Will somebody please put Pro Evolution Soccer out of its misery I started reviewing these two games together all the way back in 2012 because I felt that this rivalry, the last remaining true contest in all of sports gaming, deserved its own unique look at how each title shaped up. It was also because most folks who are into football would only ever be buying one of these games, and so telling them which of the two was better seemed like a good and practical idea. I thought that putting the games up against each other, rather than their list of features from the previous year, might be more useful. Yet six years in, I feel like this double-review is in danger of settling into just the kind of repetitive drone it was designed to counter. As true as those generalisations are, though, this year both games have gone to the extremes of their respective margins. The biggest improvement FIFA boasts this year is that. Close control is closer and shielding more effective, with the result that the game is now so much more than just bulldozing runs and spammed throughballs. Defending benefits from this too, with the dance between simply pressing and lunging in for a tackle now balanced almost perfectly. This sounds minor, but it absolutely transforms the game, slowing everything down and bringing FIFA far closer to the kind of measured experience PES has long been known for. Like they have since the beginning of time, the rubbery animation of players still sucks, and the ball moves far too slowly when being passed around. FIFA also struggles at set pieces, with free kicks and corners particular shortfalls. PES 2019 In comparison, PES 2019 is fine. Its ball movement is still more realistic than its competitor, and the pace of the game is a bit more sedate than PES 2018, but this year FIFA is much closer to PES in terms of playing like an actual game of football than it has been in ages, so what was once a big distinguishing feature between the two games is no more. In an attempt to make up for this, PES has added a bunch of new licenses from minor European and South American leagues. PES also comes up short in other areas against FIFA, from its tournaments to online modes to its dismal menu system to the fact EA has continued to include a robust womens mode while Konami remains a mens only affair. I remember wondering in 2014 why there were no great sporting RPGs. Now, only four years later, we have one. Having expanded its cast of playable characters to three last year, FIFA 19 brings each storyline to a conclusion as Alex adjusts to life as a superstar in Madrid, Danny faces some personal challenges as he rises to the top of the Premier League and Kim tries to lift the Womens World Cup with the US national team. With dozens of games to play across La Liga, Premier League, Champions League and Womens World Cup, the amount of playtime and cinematics built into this would make it a AAA sports title in its own right. The gulf between these two games is now so large that I almost feel bad for PES. Konami now find their series in a situation similar to that EA themselves faced when NBA Live re-entered the market a few years back, with almost zero reason to recommend their game over the more glamorous and popular competition. But that was then, and this is now. And if you only get one football game in 2018, make it FIFA 19. While PES has stood still, FIFA has made the most of its licenses while at the same time improving its on-field product and singleplayer innovations, resulting in one of the most comprehensive and enjoyable sports games in years.
