The Official Pro Evolution soccer 2014

I haven't really posted here in quite some time really, but I think that having something to say at 10 to 5 in the morning has to be worth the effort.

I have a pretty good history when it comes to the PES franchise, but like everyone else it's pretty love/hate. I remember eagerly anticipating the release of PES 4 - I loved the fact that I could customise the game to what I want it to, it gave the game my own personal touch.

For hours I sat down in the logo editor, painstakingly editing each and every pixel in order for it to replicate it's real life alternative.

PES was my game, and nobody was going to take that away from me.

Well, that was until PES 2008 reared it's ugly head around the corner.

Poor gameplay, chunky graphics, bad edit-mode - I hated it and sworn never to return to the franchise.

PES 2011 came out, I got offered it on cheap as my friend's PC couldn't handle it. So I bought it and played it occasionally, it was a massive improvement on 2008 and the demos for 2009 and 2010 - but it wasn't enough.

I bought PES 2012 after playing the demo, I thought it was fantastic - but not still to the level of the classic PES' I used to play. It was fluid, but just didn't really have the heart.

PES 2013 was very much a saving grace for me, I really didn't like FIFA 13 - and I really didn't like FIFA UT. Even though I owned both, PES 2013 was pretty much my go-to football game that I could play for 10 minutes before having to do something else.

I heard about KONAMI opting for the new engine the second the news came out, I was shocked more than anything else as PES has always looked and felt the same.

At first I felt quite disheartened by the news, but change has to happen in order for it to move on.

Unlucky enough I no longer had a console, which meant that I was unable to play the Demo. However, after watching some gameplay online my mind was set and I pre-ordered PES 2014.

I waited weeks for it to come, and it did on the 19th.

All I can say is wow.

If this is the direction that the franchise is moving to, then we've got an incredible few years ahead of us.

Sure the game isn't perfect, goalkeeping is abject - the players can sometimes feel unresponsive and the AI is incredibly cut throat. The faces are laughable at best and the lack of stadium is really hitting hard.

But it feels like PES is back, you get that core which has stayed with us for many of year as foundations - whilst having a flashy new engine built on top of it.

Great game, feels, looks, sounds and plays like it should.

It feels like Pro Evolution Soccer, and I like it.

Edit: Let me reiterate, I think that player responsiveness is well off what it should be - but if they can fix that - then we'd have the core of something to work from in the next 3-4 releases.
 
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How on earth do you head the ball when its crossed into the box?!
find it really hard. i keep pressing the x button (which is shoot) and i never get a header from a cross!
 
Played several games now. It seems like a constant battle to get the game to do what you want to do.

  • Through balls are rubbish and rarely go where you want them to.
  • Players are still really slow at turning and reacting even after the patch
  • The tackling system is lousy - all too often you try and put a foot in but your defender does nothing and a player sails past you
  • The collision system is clumsy
  • The switching player system often gives you a player you don't want or switches at a really inappropriate time
 
I got my game today and so far very impressed. Graphics are great on the PC albeit seem jittery at 1080, I think updating my drivers should sort that since I no longer play FIFA.

Gameplay is great, this game isn't anything like Fifa were everything is automated, heavily scripted and static. Every match feels different and you have to work to play well as opposed to the computer doing half the work for you, if you don't like that then get Fifa. I am though struggling to score, finding it hard to get past players and such, am too used to Fifa and the way it works where you can just spam the pace button abd beat players, here there isn't any of that, and building up attacks and breaking down oppositions I difficult the AI is really good. I think the game though good do with improvements, its still very immature being the first game of the new engine but Konami have an excellent base to build upon.

Btw the online servers, there are none, its all p2p.
 
lemonade said:
Gameplay is great, this game isn't anything like Fifa were everything is automated, heavily scripted and static. .
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This is why i need to try the demo to see how the game plays. I have not played a Pro Evo game since 5 in the series. But from what i remember, Pro Evo always felt significantly different, just like how you explained with it not having that automated and scripted feel etc.
 
finding it tough after being on fifa since pro evo 2006, i keep trying to do the same things by habit and my old fingers/brain seem to struggle to want to learn something new.

im quite impressed although havent scored in 6 games on pro!!!
 
I keep trying to use Fifa controls too, it will take some time to learn the controls of this game, which is annoying as i'm impatient at things like this.

There are quite a lot of annoyances in the game like others have mentioned such as slow player switching some of the movements are slow and in between animations.

This is why i need to try the demo to see how the game plays. I have not played a Pro Evo game since 5 in the series. But from what i remember, Pro Evo always felt significantly different, just like how you explained with it not having that automated and scripted feel etc.
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Well worth the money IMO, give it a go and see how you like it, its nice breath of fresh air from FIFA. But I have to admit I do miss the online modes of FIFA mainly Pro Clubs and 2v2, and Fifa's general UI was much more polished.
 
oh by the way updating my graphics drivers has smoothened the graphics, no more jittery or any odd graphical problems, smooth 1080 gaming now. Update your drivers if you are getting any problems.
 
I'd imagine those problems were specific to his system, none of the issues I have with the game are in any way driver related, runs totally smooth.

Good to see people enjoying the game anyway, I'm gonna try to get some more time in with it over the next couple days then make the decision whether I go with this or keep the FIFA pre order.
 
My brother sat and watched me play a 20 minute game today (10 minutes each half) and he said how little chances were made for either side.

Is anyone else finding that even scoring goals is a near impossibility in this game?
 
Are we getting a demo on the PC or what :confused:

Personally, watching some streams of people playing on twitch and reading the evo-web forums, this game on release appears to be a disappointment.

Plus online seems to be a lag fest.

I was hoping this was going to be an alternative to Fifa, but don't think it is as there appears to be some game breaking stuff.
 
gazzamcg said:
Are we getting a demo on the PC or what :confused:

Personally, watching some streams of people playing on twitch and reading the evo-web forums, this game on release appears to be a disappointment.

Plus online seems to be a lag fest.

I was hoping this was going to be an alternative to Fifa, but don't think it is as there appears to be some game breaking stuff.
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I'm going to do some streaming when I get back to University next week, you can have a look then if you like.

You pick, I play.
 
I'm slowing getting to grips with the controls but still keep pressing buttons as though I'm playing Fifa.

Had I posted this morning I would have slated the game. Having played quite a lot today the game is growing on me.

The AI is poor at times especially with GK & defenders positioning, GK make criminal mistakes too often. The auto swap control of a player at times is terrible, it will swap to a player at the far post sometimes when you've crossed to the near post and have a player in that area.

Through balls seem to be quite hard to control and your defence is too vulnerable to a fairly straight through ball.

I'll give it another week and see how it goes but if I can't get on with it I might sell it and stick this years offerings.
 
gazzamcg said:
Are we getting a demo on the PC or what :confused:

Personally, watching some streams of people playing on twitch and reading the evo-web forums, this game on release appears to be a disappointment.

Plus online seems to be a lag fest.

I was hoping this was going to be an alternative to Fifa, but don't think it is as there appears to be some game breaking stuff.
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i read a lot on evo web and yes they are some that dont like the game but most enjoy it.

the overal summary of the game is that the gameplay is amazing but the UI/presentation is poor.

That is the general summary of the game

Also i have played over 10 online games so far and it all has been lag free
 
I think it was a smart decision by Konami not to put this game on next gen consoles to be honest. Compared to FIFA's next gen offering I think it would have been destroyed and if their aim is to change opinion whenever they transition over it has to come close in all areas. Hopefully with their new London studio working on PES 2015 presumably then we'll get a better product and extension of all that I like in PES 2014.

They really should just be copying FIFA mode for mode at this point and then put their own natural spin on things, if they really want to compete that's what has to be done and if they don't have the resources then unfortunately over time they'll lose the licenses they currently own.

Clubs, MLO (implement the Ultimate Team style of card trading and a web app store)
and Seasons Mode. FIFA didn't have a problem taking some of PES's most innovative features through the years time to do the same.
 
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