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The graphics and controls in this new soccer game will leave you breathless as you play

The graphics and controls in this new soccer game will leave you breathless as you play

Vote: (33 votes)

Program license: Paid

Developer: Konami Digital Entertainment Co. Ltd.

Version: 1.0

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(33 votes)

Paid

Developer

Version

Konami Digital Entertainment Co. Ltd.

1.0

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • Slowed pace improves your sense of immersion and the overall feel of the game.
  • Offensive systems have been improved and make the game even sharper and more fun.
  • Highly responsive players do exactly what you tell them to do, regardless of if you are playing on a console or a phone.
  • Wide array of ways to play that will leave any player satisfied.

Cons

  • The game lack's many standard soccer licenses, dramatically hurting its realism and the player's sense of immersion.
  • Some aspects of the game's systems - like defense - remain a challenge.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 is the 2018 version of the popular soccer franchise. Like it's previous versions, the 2018 update comes with a variety of new features, updated player statistics, graphical upgrades, and more.

To the game's credit, it made numerous improvements on previous versions. For starters, and most crucially, is that the pace of the game is slowed. This may not sound like a good thing, but prior iterations of Pro Evolution Soccer were criticized for moving too quickly. This hurt the game's sense of realism and made players feel like they were playing a generic video game, rather than a true to life soccer game. In Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, the pace is slowed, forcing players to put more thought into their dribbling, passing, and shooting. This requires that players think more like a football player and less like a gamer.

However, every sports game has to strive for realism, and licenses allowing the use of teams, leagues, and players are required to achieve this. Unfortunately, Pro Evolution Soccer misses here. It only obtained licenses for Italian and French leagues. That means that major leagues and all of their players, like the Premier League, are absent. This forces the use of made-up teams to fill in the gap, and when this happens, you have a major problem. Everyone who has played sports games for a couple of decades remembers games of the 80s and 90s when you would play as the "Boston" team, using players named "Bopper." These made-up names always reminded you that you were playing a video game instead of a simulation.

Players are highly responsive on offense. Special moves and dribbling can be learned depending on the player, and passes are simply gorgeous to watch and execute. Animations sharply follow the type of pass, and how your player kicks the ball will, in fact, alter the ball's direction.

It doesn't stop there. Better AI allows for better positioning by your players, and this greatly enhances a spectacular offensive system. Furthermore, a variety of systems have been revamped to allow you more control over your attacking strategy, determining your overall positioning and aggressiveness.

However, when it comes to defense, the state of play remains a challenge. Reviewers specifically noted that defense and tackling could be slow. This is a regular complaint in many soccer games, and unfortunately, Pro Evolution Soccer falls victim to this issue, failing to find a meaningful way of making the defensive play interesting, engaging or immersive.

From a graphical perspective, there are real improvements. A variety of customized animations have been adapted, making the game feel even more true to real life. Players will trip over the ball when tackled, and this, in turn, will alter the ball's direction and what happens next. Some animations remain a challenge, and the goalkeeper in particular was singled out as still acting like a video game character, rather than a real goalie.

However, again, Pro Evolution Soccer is lacking in many areas that it rivals excel in. The in-game commentary system doesn't sound organic at all, the crowd looks fake and in-game dialogue gets old, fast.

Thankfully, when it comes to modes, there are no shortages of ways to play. Online, full season, exhibition, Master Team mode - Pro Evolution Soccer has it all. No matter how you like to play soccer, you will find a way to play and enjoy it.

The game was available on all major gaming consoles (except for the Switch) including iOS and Android. Future editions have since come out.

Pros

  • Slowed pace improves your sense of immersion and the overall feel of the game.
  • Offensive systems have been improved and make the game even sharper and more fun.
  • Highly responsive players do exactly what you tell them to do, regardless of if you are playing on a console or a phone.
  • Wide array of ways to play that will leave any player satisfied.

Cons

  • The game lack's many standard soccer licenses, dramatically hurting its realism and the player's sense of immersion.
  • Some aspects of the game's systems - like defense - remain a challenge.