PES 2012

[Mr1Croft]

So it's that time of year again, and the footballing legends of gaming go head to head for a Christmas showdown, just as it has done in the last 10 years. Although more recently Sports Interacive releasing Football Manager in 2006 is now a very sucessful Football game, despite only bieng available for PC (and PSP).

In the UK, PES has always struggled for one simple reason; it lacks the licensing of the Barclays Premier league and it's teams, so the kits, team names, and even the odd player names are wrong. That and the fact you can't play with lower league teams, it puts it below FiFA before it's released. However needless to say PES builds year on year and continually takes chances with its games, adding new features and changing the game engine completely in recent years, unlike FIFA, it isn't just last years game with updated kits and slightly improved graphics, so you always know your getting something different.

The main issue is balance, we all want a Football video game that is a) Fun and also b) realistic. Fifa is more on the fun side, and apart from it's graphics, it is far from realistic in terms of how you actually play football, repeatedly throwing it to the same guy on the wing, beating your man with skill, playing a neat through ball to your striker and placing it in the far corner from the left hand side of the 18 yard box, again and again and again. But it's fun to play and people love it, especially in terms of having your mates round for a FIFA night and what not. PES 5 (PES 2006) however was probably the greatest football game of it's time, it was head and shoulders above FIFA 6, and represents what you expect from the first FIFA game on the Xbox 360 (since it was released before PS3). PES 5 is in my opinion the greatest football game of all time. PES 2011 came second and it wasn't for the glitches would have my top spot. But this year FIFA have really upped the odds and also changed their game engine for slicker, faster and much better game play, if PES was to build on last year's sucess they had to come up big.

This year, PES 2012 hasn't changed much from last year, just most things are updated in aspects of what you can do outside playing a football game. They have combined Master League and Become a Legend to one \"Football Life\", the \"learn as you play\" still greets you when you run a first time start up, there is still the option of playing Exhibition matches, and competitions including Champions League and Europa League. Master League online is still superior to anything EA can offer but nothing major this year.

Football Life
The Master League and Become a Legend haven't changed as such from last year, but there is one noticable difference, when becoming a manager on Master League you have to customise your appearence with your own avatar with the same detail as all the players on the game, the only thing is you can only customise yoru face, you are wearing a suit by default and have to be the default size and weight, but you can still add wrinkles, custom hair styles, eye colour, even down to the size of your cheek bones. There are also now a lot of cut scenes, e.g. The chairman announcing you to the Press, talking to the players on the training pitch. Once a week your coach enters your office and explains if there is any problems with players morale, form or injuries, then using a white board talks you through how your next opposition will play. Makes a difference from the menu's and loading screens. Also during the match the camera will occassional show you on the touchline jumping up as your team score, shaking your head at a miss, clapping at a penalty save, or stand there in shock as one of your players miss a penalty or get sent off.

Stadiums
In Edit mode, Konami have kept the very sucessful create a stadium mode from last year, although last years was very basic with around 7 stands to choose from for all 4 sides. This year you can choose to have a football ground or Olympic stadium (football pitch with a running track along the outside), the choices of stands for Olympic stadiums vary, but not with great choice, although it is quite easy to create a Don Valley stadium.
In football ground mode, we now have 14 choices of stands, with them ranging, from foreign small seated stands with no roofs, or a Bernabau lookalike. If your a fan of creating your own team on PES, this feature is one you will soon fall in love with. It also allows you to make your own versions of the real stadiums for the teams without their ground on the game.

Club Chairman Mode
Konami kept very secret about this, and added it in slighly at the end, when you start the game it is locked and is available in the Extra Content for very cheap PES points (which you win through playing games, you can't buy them). For the first time in footballing history, you can become a Chairman of any club, like in Master League you can create your own appearence, and there are many cut scenes with your Chairman avatar talking to his secrety announcing your new manager to the press etc.,

Now in Chairman mode, you begin by setting the budget with your personal funds, and then the season kicks off. You have to choice to hire and fire your manager, invest more money into the marketing department, and watch matches. Which at first doesn't seem like a lot to do, but there is one other option, which is telling your manager what to do. You can instruct him how you think the team should play, the formation, the style and the pecking order, of course he doesn't have to agree with you, but they will only dis-obey a few times as not many wish to lose their jobs. If you want to be a right pain in the backside you can demand your manager plays a weaker player, and if you consistantly do so, the manager will do as you say, if not well you can always fire him.

You can also choose what players you want the club to sign, if it is a big money signing you can again invest some of your own personal funds to push the deal through, the only complication is that you can only look at one player at a time. Now of course all this sounds fun but it soon gets boring, it has potential but I think Konami have released it a year early and now jepodise it's future. I think (like Ultimate team for FIFA last year) it wasn't supposed to be in the game this year but in an attempt to get more buyers they slipped it in.

Gameplay
There have been many changes to the game itself and the first is set pieces, penalties are no longer one of the worlds mysteries and it doesn't kick off automatically anymore. Players have greater close control and its much easier to pass the ball without it needlessly going out for a throw in when your pass is 1 degree off. There is some rumour that only FIFA has 360 degree passing and dribbling, whereas PES only has 45 degrees, this is a myth and playing the game PES proves it more wrong than ever, if anything the 360 degrees is more accurate and makes FIFA look closer to 45 degrees.

Player switching
The set pieces themselves are the same, however if you have a corner you can flick your right analougue stick and you are no longer controlling the kick taker, instead you can control another player, keep flicking the analogue stick untill you have controll of a player in the box, or maybe lurking outside the area hoping to smash one or make a run.

This is available from goal kicks, free kicks, corners and throw ins. Once you stop controlling the kick taker the AI doesn't automatically kick the ball into touch, once you are ready for the delivery press the pass or cross button and they will swing it in as you make a run or get ready to smash the ball. This is great for Corners; taking controll of a player, and making runs trying to lose your marker, although once you get better at this, you'll learn how to challenge the keeper to put him off and just before the delivery change to an unmarked player with a free goal.

Better AI
This year the AI is much better for your team and against, for we now have, more decisive runs, overlapping, and players generally looking for space up the field rather than marking a CB whilst attacking, along with dummying and more decisive tackles and clearences from a player on your team you aren't controlling (e.g. if you call 2 players to challenge someone you can only control one). Against and the defence keep their shape much better, and the goal keeper no longer stands there thinking about the finer things in life whilst watching a 45 yard free kick loom over his head.

Once you get your head around the new AI, you then realise PES hasn't really changed from last year, although your first few games say otherwise. If anything it is the same PES but more harder, but again like PES has always been, it never gets easier to play, just easier to understand.

EDIT: The main advantage for FIFA if your a Rovers fan is that you can't be the Rovers, however if your ever bored and got 3 hours to kill you can create your own Keepmoat Stadium, Rovers kit, badge (if you've got a steady hand on Free Draw) and make your own Rovers players.

[NickDRFC]

Have you ever kissed a girl?

[Grasshopper]

Im just about done with PES 2011 on PS3, I tried FIFA 10 last year on PC and was quite impressed and ive allways been a PES man. So, what would you recomend? FIFA 12 or PES2012?

[billdoor]

Have you ever kissed a girl?

Pissed myself laughing.
If he has, it was just a quick peck.

Saying that. It was a great review of PISS 2012.

Signed
Converted fifa man

[billdoor]

Have you ever kissed a girl?

PESSED myself laughing.

Saying that. It was a good review of PES 2012.

Signed FIFA convert.

[Mr1Croft]

Have you ever kissed a girl?

Yes thank you, I'm happilly engaged and planning to get married, not that my love life has anything to do with it...

[Mr1Croft]

Im just about done with PES 2011 on PS3, I tried FIFA 10 last year on PC and was quite impressed and ive allways been a PES man. So, what would you recomend? FIFA 12 or PES2012?

Depends what you prefer in a football game, if its fun your after and you spend more time playing with your freinds than I reccomend FIFA 12.

PES is always about realism and it doesn't get much better in PES 12, the horrible stuff from PES 11 is long gone (inaccurate passing and 90% chance of it bieng a throw in when trying to keep it in, better penalties and it doesn't no longer auto-kick off). If you prefer online play PES's master league online is superior to FIFA's Ultimate team and so is standard exhibition. The only thing you struggle to do online in PES is becoming an individual player playing alongside your freinds.

[VikingJames]

Do people still buy Pro Evo? It hasn't been any good since 2005/6.

[Grasshopper]

Thanks, ill stick with pro evo in that case, u describe it well and I agree totally with 2011's faults, especially the impossible to score penalties but the realistic gameplay is priceless.

[mushRTID]

Its all about FIFA, thought that was common knowledge?