PES 2011 Hands-On Impressions (Asim’s View)
I’m sure most you have read my colleague, Aryel Abrahami’s PES 2011 impressions by now and some of you might have even glanced at my E3 impressions last month. If you did then you will know that I didn’t get much time with the game at E3, two matches to be exact and, for that reason, I craved for a deeper look at the game. Just last week I got to do exactly that at the Konami offices in London and spent over three hours with updated E3 code.
The updates themselves were minimal, mostly to do with menus and the teams that were playable. Still, an extended look allowed me to delve deeper into the game and report back with much more detailed impressions. Is the passing really as good as it seems? Does the new trick system unbalance the game? Was the new addition to the defensive system really needed? The answer to those questions and much more can be found in my impressions, all you have to do is hit the jump!
Visuals/Presentation
With this being a slightly updated version of the code I played at E3, their wasn’t much change in terms of the visuals. That being said, the game still looks fantastic. Player likenesses, the pitch, the stadiums and lighting, all these aspects managed to impress me even more. This will be the best looking football game on the market when it gets released, it is as simple as that really.
The superb broadcast style camera
As I mentioned in my E3 impressions, the animations in PES 2011 are much improved over previous versions but getting more time with game yesterday allowed me to appreciate and take in the sheer magnitude of the improvements Konami have made. Players landing/sliding on their knees after being caught off balance by a challenge, the way a player tumbles after a crunching slide tackle or the way a player delicately cushions a pass to a team-mate, the animations just look so fluid and realistic. The recent trailers released by Konami do a good job of showing these animations but you really need to see them in motion as you’re playing to truly appreciate them. There is the occasional twitch or jerk here and there during certain situations but I fully expect these minor issues to be ironed out in time for the games release sometime in October. Animations have been a huge complaint over the last few years, with PES 2011 Konami seem to have well and truly (finally) thrown that out of the window.
Presentation wise, the menus are super slick and user friendly. Unlike some games, there is no need to stroll through different menus to get to the option your looking for. The thing that I love (putting it lightly) about the presentation is the broadcast feel, it’s superbly done. Much has been said about the camera during match (it is really good) but I think not enough credit has been given to the replays/highlights. I literally wanted to watch every replay/highlight during every single match me and Aryel played yesterday, even if it was a goal scored against me! They just look incredible, enhancing an already great looking game. Oh and the hint of motion blur just adds to the visual fidelity even more.
Passing
When I played PES 2011 at E3 it took me a while to get used to the new passing system and as I had been playing the 2010 FIFA World Cup game quite regularly (reliving actual World Cup matches!), I had to get to grips with it once again. This might sound like a chore but in reality learning the fantastic passing system in PES 2011 is actually fun, a “challenge” the “hardcore” fans in particular will relish.
Pirlo doing his thing in PES 2011
Anyone who played PES back in the PS2 days will know when moving from one PES to another you initially experience something I like to call the “what have they done?!” period. It’s where you have to forget about certain things you have learnt in the previous game and get to grips with the nuances of the new one. When you eventually do, everything just comes to you naturally. Remember that? Well, that is the best way to describe the learning period in relation to this incredible new passing system.
I think Aryel got it spot on in his impressions when he said, “just think of what you would do with your feet and do it with your fingers”. You have a certain amount of control in regards to which direction the ball eventually goes but the real freedom is attached to the power and weight of a pass. Barcelona weren’t actually playable in the code we played but you know those slick passing moves they are known for? Well, using the new passing system in PES 2011 it is entirely possible for players to mimic what pass masters such as Xavi and Iniesta are so well known for. A gently cushioned lay off to an incoming midfielder or a defense cutting reverse through pass, they are all possible in PES 2011. Infact, once you get used to the passing system you might not even need to use the standard through pass button. If you direct and weight a “normal” pass correctly, that can become your (very lethal) through pass instead. I actually managed to pull a couple of these off in one match where I was Holland using (you guessed it) Wesley Sneijder. I didn’t end up scoring (need to work on my finishing!) but the passes were just sublime.
Shooting
There’s not really much to say about the shooting, as to me, it just seemed slightly tweaked compared to previous versions. That is no bad thing though, as I have never had much of a problem or issue with the shooting mechanics in recent PES games (apart from 2008 maybe). The shooting has always had a much more satisfying feel to it in PES, something which FIFA has yet to fully replicate I think.
The one thing that both me and Aryel noticed was that even most of the standard shots (without using R2) also seemed to have a little bit of swerve and curl added to them. We also agreed that is was quite realistic. Think about it, how many times in a real football match does a shot go in a straight line?! Even the shots that are thrashed from 20-25 yards have a certain amount of swerve or curl on them. I’m not talking Silvinho against Chelsea amount of swerve, more like Essien against Arsenal.
The shooting in PES 2011 is as satisfying as ever
Defending
Much has been made about the new “back off/hold up” feature that has been implemented as part of the defensive system in PES 2011 and, let me tell you, I was a bit unsure when I first heard about it but after using it extensively, I can now say it is a very good addition. On various occasions during my matches against Aryel I found my defense to be in a spot of bother (damn my attacking nature!) but this new addition got me out of trouble. It’s all about backing off and holding up the opposition at the right time. Short of players and on the back foot during an opposition attack? It would probably be beneficial to hold play up so your players can get back and help you defend properly. In a one-on-one scenario with Messi running at you?! It’s probably a good time to back off and pick the right moment to make a challenge rather than dive in like a maniac. There is a element of risk and reward in relation to this new addition but that is exactly how defending in real football is. Just ask John Terry!
Apart from the new addition mentioned above, what really impressed me was the defensive AI of my team-mates. In PES 2011 it really does feel like your team defends like a unit. Obviously you need to set your team up to achieve such organisation (more on that in the “Game Plan” section) but seeing it come off in an actual match is just great. The stand-out moment that summed up this vast improvement was when I was playing as Manchester United and Vidic (having one of those days) missed a header, allowing the opposition to get on the front foot. Now usually in a football game you would have to hammer the change player button multiple times to get to the right player so he could provide some cover, not the case in PES 2011. As soon as that happened, Fletcher (as he probably would do in a real football match) sensed the danger and came running over to cover Vidic. Needless to say after gaining control of the Scotsman, I managed to get the ball back and the moment of danger passed. At first I thought this was just random moment of defensive genius but in another match where I was playing as Inter Milan, Cambiasso did the exact same thing.
Feints/Tricks
Personally, I’m not really a person who would probably use the feint/trick system in PES 2011 extensively but that’s not to say that it won’t or doesn’t have its uses. To ease a certain amount of trepidation towards this system, you won’t get much success if you try to pull tricks every few seconds. You will need to use them in the right situation to get the best results. Just like Aryel, I can only recall one situation where I properly managed to get past his defenders by linking feints. A couple of step-overs combined with a lovely flip flap, leaving his defender grabbing at thin air. The majority of other situations where we both tried to pull off and link tricks ended up with the defender winning out. You really do need to think about what you’re doing with these tricks and, as I mentioned previously, apply them at the right time.
Game Plan, how have we ever lived without it?!
Set Pieces
As far as I can tell there seems to be no real change in terms of the set pieces when compared to PES 2010. The corners seem to be slightly tweaked, making it a little harder to score from them but apart from that Konami have stuck with the solid set piece template they have always had. The inclusion of the new power bar makes taking free kicks a little “difficult” at first but once you get familiar with it, you shouldn’t have much trouble. I’m not that great at free kicks when it comes to PES but even I managed a decent hit (with some swerve) from around 35 yards out which the goalkeeper tipped over.
Game Plan
Outside of the actual gameplay, this is (without any doubt whatsoever) my favourite feature in PES 2011. It captures the essence of what made PES the real football fans game of choice many years ago. For those of you in the UK that watch Sky Sports or manage to catch their Premier League coverage around world, it is like you are Andy Gray and you have access to your own little tactics machine. It is as simple or as deep as you want it to be. You can drag and drop players wherever you wish to create your ideal formation and strategy or if you don’t want to bother with that, you can just choose your preferred style of play (attacking, balanced or defensive) and get on with the match.
Every option is available right in front of your eyes, meaning you no longer have to trawl through many different menus to get that tactical or strategic option you were looking for. The sheer amount of customisation on offer is just baffling. I can say with some confidence that the “hardcore” PES players and football fans in general will just adore this new feature.
Goalkeepers
As Aryel pointed out in his impressions, the goalkeepers in this post E3 build of PES 2011 are not quite fully functional yet so as a result they made a few errors, like letting random easy to save shots fly in the back of the net. In fact in our first match, Aryel hit a random shot from about 25 yards out and my goalkeeper just watched the ball go past him. It was clear to see that the AI that governs the goalkeepers was not fully in place yet and we were assured that this is an aspect that is still being worked on by the folks at Konami.
Realistic jostling for the ball in PES 2011
Saying that though, the goalkeepers were not totally inadequate and did make a few rather impressive saves too. One in particular stands out and it was my goalkeeper that managed to pull it off, Romero of Argentina if I remember correctly. The save came as a result of a cross put into the box by Aryel and one his players powering a header towards goal. Now, the header was going to go in just underneath the crossbar and slightly to left of the goalkeeper but somehow he managed to pull off a fantastic save, tipping the ball over the crossbar in the process. Remember the Lampard goal that wasn’t given against Germany in the World Cup? Well, if you can recall how Neuer jumped to try and save that shot, that is how Romero jumped to save the header during our match.
Summary
After my E3 hands-on with PES 2011 I stated that this could be the year that PES returns. Even though I only played two matches, there was a certain quality about the game that stood out. I needed more time with the game though, to form a detailed opinion and be truly certain. Well, after spending over three hours with updated E3 code last week, I can now say with some confidence PES is back.
Sure, the goalkeepers need some work (fully expect this issue to be sorted by the next build) and some extra polish in certain areas wouldn’t hurt but at it’s core (even at this stage) PES 2011 captures what made PES so popular all those years ago when it was first released on the PlayStation 2. This is the year PES, finally, comes to the “next-gen” party. A “fashionably” late entrance, but it will do.
