PES 2021 Iniesta in Japan

Genre: football, soccer, couch sports

Release Date: 2020 

Developer/Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment

Is Kylian Mbappé in good shape this week? I sure hope so, he’s my star forward, my only forward as a matter of fact… PES updates in game players’ statistics with their real counterparts on a weekly basis. So if Cristiano does poorly on the field, he won’t be scoring much for your team either… Sounds a bit over the top but it’s a nice touch of realism for even the most jaded gamer.

Story:

Pro Evolution Soccer, abbreviated as PES, currently branded as eFootball PES (for reasons that still escape our addled brains) is a long running association football video gaming franchise by famed Japanese developer Konami. Like its rival FIFA by Electronic Arts, PES usually drops a yearly update at full price which essentially coincides with the start of the football season in Europe. Konami caused a stir for the 2021 edition, deciding to offer an update of its 2020 game, with the refreshed rosters of players, against charging the full cost. We’ve played FIFA and PES for many, many years. In fact we’ve played them all… But we don’t bother reviewing franchise titles from big developers unless they bring anything new to gamers. The incremental surcharge approach, rather than the full annual price gouging, is a welcome innovation but it remains to be seen whether this is a one off marketing ploy to get new players to sign up.

Playability: How do I score goals?

PES Season 2021 update has a user interface rooted in parochial and quaint Japanese logic. The training tutorials do a good job of teaching you basic controls, but you can’t shake the feeling that there is a clunky je-ne-sais-quoi that makes the gameplay not so self-explanatory. The on-screen explanations are about as clear as that of an old VCR that was not designed by Sony. Well, after all, it’s called pro evolution, not couch friendly casual soccer. Don’t expect to just grab a controller and immediately start scoring goals.

Annoyance: Incredibly daft referee

Systematic offside. Free kick (against your team) on the slightest of shove. John McEnroe would have a field day with PES 2021 referring. It’s bad. We are surprised they didn’t introduce Video Assistant Referee to make things even worse. There should be an option for a little less uptight arbitrator to keep the game flowing smoothly. The little cut scenes with the players protesting their bookings are hilarious though. The full version of the game comes with a sort of adventure in football management simulation (Konami will probably introduce tower defence and real time card battling next). It is a bizarre experience where you start trouncing your all-star opponents with the flakiest of teams, and get in turn trounced by flaky opponents when you finally manage to sign your favourite star players.

Beauty: Creepy smiles

Where are the ladies? We last reviewed FIFA in 2017 when Electronic Arts introduced women national teams way back then.  We’re still waiting for ladies domestic clubs though… Maybe by FIFA 2030 and PES Season 2050 update? Dinosaur developers! PES 2021 only knows testosterone, no female beauties in sight, only men beautiful games. PES takes pride in its motion capture based realism. Honestly we can’t tell Cristinano’s left butt cheek from his right. But we did notice PES players all have that weird creepy sort of oval mouth celebration smile…

FIFA vs PES rivalry

FIFA is the oldest surviving football video game (Kick Off, anyone?), and its earliest iterations are considered classic. But PES is no spring chicken either, debuting in 1994. “Winning Eleven” is our favourite title, and the bland “PES” sounds really robotic. Can’t they just call it Konami Football for a change? All star football? Messi’s eleven? Too simple? People will rant, rage and rave on how so much better FIFA or PES is. How about just having a good time? At Old Video Gamer’s, we’re very grateful there are two great football games on the market. We wish there were more. A little competition would bring more innovation. And back in the days, Electronic Arts and Konami slugged it out to produce greater titles year after year. Depending on who you ask, FIFA outsells PES from a factor of 1 to 3, or up to an incredible 1 to 10. If you need a football game in your library, either will do just fine. Pick PES if you want star players galore from the start, and FIFA for goals galore from the start.

The Old Video Gamer’s Prattle:  Free frustration football but not frustration free 7/10

As a free game, PES Season 2021 Update gives you a mouthful of football goodness. You can’t go wrong with the lite version, which serves generous portions of iconic players and teams, and is a fully playable game. Thank you Konami 10/10. Paying a little extra for the “full” version, essentially a complete roster edition of your favourite team, a rather clunky online experience and a pathetically scripted career mode is an equally low risk proposition. At a retail price of around $30 (on sale at less than $10), PES 2021 is incredibly good value for money, particularly compared to the $80 required by Electronic Arts for its yearly coat of paint for FIFA. If you need a football or soccer game to please the kids and occasionally play with your mates over pizza, PES 2021 comes at the cost of a six pack. Although the game is not casual gaming couch friendly, PES 2021 is sure to draw a good amount of laughter around your favourite screen.  Let’s hope Konami can up their game for next season, not just marketing wise, but creativity wise too.

If you’re curious about PES’s oldest and biggest rival, check out our review of the FIFA 2016 edition where ladies national teams were first introduced.

Categories: Sports