FIFA 14 vs PES 14 in the battle for my money. |
Paul Fiander
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The 11th of September 2014 was a big day for football games as the big 2 went head to head by releasing their demos on the same PlayStation store update (PS3 was console of choice for the review). In an attempt to unravel which title will be getting my money this year I dived in two footed as is my nature and here are my findings.
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To begin with, in the interest of full disclosure I was a PES fan from the days of International Superstar Soccer (ISS) the game focused on the mechanics and I lost many an hour playing against the computer as well as the my brother. FIFA on the other hand was going for better graphics and licensed teams and players. The game felt it was concentrating more on looking good than the true mechanics of the game. Then around FIFA 2010 the world of football games turned around on its head (for me at least). FIFA began to improve the feel of the play as well as the ball physics. At this point PES was aiming for graphical improvement and it felt they were neglecting their core players who were more concerned with gameplay than visuals. So I crossed the no man’s land of football games and started giving EA my money. Subsequently the release of Be a Pro and Ultimate Team, as well as the change in defensive mechanics have made sure FIFA has remained my footballing title of choice while PES has dropped completely out of the running.
In the run up to this year’s releases there have been whispers from Konami that had me hoping PES was going to start making a fight for my money. The main reason was the companies announced implementation of the FOX engine. It appeared the game was going to focus on gameplay and with this in mind I fired the demo up.
Firstly it should be noted this is a demo and so not fully representative of the final version of the game. This wonderful statement before every demo always makes me chuckle.
PES now has licenced teams and so it was time for Germany to take on France and with some wonderful shots of Ozil, Mertesacker, Ribery and the rest of the players I was truly impressed by the way the game looked. Then the game started and there were a few of my favourite old mechanics back in the game. The power meter for shooting and passing is one of my favourite parts of PES it gives you visual feedback and makes judging your shots feel more precise. The physics and player collisions also were living up to the pre season hype, the ball movement feels good and you can judge running onto the ball with a lot of confidence. Unfortunately there are a few problems firstly the defence feels weak; by this I mean you seem to be more living on mistakes from attackers then the precision of your defenders. This is an area most players will consider being a big deal but for me the parity in all facets of the game are the key to a balanced experience. Secondly the commentary, after my second match I was already getting repeated quotes which was annoying, it’s not a deal breaker but every little helps.
Firstly it should be noted this is a demo and so not fully representative of the final version of the game. This wonderful statement before every demo always makes me chuckle.
PES now has licenced teams and so it was time for Germany to take on France and with some wonderful shots of Ozil, Mertesacker, Ribery and the rest of the players I was truly impressed by the way the game looked. Then the game started and there were a few of my favourite old mechanics back in the game. The power meter for shooting and passing is one of my favourite parts of PES it gives you visual feedback and makes judging your shots feel more precise. The physics and player collisions also were living up to the pre season hype, the ball movement feels good and you can judge running onto the ball with a lot of confidence. Unfortunately there are a few problems firstly the defence feels weak; by this I mean you seem to be more living on mistakes from attackers then the precision of your defenders. This is an area most players will consider being a big deal but for me the parity in all facets of the game are the key to a balanced experience. Secondly the commentary, after my second match I was already getting repeated quotes which was annoying, it’s not a deal breaker but every little helps.
So after I courted the contender it was time to renew my relationship with the previous season’s front runner. FIFA has a lovely UI, the polish is top notch and the menus are a great place to be. Oddly for a FIFA title this was not the case on the pitch, the visuals did not seem as polished as PES and that was something I was not expecting. The gameplay on the other hand feels as polished as it has for the last few seasons and this is where FIFA wins it for me. The play feels natural, comfortable in both defence and attack giving a more fulfilling experience. I’m glad Alan “Smudger” Smith is back on commentary and hearing the docile tones of Jeff Stelling introducing the games is a nice touch.
So my mind is made up on the franchise, the next question will be which generation? (oddly PES is not releasing a next gen version this year as it would not be ready in time). This leaves FIFA fighting against itself and I will not decide until I can get some hands on time with the next gen version. According to all the news out of Gamescom EA Sports have done a great job with the PS4 version of their franchise title, however until I have had time with the game I will be playing a waiting game.
