobble a bit during hectic times in the box. You finally have FULL CONTROL of the keepers after a shot !! <divas>

PES finally has an advantage rule and quick throw-ins.

I'm not sure if its only because its the demo but replays and even intos to the match have horrible frames per second rates. Awful. Its almost stop animation like.

Anyway, for this demo I will give it an 8.5/10. VERY good.

Now I hope they don't ruin it for the final release....

Pes isn't coming out nextgen, they are going to fall even further behind Fifa

So I've been playing the FIFA demo for a few days and I thought 'this is good, they slowed it down, added some nice new features. This could be a great game'. And it could.

But today I've been playing the PES demo and I just love it. The gameplay is brilliant. It's perfectly paced. The in-game graphics and animations are smooth and sharp exactly where they need to be. The players have a nice weight to them and turning on the ball feels great. The passing is good, the containing is better than FIFA once again (I can't even use contain in FIFA), the shooting is crisp, the dribbling works well, they've got the touches spot-on. I've had plenty of free kicks and corners with the new system and it's a little weird but not bad. I've had one free kick in shooting range and hit the bar with Özil. I loved playing against United and Nani would slow his dribbling and try to flick the ball past the defender. There's not much I can fault in the gameplay department. Keepers still aren't as good as FIFA's and they've changed doing skills a bit, so that'll take getting used to. As you mention, framerates in replays still aren't great but the way the cutscenes and replays look is still very good. If anything I'd like them to make the CPU attackers better, sometimes they didn't pose quite enough of a threat.

Went back for a couple of FIFA matches just now and it felt so liquidy. Honestly, after playing the FIFA demo I thought that along with the licenses and modes, the gameplay would be good enough to convince me to buy it, and although it is better than FIFA 13 I definitely prefer the gameplay of PES 2014 so far. Still yet to make my mind up. Judging by what I've played of both so far, if PES had FIFA's licenses it would be game over.

Fantastic write up.

I agree with just about all of that. I think at a higher difficulty (you can only use regular on the demo) the attacking AI would be more daring.

I can still barely believe I am considering purchasing a football game in 2013 on PS3 with no rain and 17 stadiums. That's worse than PS2. But if the gameplay is that good in the final version, hopefully even better, then I might just do it anyway.

Same!

I read a review earlier stating how this may be to PES what FIFA 08 was to FIFA. I actually agree. They've FINALLY made that turn and I think te next few years will be VERY interesting the the football game war.

'I think at a higher difficulty (you can only use regular on the demo) the attacking AI would be more daring.'

Really? I thought I was changing it, it said I changed it.

I'm still happy that the feel of the game is basically exactly what I wanted. The faster players aren't too fast and the slower ones aren't too slow, but you can still use pace as a viable option to just fly past a full-back if the opportunity is there. They have realistic momentum and slow appropriately when turning.

Sometimes on PES 2013 players would be adamant that they shoot with their favoured foot when it didn't make sense but they now seem more willing to shoot with their weaker one if needed, as shown by Özil (CPU) rocketing a right footed volley past Casillas.

You can play nice short passes in any area of the pitch but it becomes more risky in the final third as it should be. Long passes are less floaty than last year.

By and large, player models are very good (exceptions are Rafael and Jonny Evans). Lighting is nice. I like the ruffly shirts

Rafael the monstrosity!


I just checked and all levels are available guess I'm going to have some fun right now.

I'm sure we can expect a very deep and extensive edit mode for stadia. Fantastic option file will follow shortly.

'I'm sure we can expect a very deep and extensive edit mode for stadia'

In another massive kick in the nuts, we can't. No stadium creator this year. Everything's conspiring against the brilliant gameplay.

My one issue game play wise was what rtm mentioned up top - bobbling balls seem to confuse the feck out of the players. Other than that this is the 1st time i am feeling very confident about a PES. Last year i felt it just edged FIFA, this year i feel it has gotten even further away. However, i do mainly play on the PC and modding the game is soooooo easy and so good.

And really people moaning about the stadium, do you even notice the crowd let alone the stadium?!?

'And really people moaning about the stadium, do you even notice the crowd let alone the stadium?!?'

Yes. It's fairly important for a football game for me. If you think that's bad then I have to tell you I get annoyed when the stands are too far from the pitch or the teams score towards the wrong end

Playing on professional and fecking loving it.

Also Champion and Beglin can get out. Bring back Pete and Trev, they were just as bad but at least they had some charm

"The right channel is an option."
"Gooooaal!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0zdq9cTIc8

THAT'S IT

I'M DONE

Tell you what, John

Possibility!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTtT2WdeLkU

Close, but no cigar

Yep. Can't get enough. It's fantastic. Just needs a slight few tweaks. I've noticed players standing around at times while a misplaced pass is there for the taking. Or a player refusing to sprint until its already too late. Which are things that annoyed me endlessly in other versions. Also when when defending I've noticed the player get 'caught' in an angle and he's basically sucked in no matter which way you're pulled up until a certain point. Still it actually happens so rarely for me that I cannot stop enjoying this game.

STILL......I won't let myself get too excited. They've released fantastic demos before only for them to ruin the final game cough cough 2011 cough cough.

'Or a player refusing to sprint until its already too late. Which are things that annoyed me endlessly in other versions.'

On the FIFA 14 demo your teammates don't offer as much support as you'd expect, you've got no options sometimes.

Some great quotes here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A34160762

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Working with a new engine and were probably pushed to the edge trying to make a playable game before the deadline to both keep up with and challenge FIFA.

It's almost as if they rebuilt PES from the ground up.


I wish they would get rid of the crappy coloured arrows that represent form. There's no sense to them. It's just like "eh, it's cloudy today...half the team purple "...buncha joyks