Before the full release of PES 2013, we had five questions for the game. Now, after the dust has settled on this stellar game of footy, we have our answers. As it turns out, most of them are positive, which isn’t surprising for an 8.0 game.

What Does It Mean Without Seabass?

PES 2013 is the first in the series to be without Seabass Takatsuka in the driver seat. The longtime ex-producer vacated the position, with PES' European Team Leader Jon Murphy implying, in an interview with Eurogamer, that the series needed a refresh.

In the same interview, Murphy also compared the fundamental philosophical differences between Seabass’ traditional Japanese school of video game making versus the western style — where the latter gives gamers a bigger scope of control, and to a certain extent the illusion of freedom. If there’s one thing that seems to be accentuated in PES 2013, after Seabass’ departure of the series, it’s definitely user control.

Make no mistake, Seabass’ fingerprints are still all over this year's game. The gameplay is, for the most part, fast and furious, and more importantly enjoyable as it has always been. But if we read between the lines in Murphy’s quote that the new team wants to steer the game closer towards the European/North American “freestyle approach,” then perhaps we can assume that the new focus on user control is the first big step taken in the post-Seabass era.

How Free is Free?

Very free, actually. While in PES 2012 the word “freedom” was merely bandied around in promotional materials without much to show for on the pitch, it's a totally different result in I]PES 2013[/i]. 

The “anytime manual passing” was an inspired idea, giving players the ability to play a manual through ball even if he’s playing with assisted settings. The ability to control off the player runs during one-twos, meanwhile, make the attacking patterns less predictable. Plus the whole slew of first touch and dribbling controls — and good gracious, there are plenty — that let you dictate how you want to beat a defender, and they all add up to break the longstanding feeling that in PES, the computer perhaps decided things a little too much without your input.

Any improvements on the presentation front?

Sadly, no. That’s not to say that the entire thing has been left untouched, but the fact remains that there has only been some minor tweaks where, unless you really decide to look, you likely won’t notice. The presentation elements — the Champions League license notwithstanding — is probably still PES’ biggest Achilles heel. While they are still above average on the whole (except for the commentary, which remains positively dreadful), PES is starting to lag if you compare it solely to other top of the line sports games. Simply put, the presentation elements just don’t help as much as they should to instill drama into a football match. 

What About Football Life?

Boots, sadly, were not the answer. 

The biggest change to the Master League mode was the ability to equip players with items like keepy-uppy balls and specific boots, enabling them to gain a whole slew of attribute points. For a game mode that’s supposed to be realistic, this stands out like Andy Carroll in a Barcelona team. Other than that, most aspects of the the mode remained unchanged, and Football Life soldiers on for another year. 

Again, as stated in the review, it should be noted that both the Master League and Be A Legend modes are still highly enjoyable, mostly due to the fact that each game feels different every time you take the pitch. It’s just that, off the field, it’s been the same thing for years now and it would be very much appreciated if we can get some sort of substantial improvement to the modes. For example, the ability to be offered jobs and change teams in Master League would be a good start.

Which teams are licensed?

The French, Dutch and Spanish top leagues are fully licensed, while the Serie A and Brazilian League has all the real teams and kits without the actual league name itself. Meanwhile, only Manchester United is present for the Premier League, plus four of the top teams from the Portuguese Leauge, and a whole slew of continental European teams.

But hey, there’s always this.

Outlook for 2014

It would be really, really nice if other aspects of PES started getting a little more TLC. This is not to say that the team should abandon improving the gameplay all together — after all, it still is the most critical part of any sports game. It’s just that everything else can only go on remaining the same for so long. Game modes like Master League and Be A Legend still remain immensely enjoyable for this year, but next year may just be one too many for these aging modes.