First demo-versions of PES 2013 appeared in summer, but unfortunately they were not impressive. The critics were sure, that FIFA 2013 - the eternal competitor of PES - will be the favourite this year. But the full version of PES 2013 surprised not only the fans of the game, but even critics. And now we are sure that new version of famous Japanese football simulator is better than ever!
Before the release date the developers announced the main improvements of the game. As the official site goes, artificial intelligence, behavior of famous football players and control system's abilities were enhanced. Indeed there are no significant new features and options that differ from 2011-s and 2012-s versions, but in general the game became much more realistic and enjoyable. Everyone could evaluate new advantages from demo version. Free download of PES 2013 demo was available on the official site.
The first striking thing is the speed of the game. PES 2013 is slower than earlier, and you will feel the difference after only a few minutes. And it is actually cool for those who fond of real professional football game. Now you have time for your personal tactics, you can control not only the one football player, but also another teammate and you can manage every move of your player. The manual control system is really fantastic - now you can guide the football player from his first touch to the kick, avoiding your opponents and creating thoughtful attacks. The control system is as deep as in arcade fight games - there is an innovation for the football simulator. So if you want to feel yourself on the field, if you really like the art of football, and you enjoy playing on the highest difficulty, then you will find PES 2013 to be brilliant.
But here we have the reverse of the medal - it is rather difficult to play PES 2013 for those who have never played PES or other football simulators. If you are new for the game, you can start with the comprehensive tutorials at the beginning of the game. In fact, we advise everyone to pass these mini-games, because they will help you to feel yourself confident on the field. Also you can choose the easy mode of the game, but it is like driving Porsche at 60 km/h.
The developers promised to improve the first-touch option greatly, but in fact it is only slightly better than before. But we must say that there are no bugs from the previous versions of PES and it is much more enjoyable to use this option. Also the dribbling system became more intelligent and can be fully controlled. Consolidating all these new small features we can say that the control system in general was improved significantly, so PES made a good step to the real football. But physics still separates the game from reality.
The artificial intelligence of your opponents, teammates and especially goalkeepers is noticeably better, and the football players really became smarter. Now they react logically in most cases and run to the appropriate directory. But of course, the occasional bugs are present sometimes. It is interesting, that referees react at random, and in the similar cases they can make the opposite decisions. Well, it is just like in the real football game.
Brand-new Player ID function provides the tricks of famous football players. Now you can easily recognize your favorite player, because his manner is evident in the game. But the appearance of the players didn't change, and only the fans were designed better this time.
In PES 2013 the developers created three modes for comfortable and various gaming process. First one is Performance Training mode, that was returned this year. We have already mentioned about it - Performance Training mode provides mini-tutorials that will help you to understand the maxims of full manual control. Football Life mode, that was firstly released in PES 2012, again consists of Master League and Become a Legend sections. Here we will get new features and options, functions and improvements. You will have a chance to play the role of football coach and find the way to work on team's weaknesses as well as to transfer new strong players to your team. Master League Online mode allows you to create the league with other gamers from your region. In PES 2013 the ranking system for online matches was totally redesigned. Also now you can enjoy the improved synchronization with Facebook.
This video shows interesting features of different gaming modes:
The licenses remain the weak point of PES 2013. This time you will be able to play in South American, Spanish and Portuguese championships, but still from this side PES is worse than FIFA.
In conclusion
It goes without saying that PES 2013 game is not perfect, so the next year the developers will have a chance to please their fans with new interesting features. But this year Japanese football simulator became much more realistic, exciting and fascinating. If you liked the previous versions of this game, then you will be definitely fond of this one. And the main question: which one simulator is better - PES or FIFA remained without an answer. Follow Mount Space - we will try to find the answer in our next review.
The official trailer:
