PES 2015 Review

Last year’s entry into the long running Pro Evolution Soccer franchise was a disappointment. There’s not really any way around it – PES 2014 was bland, lacked modes, and was a shell of its usual self. Part of the blame quite possibly fell to it being the debut of Konami’s new FOX Engine. But now that the engine made its true appearance with Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes earlier this year, the way was clear for PES 2015 to return to glory and use a more refined set of tools to craft the football experience that fans crave. And while this latest title isn’t quite a top drawer entry, it could very well serve as the catalyst for the franchise heading into a new console generation.

We begin as we always must, in noting that PES 2015 still lacks official licenses for many of the world’s most popular clubs. But it’s certainly not for the lack of trying. Europe’s UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League competitions remain exclusive to the franchise, along with most associated graphics and music. South American Copa Libertadores is joined by a newly added Copa Sudamericana tournament. Stepping below the top flight, the game introduces second-tier teams for the first time, with Spanish Liga Adelante represented in its entirety, as is the French Ligue 2. English and Italian second-tier teams are also present, but they are not licensed. As is usually the case, most of the players are licensed, as are a few coaches this year. For hardcore fans of PES in South America and Europe (the strongest markets for the franchise), this may be enough. But ask any casual fan if they want to play a new footy title with Merseyside Blue (aka Everton) or Merseyside Red (aka Liverpool), and their answer will probably contain the words “I am going back to FIFA”. Indeed, despite all the progress PES 2015 has made as we’ll discuss later, the licensing remains its Achilles heel.

The main gameplay modes remain familiar. You can always just jump into any of the licensed competitions and play through their rounds, or get into the two main offline modes Master League and Become a Legend. The latter hasn’t seen many changes, apart from more licensed gear to wear. You are still taking control of either an existing pro or creating your own with randomized stats, and living out their career as an individual. You can again, thankfully, choose at least what league you start in, and a manager trust level gauge makes its return. Annoyingly, there’s still no skipping to the end of the match after you’re subbed off. Master League, meanwhile, is still the classic manager mode of controlling a club and all its aspects. You can play with a randomly generated team or an existing one, and oversee all day to day operations plus play the actual matches. Two new added features are a team trust level and scouting reports, both rather self-explanatory. Plus, just like your Become a Legend player, the manager gets his own model and can appear in cutscenes as well as on the pitch. Another notable new addition is a tactical view mode for simulating matches, which lets you observe the action from a 2D perspective as if you’re playing a Football Manager game. It’s a nice touch for players who find the actual gameplay too daunting and just want to sink their teeth into the management of a team.

The brand new and deeply incorporated mode in PES 2015 is myClub, a Master League Online overhaul. With this mode, Konami is attempting to create their own version of the hugely popular FIFA Ultimate Team. Players select a team name, logo and kit to use, and are then given a random assortment of low level players, as well as a coach. From there, it is up to you to create the best squad you can. Your formation and tactics are restricted by the coach you’ve chosen. You’ll also need to keep everyone under contract which spans a limited amount of matches. There’s also a Team Spirit rating (similar to Chemistry in FIFA), though it doesn’t seem to have a huge impact on the players. New players cannot be signed directly, and instead you use agents to select a random player. The better your agent, the better player you’ll get. This is in stark contrast to EA’s collect and trade approach, as you can’t directly select or trade players and must always hope for a good random pick.

To support myClub, two new currencies are introduced in PES 2015. GP points are earned via in-game accomplishments in all modes, even those outside of myClub, by playing well, performing moves on the pitch, and so forth. The second currency is myClub points, Konami’s way of introducing microtransactions. While these points can be earned via certain actions, the primary way to get them is with real cash. Players can use either currency on new agents, coaches, and contracts. Compared to FIFA’s UT, myClub aims for a much, much slower club development. With no trading, and only getting one player for each agent you use, growing the team takes notably longer and players will need to be patient and play a lot of games to earn enough GP to build a decent squad. myClub is an okay start for Konami to start engaging players in a long-term squad building mode, and some of the unique elements work, but we hope that many ideas are more fleshed out in the future.

In myClub you can compete against the AI, or against other players. There are two different categories for online play, one is the classic division-based (also borrowed from FIFA) structure, while the other is a Sim division where players can only observe their squads compete as managers. The concept of online divisions also applies in the standard multiplayer modes (outside of myClub). However, it appears that the multiplayer populace of PES 2015 on Xbox One is very scarce. It takes a long time to find matches, and when you do, chances are you’ll be faced with lag because your opponent is likely in Europe or South America. This isn’t the game’s fault per say, but something to keep in mind. For the Sim division, we actually have never been able to find a match, after dozens of attempts across different days. But if you’re looking to at least school your friends, there are cooperative and local multiplayer options for almost every mode.

Adding some live data to the game are weekly updates, as PES 2015 promises to constantly update transfers and team line-ups across the English, French, Italian, Spanish and Brazilian leagues. With not many moves happening this early in the season, it’s tough to judge how quickly the game will receive its updates. Player data and ratings are also updated based on current performances every week, and is automatically used in myClub, while remaining optional for offline career modes. Missing last year, the stadium editor is back, letting players customize colors of side lines and seats, as well as field and goal net design.

Having talked so much about the modes, let’s finally walk onto the pitch. As the whistle sounds and a match is underway, you really get a feel for PES 2015 and its unique gameplay. There’s no doubting that this is a PES title, with many control and physics nuances that help separate it from EA’s offering. Passes and shots have a high tendency to connect, avoiding the frustrations sometimes caused by FIFA’s purposeful randomness. There are no touch errors or misplaced shots, and that makes PES 2015 a game that’s much more of “a game” where player skill matters and consistency is always expected. If you’re not a fan of the thrill of unpredictability of football that FIFA leans towards, then PES has you covered for a more classic experience.

Compared to last year’s edition, some work has certainly been done to improve the field of play. Both friendly and opponent AI is better, finding space quicker and making fewer dumb decisions. Offsides are not common, and thanks to the continued use of PES ID system, famous players are recognizable on the pitch by their play style and body movements. Teams are also more likely to use strategies of their real world counterparts, so you can expect sharp counter-attacks from Everton and a deadly passing game from Barcelona. Dedicated tacticians now have an option to set a few formations to choose from on the fly during a match, with each also offering a “with the ball” and “without the ball” setting.

But, despite overall solid gameplay, there are flaws. Most immediately, you’ll notice a lack of responsiveness. Compared to FIFA, PES 2015 controls often feel sluggish, and you’re unable to execute one-touch shots or passes as fast as you want to. Players fumble and get dispossessed, much to your frustration and despite having filled the power meter. Movement is equally clunky and not often precise, and sprinting really doesn’t feel as fast as it should. Players also seem to completely run out of energy shortly into the second half, even if you purposefully not touch the sprint button – which makes no sense.

The AI has some problem areas as well. The most notable is positioning – it seems that the team with the ball is always much more involved in the play, while the defending team stands around and gets easily beat even by the lesser rated strikers. Despite being closer to the goal, defenders will watch strikers run by, and make little effort to stay between the ball and the net without direct player intervention. Cycling through selected players often provides suboptimal position. At least the referees are mostly fair – against the human controlled team, that is. It seems the AI teams can do no wrong, as there’s been practically no fouls, let alone cards, given to the opposition in the many hours played.

Entering the match, the first thing you’ll note are the much faster loading times to get to kickoff. Next up, however, you’ll note the subpar visuals. Indeed, despite fully flexing its visual prowess with Ground Zeroes, PES 2015 on Xbox One looks decidedly dated. From the fans to the pitch, the game runs at a solid framerate but lacks fine details and desperately needs higher resolution assets. Jagged lines often dominate the screen, and some textures are so blurred that you can barely read player names on jerseys with the default camera. Outfield players at least look okay, especially during cutscenes, and still hold a more realistic visual edge of FIFA’s sometimes wax-like looks.

There are a number of real world stadiums that have been recreated, but they aren’t really a match for what FIFA did with the Premiere League grounds this year. Top players look like their real life counterparts, but most of the squads in the game still feature only basic resemblances at best. Commentary remains the same, and somehow seems worse this year, with many non-specific descriptions of the action and lots of noticeable repetition. At least the soundtrack is now filled with popular licensed music, instead of the somewhat pretentious classical and techno from years past. Crowd cheers are satisfyingly loud and dynamic. After being shockingly left out last year, rain is once again available as a weather condition.

Some of the technical hiccups occur off the pitch as well. The game retains the frequent use of a completely black screen during some events and loading, taking you out of the experience. An improved main menu cheekily borrows FIFA’s grid-based look, but as you dive into some of the Master League and myClub deeper menus, you’ll still find the outdated and convoluted UI that’s in need of overhaul. Fancy new backgrounds now load 3D stadiums and players based on an upcoming match, but all that does is cause hitching and lag when browsing the menus. In myClub, loaning players for your team and participation tournaments do not work.

PES 2015 is a solid foundation for the franchise entering the new console generation. It has promising gameplay and sound design, and while the FOX engine is much improved over last year, it’s hardly in top form compared to Ground Zeroes. The emphasis on skill and predictability still carries a unique appeal, but we wish the controls and responsiveness were better. MyClub is a good start for a FUT-like mode, but it too needs more growth and refinements. PES 2015 is good value for hardcore fans who can now truly say that Pro Evolution Soccer is back on track. Even footy fans unfamiliar with this long running franchise may find something here to satisfy their desire for something different.