FIFA meets PES: Building the Perfect Soccer Game - Turbojugend's Blog

Turbojugend's Blog

FIFA meets PES: Building the Perfect Soccer Game

Posted on May 18, 2015 at 05:06 PM.

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2014 represented a landmark year for Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer. After years of coming "this close" on last-gen consoles, PES 2015 marked a long overdue return to glory for the historic franchise. Meanwhile, EA's FIFA 15 continued its steady ascent as one of the premier titles in sports gaming with the addition of EPL presentation elements and the refinement of many key features. So what could these two football juggernauts learn from one another in order to improve their respective series moving forward? Let's take a look.

What FIFA Could Take From PES

In the case of FIFA, EA could definitely learn a thing or two from PES' distinct style of on-pitch gameplay. Charting the series from FIFA 08 (the year I was introduced to FIFA), it's obvious that EA has already taken several cues from Konami. In some cases -- manual throw-ins and keepers pushing their lines forward to name a couple -- they have directly implemented conventions which originated with PES. But they have also borrowed in other areas, namely pace and player momentum. The game has slowed over the years and the Impact Engine has been refined to near perfection, the result is a game that was once considered "arcade-ish" is now a game with an increasingly deliberate and tactical feel.

But as far as FIFA has come in terms of gameplay, PES 2015 reminds us that there is room for improvement. For starters, there is still the issue of the pacing. In PES there is room to breathe, players can control space more effectively, opening up the passing game and leading to increased offensive options. By contrast, FIFA puts constant pressure on ball handlers, leading to forced passes, defensive errors, and a generally more frantic style of play. EA has made massive strides over the years in terms of speed and momentum, it would be great to see them keep moving forward in this vein.

Another key aspect of PES is player and team identity. Where FIFA has a general sameness to the feel of its on-pitch participants, PES shines with character and personality. As a result, playing with Ronaldo and Real Madrid feels very much like playing with Ronaldo and Real Madrid, whereas FIFA's version feels very much like playing as any other team only with improved stats.

What PES Could Take From FIFA

Although it really couldn't "take" this feature from FIFA, with PES there is the perpetual issue of the lack of authentic league licensing. Many hardcore PES fans observe that this really isn't a big deal, and for many of them it isn't. After all, PES has always been a highly customizable game, allowing for the renaming and reorganization of its mostly-fictional teams and leagues. But for the millions of gamers around the world who simply want to buy a soccer game and immediately participate in the most popular league in the world -- the Barclays Premiership -- the absence of key licenses is absolutely an issue.

Interestingly, bringing league authenticity to PES lies not solely in Konami's hands but also in the hands of its diehard fanbase. In previous years, the PES community were able to create highly accurate versions of just about any league imaginable and share their creations via "option files", save files injected with official team badges, sponsors, etc. Option files basically eliminated the need for licenses, a feature which still exists on the last-gen and PC versions of PES (Note: the most recent Xbox 360 system update has apparently removed this ability from that console). Partially due to the way data is stored and shared on PS4/XB1 and partially due to Konami's own Edit Mode implementations, option files have proved impossible to create thus far on these consoles. Hopefully this becomes a simple matter of "cracking the code" on save files as future system updates are rolled out, re-opening the doors to option file creators sharing their creations with the current-gen PES community.

Apart from licensing, PES could definitely benefit from studying FIFA's brilliant user interface. In fact, Konami have already starting making the transition away from their traditional Japanese style of text-intensive menus and options, evidenced by the newer cell-style main and sub menus. But dig a little deeper and you'll uncover a UI that wouldn't seem totally out of place on the Dreamcast, making the game feel somewhat dated.

Currently, the best way to experience soccer video games is to purchase both FIFA and PES and appreciate what each brings to the table. And seeing how much each title has inspired and influenced the other over the years, maybe that is the best solution.

Comments

# 1 Battle4MY @ May 18

Great write up. I find myself buying each game every year. PES give the user an incredible amount of control over the player, but I feel FIFA better player contact animations. Lots of little things I would love to see in each game.

# 2 Snoopy2quik @ May 20

EA and Konami should join forces to create the best soccer game anyone has ever played. Both have pieces they can contribute to each other, it's just a matter of letting go of their egos.