Now in its 20th year, the Pro Evolution Soccer series has been through numerous peaks and troughs. From its inception, as Goal Storm, in 1996 to its high water mark during the PlayStation 2 years with PES 4 and PES 5, and subsequent fall from grace shortly after the release of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, there's plenty to admire and lament.
Thankfully, after years spent in the shadow of EA Sports' FIFA series, PES finds itself back on an upward trajectory thanks to the splendour and grace of last year's PES 2016. The challenge for Konami is to continue that progress and make sure fans new and old are given reason to support PES 2017 upon release later this year.
In order to achieve that, the direction being taken with the upcoming game is concerned predominantly with realism. As we found out at a preview event just last week, the goal is very much to provide a simulation first and a game second. Here are the most notable ways that PES 2017 is serving up the most realistic game of football you've ever played without boots.
1. Weekly updates mean player ability is more realistic
The lack of updates to PES 2016's player stats and club rosters represented a major weak point for the franchise last season, not least considering that sports games of all varieties have been including such a feature for years. Konami understands this, however, and is seeking to make amends in PES 2017.
A day one patch will be rolled out which makes sure players who've been recently transferred in real life are part of the correct roster within the game, and this is to be followed by weekly updates to a player's ability throughout the season. This means that if a team manages to surprise everyone and take the league by storm, a la Leicester City, then the quality performances of those players be will be reflected in their digital doppelganger's statistics.
These updates will apply to both online and offline game modes, so you don't have to worry about playing over the internet to enjoy the benefits of an update.
2. Tactical diversity
Basic instructions have been available in PES games for years, but their diversity and complexity hasn't reached the level seen here. You can tell your team to adopt Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp's 'gegenpressing' ideology in order to have your attackers constantly close down those opposition defenders in possession. Alternatively, you can have your players drop off to encourage the other team to push forward in order to create space for a counter attack when you win the ball back.
In attack you might want to instruct your striker to drop deep and receive the ball as a false nine, or play the tiki-taka style of possession-based attack made famous by Barcelona and Spain. These are just a couple of attacking and defensive examples available from a larger list of tactical approaches.
Two instructions each for the attacking and defending phases of the game can be assigned to the d-pad, allowing you to change them on the fly without disrupting the game. Welcomingly, the two systems can be employed in unison. As such, you can choose to use a false nine and play tiki-taka simultaneously. It's here that more serious players are going to be able to personalise their approach to suit their own style, chosen team and approach adopted by the opposition.
3. AI learns how you play
While we've yet to play enough of the game to fully understand the impact of the system, the promise is that PES 2017 will incorporate artificial intelligence that's capable of learning how you play. If you constantly seek to play the ball out wide in an attempt to fire crosses into the box, then you might find that your opponent provides their fullbacks with extra cover. If you're more of a direct, long ball aficionado then expect your powerful centre-forward to be man marked for the entire game.
This ability to learn applies to both the attack and defence, meaning that your decision to play an aggressive, high line with your defenders could see the AI react by bringing on their fastest striker to try and latch onto through balls played from deep. Playing a varied, unpredictable game, then, is more important than ever this coming season.
4. First touch more adaptable
The best footballers are able to use their entire foot, as well their thigh, chest and head, to trap and control a ball coming their way. That's exactly what is possible here, too. Animation quantity has been increased to allow for a visual representation of these actions, but the biggest effect of the improved first touch is the freedom it allows in creating separation between your own player and an opponent.
Instead of having to control the ball between a player's feet before making the next move, the ball can be cushioned in any number of directions depending on the skill of the individual in question. This is beneficial in defensive situations, as you're able to neatly sidestep an attacker before playing a possession-focused pass along your back line, while in attack you can immediately nudge the ball into a yard of space to create a shooting opportunity within a crowded penalty box.
5. Visual upgrades
Immediately noticeable is the fact that player faces no longer subscribe to the blocky, square appearance that have in past PES outings made the likes of David De Gea and Neymar look as though they're a few polygons short of humanity. Faces now feature all of the curves and angles you'd expect to see on a human head. Players' breath is also visible in cold weather, and if it's raining then water splashes off the net when the ball makes contact with it. These are small details, but in unison with one another they combine to create the potential to deliver football game that mimics reality more than ever.
6. Passing feels crisper and more responsive
It's a difficult phenomenon to explain through words alone, but football fans will understand when we say that the 'weight' of passes has been altered to make even the shortest of linking play feel impactful. Players tend to pass to one another slightly more powerfully than before, meaning there's less standing around and waiting for the ball to arrive and more thinking about where the ball should go next.
The effect is that a patient build-up approach is now as engaging to execute as those decisive through balls have tended to be. This improvement in passing is compounded by the diversity added to the way players are able to turn their first touches to their advantage, the space created allowing for a greater range of subsequent passing options. This acts to bring more players into the game then is presently achievable within the limitations of PES 2016, breathing new life into what are otherwise familiar situations.
7. Improved goalkeepers
Goalkeeper response times, and the variation within those responses, has undergone significant reworking since PES 2016. In particular it's the way they react to a follow-up shot that makes them more formidable than they've ever been
We've played using Manuel Neuer, Jan Oblak, Hugo Lloris and Petr Cech, and all four were more than capable of quickly recovering back to their feet following a diving save. This means that poachers such as Olivier Giroud or Fernando Torres are much less likely to get away with an easy tap-in during the temporary chaos that can accompany a corner, cross or free-kick.
Combined with the increase in defensive tactical options, these more reactive keepers mean scoring goals has never taken as much thought and planning as it does now.
8. Off-the-ball movement is less predictable
Despite yearly improvements to team-mate AI, players making forward runs behind a defence have in years past been typically incapable of following anything other than a straight path. This has been especially frustrating when playing against a human opponent, as it takes little brain power to predict the best spot to position a defender in order to snuff off any danger when an attacker is incapable of turning a corner.
It's noticeable this year, however, that forwards more readily curve their runs and change direction in order to avoid the attentions of a defence. Running diagonally through a defence, or even parallel to it, is a tactic the best strikers use in reality, and so it's heartening to see the same replicated here.
Picking that perfect point to make a pass when your striker is making a more complicated run does take some practice, but in a game seeking to simulate the real thing as far as possible this degree of depth can ultimately only be a positive addition.
PES 2017 releases on PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in Autumn 2016. For more gaming coverage, be sure to join our Facebook Group: Pes World (ULTIGAMERZ)
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