Has the reign of PES come to an end?

[Crazy Jamie]

More and more reviewers are claiming that the new PES is not as good as the new FIFA. The general consensus is that neither are classic titles, but Fifa is better this time round. Personally I haven't played either, but would like to get this issue cleared up before I decide which one to buy.

So, if you have only bought one what do you think of it? And if you have played both, how do they compare?

[Cytosine]

I've only played Fifa 08. On the PS2 it's nothing special, on the Wii there's no manager mode and the controls are very unresponsive sometimes. Reviews often favour Fifa for the graphics, licenses and such.

[Crazy Jamie]

Reviews often favour Fifa for the graphics, licenses and such.Actually, they don't. For the past few years Pro Evo has been consistently rated much higher than Fifa. This year would appear to be the exception.

[Powerslave]

after my initial ranting about PES 2008, i do actually enjoy it now. i would recommend buying it as a fan of the series.

[Donpaulo Inc.]

So is it worth me updating to this years PES or should I just stick with what I've got?

[Rahul]

I also need some advice on the same issues as Jamie. If anyone owns/has played both games on the PS2, please offer some insight. Most of the online reviwes seem to be about these games on the next gen consoles. I know the console can make a difference. FIFA07 and PES were similar on the PS2, but PES was A LOT better on the Xbox 360... In fact, FIFA07 on the 360 was quite possibly one of the worst football games I have ever played.

[Vamp]

Both games suck this year. PES2008 has been such a let down for me. I just don't have the will play it. With PES6 I was taking days of school just to play that. :(

Credit to Fifa for actually trying, I was very impressed with the game modes and presentation. Too bad the gameplay is still bad. They'll get it eventually.

[Crazy Jamie]

Both games suck this year. PES2008 has been such a let down for me. I just don't have the will play it. With PES6 I was taking days of school just to play that. :(
One magazine called the new Fifa "genuine next generation football". But most tend to agree that neither game is up to scratch this time round. I have a feeling that I may end up passing on both games this year.

[Donpaulo Inc.]

Well thats what I'm thinking, often football games improve only slightly from year to year but from the bits I have read I'm thinking PES may have even taken a backward step, would anyone agree with that?

[Vamp]

Well thats what I'm thinking, often football games improve only slightly from year to year but from the bits I have read I'm thinking PES may have even taken a backward step, would anyone agree with that?
Most definitely.

For a game which lacks team licences, a decent edit mode is paramount. But this years edit mode is just poor. The framerate issues are completely unacceptable. It's essentially an unfinished game which feels rushed. : [

[Rahul]

Just to clarify, are you talking about the PS2 versions of the game? If so, I'm leaning heavily towards buying FIFA this year.

[Crazy Jamie]

Pro Evo was always heavily dependent on its gameplay, because without that it is always going to be graphically inferior to Fifa, and will not have the same licences. In all honesty, if it really is a step back in gameplay terms this year then that could be a crushing blow.

[Vamp]

Just to clarify, are you talking about the PS2 versions of the game? If so, I'm leaning heavily towards buying FIFA this year.
I'm talking about next gen. Lots of people are actually saying the the PS2 version is better than the next gen versions.

[Captain Haddock]

I've played..or..i owned Fifa 08 for the 360 (lent it out to a friend for the time-being) And have to say it's a very good game. Realistic, and smooth.

The passing, shooting...just the general movement and gameplay runs very well, and even the a.i. in the game is good. Unlike the other fifa's, i haven't encountered any stupid moves or anything of that sort by the a.i. in this one yet.

Apart from just playing a quick match, the other modes of the game are also good. The Manager Mode is pretty good, and fun to play. It's not easy, and by which i mean earning a million bucks a match n then going out and signing anyone you want, so they've made it realistic.

Another thing, they only give a glimpse of is the Be A Pro mode, it's kinda a prequel to a career mode fifa's starting in 09. It gives you control of one player and only his actions, and seeing the field from his look. You call for passes, (though if your not open they just keep doing what they're doing.) and just be one player on the team, and not control the entire team.

Overall, i think this Fifa is very good, as the gameplay's much better than the old ones. I only played fifa 07 on ps2..and not 360 so i can't compare it to that. The ps2 version, me and a friend pretty much abused it to the point where we could point out the flaws in the game, before they were going to happen. That being said, if you have a 360..and you like soccer, my suggestion is renting it first. Mainly because it runs differently from other fifa's of the past..so some people might not like it.

[Xu Huang]

I find it strange that so many people have slammed the new PES, myself and my friends all think that the new one is miles better.

A lot of the issues that people have been complaining about (from what I've seen) is complaints that the edit mode has been stripped down (I think this is much better, the old one had far too many options such as 300 odd hairstyles), and licensing i.e. they're frustrated that it still doesn't have fully licenses Premier League teams. Others say it's too fast, others say it's too slow, others complain about the presentation (which is indeed awful, I particularly hate the main menu)

Insofar as gameplay is concerned, there aren't any obvious changes but this isn't a bad thing, in fact there's so many little things that improve the game, such as players making improved runs and the opposing AI adapting to cope with your tactics. I can understand why people would argue that the series has taken a lateral step, but I certainly don't think the series has gone backward.

Jamie, it'll probably be worth your while to rent the two games, or play the demos, because with so many mixed reviews I don't think you can make an informed decision without experiencing them for yourself.

[Crazy Jamie]

Jamie, it'll probably be worth your while to rent the two games, or play the demos, because with so many mixed reviews I don't think you can make an informed decision without experiencing them for yourself.
I have a friend who bought the new PES on the day of release, so I'll probably get round to playing that at some point with him. I might well have to download the Fifa demo though.

[Donpaulo Inc.]

Just to clarify, are you talking about the PS2 versions of the game? If so, I'm leaning heavily towards buying FIFA this year.
I was actually talking 360

[dimmerwit]

Right, now I've played the new PES, and I don't like it.

Why?

I don't like the crossing system. I don't like the feel of the game. It just feels mostly the same as the last game but with a few small difference which IMO make the game worse. It's not a bad game by a stretch, and a lot of people will say 'it hasn't changed but it doesn't matter as the game was so great anyway'. It does matter though, there are loads of aspects on which PES could be improved, it's just until now its always been better than FIFA.

But this year, on the 360 at least, I prefer FIFA.