Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 (PlayStation 4) Review

It's hardly a secret that when it comes to annual and iterative titles, that progress comes in stages. In fact, when speaking with Cubed3, Adam Bhatti, the PES Global Brand Manager, was very open about PES 2018 being part of a new cycle. Such is the way these development apparatus systems work, it's quite far-fetched to expect any franchise to reinvent or revolutionise itself in one iteration, and it was refreshing to hear someone in his position talk more candidly about the idea of franchise progression. This honesty reflects the more receptive and concentrated effort that the PES Team put in each year to win over new fans, but more importantly, to satisfy their hugely loyal existing fanbase.

Arguably, the latter is an idea that is quite far removed from mere rivalry. Comparatively speaking, FIFA fans get plenty of splendour, but seem a little unfairly treated. They get rinsed on player packs and extras, ignored repeatedly on specific requests for improvements, and the lexicon of every new trailer suggests a revolution in gameplay that is never quite delivered. It's not like both series don't face the same sort of challenges - neither are perfect and similar accusations could be made about how both lean on progressive cycles, but it's more about how the waters are navigated. In this sense, PES is rather that other potential partner who is never going to be well-off, but certainly seems rich in attentiveness. Perhaps, then, PES is the one you should have been with all along! Can you tell if this reviewer is currently divorcing FIFA and remarrying PES?

Speaking truthfully, though - and perhaps pragmatically - there's little difference between PES 2017 and 2018 until you start really examining it. If anything, PES 2017 (which made more significant core changes) feels like the firm foundation that enabled this iteration to be more focused on a series of macro and microcosmic enhancements. These range from the standard, concentrated effort to improve and realistically rebalance the core gameplay, an area where PES almost always prevails, to the much more thoughtful and significant additional modes implemented this year. There's the Random Selection mode, which is a returning mode that fans have been rumbling for a while, in addition to the new and mightily impressive three-vs-three mode. This rather simple concept has huge potential mileage. The existing fanbase will likely get the most gratification for their loyalty out of it, since it's a genuinely new feature, and it's also ideal for drawing new fans in in groups.

Three-vs-three is both offline and online, and really does expertly accentuate the tactical qualities of PES, allowing three friends to operate from back to front with real fluidity, employing proper tactics and exchanging roles seamlessly, playing against either CPU or other players. There's no doubt three-vs-three is the sort of mode that friends drinking beer, while having a night in, will become instantly hooked to. Though adjusting to a team of three does take some time, and probably some proper football knowledge helps, it's never frustrating to co-ordinate attack or defence, and the football experience feels very authentic with this additional sense of team coordination.

Additionally, it's quite satisfying seeing your group tactics evolve as you discover each other's strengths and weaknesses. It's also a hell of a lot of fun to simply try new approaches, since it's unlikely everyone will want to play the same type of football. This is particularly true when you're playing three versus online opponents, especially as the stats players are presented with after the game provide a lot of useful input on who is doing what, with labels for certain roles being fulfilled, all the passing and interception stats, and a visual diagram showing how well-rounded or perhaps concentrated each player's general playing philosophy is.

That leads on to the core gameplay, which makes a series of improvements, with only a few retrograde steps taken, leading to much more varied passages of play and more ways to score. Firstly, the weight of the ball on a pass feels far more realistic, with players' balance being much more relevant to how the ball moves than ever before, as well as its spin. This means no more jarring moments when a midfielder struggling to keep on his feet makes a perfect and miraculously perfect through ball. Generally, there's a much better impression of weight on the ball, and players react to that with more dynamic, contextual touches.

Another big improvement is the way crossing works and how players attack the ball in the air, finally making it a useful tool once again. However, the clearest improvement must be the way players take the ball under control. They'll use the whole body now, adjust to dig the ball out from underneath themselves very realistically, and finally take a touch with their upper body if that's the obvious way to take it on (unlike previously) - which does wonders for the fluidity of matches. The big shame of these improvements is that they are slightly dulled by some questionable goalkeeper behaviour. All too often the keepers spill and parry basic shots that should be dealt with, usually at the worst moment, and whether it's a top class keeper or lower league, they tend to be a liability when rushing out, too. Swings and roundabouts!

Elsewhere, it's largely the same story. Konami should be applauded for their continued work adding new club licences. Liverpool and Arsenal are the lucky ones from the Premier League this year, but there's no doubt that playing as a fully licenced team against one that isn't creates a slight disconnect, which may put some football folk off. However, the introduction of a much larger pool of legendary players is a nice addition that helps to alleviate some of these drawbacks. Disappointingly, the Master League hasn't quite received the attention it really deserves, with the online world clearly affecting how much attention it's provided with. This time around, there's a hard mode, and clubs are much more reluctant to sell, and the player's squad is more easily upset and unsettled, making it a greater challenge to hold onto the job. Beyond that, it's the same experience as before.

Online, things don't seem to be any different, and it still seems to take a long time to get a game when compared to FIFA. With that said, quitters are much less common, the general playing standard seems higher, and because PES's gameplay is so gratifying, it's an awful lot of fun, win or lose. The main thing is, unlike the rival brand's online experience, when you lose in PES 2018, it doesn't feel like that's down to someone spamming skill or pace, or just taking advantage of an exploit. In this respect, PES 2018 offers a much more authentic online football experience, if we're talking strictly in terms of the gameplay itself. There's also another PES League this year, an eSport competition where players qualify by playing online, and if ranked highly enough, could progress on to the tournament rounds - but this hasn't exactly been expanded, either, by the looks of things.