With Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) 2016 being out for over six months, it’s time to compile our annual “PES Wishlist” for the upcoming release, PES 2017. After spending countless hours playing and scouring the internet, we’ve experienced the good, bad and ugly that PES 2016 offers. With eyes towards the future, let’s have a look at some key features we’d like to see added and/or improved upon for 2017.

Note – this isn’t an “end-all-be-all” list but rather a high-level rundown of some of common issues plaguing PES 2016 and where we’d like to see the game go in future iterations.

PES has always been about gameplay first and everything else next. With that being said, let’s dive right in:

Referees/Fouls/Collision System – Simply put, the referees and foul system is broken in PES 2016. The lack of fouls and enforcement by referees creates an environment (offline & online) plagued by an aggressive charging-in-at-all costs philosophy. Referees need to be tuned to the Collision System (M.A.S.S. Engine) in order to give us the realism we crave.

Keepers – Another sore spot in 2016. Keepers need more animations (shuffling of feet for example) as well as current animations sped up to deal with over-exaggerated shot power.

AI Defending – AI defending can be head scratching at times and downright infuriating at others. Ball watching, especially on through balls, often lead to 1-v-1’s with attackers and your keeper. While the AI does a good job at cutting down angles, the inability to deal with through balls leaves your back line vulnerable and your keeper in hopeless situations.

Animations – Animations need to be cleaned up to address warping and other inconsistencies. While some animations play in appropriate speeds, others are slowed down and can cause you to lose possession when combined with an aggressive opponent who doesn’t fear repercussions (see foul issue referenced above).

Tactics/Player Ratings/Stats – Tactics have become simplified since PES 2014, and with the inclusion of Fluid Formations need to be blown out and expanded upon if they want to truly represent modern football. Player ratings need to be more exact and not rounded off to the nearest “.5” while player individual stats need to be tracked in a more advanced fashion.
 

Master League (ML) - PES 2016 promised a completely redesigned Master League, but all really got were a few User Interface (UI) graphical overhauls, a better but not great transfer system remodel and some advanced team stats. Master League needs to go to the next level and continue to build out the mode that was once the best in the business. A better transfer system with more realistic transfer fees, as well a detailed transfer log, would go a long way in enticing gamers to jump back into ML.

Youth Academy (YA) – PES’ Youth Academy compared to FIFA’s is vastly subpar. To start, every club within ML starts out with the same roster, no matter if you are FC Barcelona or Leeds United. Scouting needs to be added where you can actively build up your YA in hopes of creating the next La Masia.

Manager Carousel – Both games sorely need a Managerial Carousel that would see managers change jobs, and in turn change formations, transfer logic and player development. A game in 2008 by 2K had this, why doesn’t a soccer game in 2016?

Become a Legend (BAL) – Once my favorite mode, this feature has become stale and could use an overhaul. If the mode could include more stats, training (drills and matches), and also make wages mean something those would be positive steps. The ability to simulate to the end of a match when subbed off would also be a nice addition.

Online – The aforementioned issue with keepers was magnified at the time of PES 2016’s release because keepers were not set to Top Player online. When compounded with a lack of fouls, poor matchmaking servers (peer-to-peer) and the ever-present lag made for an inconsistent online experience. All around, the online platform needs to be improved.

MyClub – This relatively new mode can be a little overwhelming at first, even the tutorial can seem complex. Once you get a hold of it, you will notice that contracts are way too expensive. Edit mode within MyClub would also be a nice addition to help customize your club/players. A “Marketplace” type of environment could be explored as well.

Presentation - Presentation in PES 2016 is still a weak point despite some minor improvements this year. The lack of in-game immersion in the form of stat overlays is noticeably absent. Also absent are the abundance of stadiums, a strong point of PES 2013 that featured every La Liga stadium. Replays have long needed an overhaul, as they are outdated and unrealistic when compared to what's sees on TV.

Graphics – Soccer games suffer from a lack of balance in graphics as most people utilize a camera angle that allows them to see the majority of the field. This preferred view inevitably takes away from the excellent face scans. The crowd visuals have been enhanced but could still use some improvement in terms of variety. The graphics noticeably take a hit during night fixtures as the lighting can be a little off. In addition, shadows on the pitch at certain stadiums can make playing matches seizure-inducing.

Audio – With Peter Drury being introduced for 2016, the excitement for commentary has been ratcheted up, but it still suffers from inadequacy in terms of the total number of lines and the context in which they relate to what’s happening on the pitch. Crowd chants are also hit or miss and could use the re-introduction of crowd chant slots.

Edit Mode – First and foremost, the ability to have option files needs to be included for the Xbox One. An online roster share would benefit users of both systems and eliminate the need for downloading files from what can be suspicious sites at times. Slot distribution needs to be addressed as well. Last year, the number of slots for manager faces far exceeded those allocated for kits and emblems. This was an egregious oversight by Konami’s QC department.

Licenses – More please! With second divisions added, Konami has attempted to bridge the gap between them and their competitors over at EA. They still lag way behind in European licenses as it seems their attention has been focused on the South American and Asian markets. Konami needs to either acquire more licenses or create more fake leagues across Europe AND North America to compensate for “shallow” pockets.


As you can see, the wishlist for PES 2017 is extensive and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Please chime in below and let us know what you hope will be added and/or fixed for PES 2017.