Home

 › 

Articles

 › 

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 Review for PC

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 Review for PC

The Beautiful Game

With the release of the latest entry in the Pro Evolution Soccer series, Konami aims to improve on what was already an excellent representation of one of the world’s most popular sports. Have they succeeded? In a word, yes. In a thousand words or so, here’s why.

Instead of reinventing the wheel with PES 2013, Konami decided on improving their simulator in just a few key areas, picking and choosing from feedback from the series’ fans. The company implemented a new Dynamic First Touch system that allows a player to choose how to take a pass. The options for forward movement are absolutely silly, though in a good way. Executing them effectively will take a bit of practice but once you’ve nailed the timing, you’ll never want to go back.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 Screenshot

There are also some subtle changes to how dribbling is executed. Players can choose to dribble down the field using just the left analog stick. Fancy touches can be pulled off by using the right analog stick (basically controlling the ball) in conjunction with the left analog stick (controlling the player’s body). Here again, the timing required to successfully dribble around an opponent or through an opposing player’s legs is extremely precise. As a result, pulling off one of these moves is deeply satisfying.

PES 2013’s AI-controlled players have also been given a dose of individuality, changing their behavior on the field to reflect their real-world counterparts to a tee. The play on the pitch is always dynamic, evolving, and highly engaging. Normally this sort of thing would only affect offensive play. Run down the field > pass to Ronaldo > rinse > repeat. Not here. The way the game is shaped at both ends of field forces players to make constant adjustments, making the bits of gameplay between goal celebration cutscenes some of the best football I’ve seen in a video game, regardless of whether I was winning or losing.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 Screenshot

Goalkeepers get quite a bit of attention too. In PES 2012 it wasn’t uncommon to see a goalkeeper make a spectacular save only to pass the ball directly to an opposing striker, who would happily place the ball in the back of the net. Now not only do they avoid stupidly embarrassing passes, but they also benefit from individual styles of play.

There are also a few small changes to the career mode, Football Life. Players can choose to either play through the career of an athlete or as the manager of a football club. Options for customization here are almost limitless. There are over 110 different goal celebration animations that a player can choose from. It’s a bit ridiculous, again in a good way. There are also items that can be used to make training more effective or boost your stats, enabling quick solutions for shortcomings. You’ll even earn nicknames depending on where you are and how you play, adding a Pokémon-style metagame to the career mode.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 Screenshot

Visually, there isn’t much difference between last year’s game and this year’s. There were a few points where 2012 would stutter and 2013 doesn’t, but overall it’s business as usual. That’s not to say that PES is ugly, though. Far from it. Match presentation is unrivaled as far as I’m concerned. There isn’t another football sim that presents the action on the field in such a “televised” manner. The replays are just that much more believable than anything else on the market. It doesn’t seem like it would make a huge difference but it goes a long way to maintaining the illusion that you’re watching an actual match and not a virtual representation of one. Konami’s attention to detail has a lot to do with this. Things like player animation and stadium detail reveal much about their intent.

It’s much the same with the game’s audio. Though PES 2013 does have a greatly improved soundtrack when compared with last year’s game, there’s not much different in terms of effects. However, what changes have been made are adequate. Jim Beglin, Jon Champion, and the like recorded a few new lines for good measure and it seems the sounds on the field have been toned down significantly. The crowd seems a bit more alive now as well, responding at a moment’s notice to the changes on the field.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 Screenshot

What’s interesting about all of these additions is that on the whole they haven’t convinced me that this is an all-new game. That’s not to say that PES 2013 is bad. It isn’t. It’s easily the best football sim that I’ve ever played. But it isn’t leaps and bounds ahead of PES 2012. It’s Konami’s own fault, too. They set out to make the best football sim every time they release an entry in the series and for the most part they succeed, as they have here.

Even so, partway through my time with the review I was struggling to see the differences here. They’re there but they’re for the enthusiast, the player that simply has to have the latest version of Winning Eleven. These people don’t need convincing. They’ve had they’re pre-orders lined up for quite some time. It’s down to Konami to convince the rest of the gaming population to part with their cash. Here, I don’t think that they’ve done that.

For everyone that absolutely needs to have the latest game from their favorite series, here it is. You don’t need convincing. If you haven’t played a Pro Evolution game since 2011 pick this one up. It’s different enough to be worth it. Those who take the plunge will find a wealth of options to choose from, extreme attention to detail, and what is arguably the best simulation soccer in the industry. Everyone else should probably wait to see what Konami has planned for next generation.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.0 Graphics
The televised match presentation is perfect. There’s not much different, though. 3.5 Control
Difficult to learn, but a joy to execute. 3.7 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
A fairly good soundtrack with good sound effects. 3.8 Play Value
If you love it, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy. 4.0 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • Total Freedom of Control: Pro Evolution Soccer introduced the concept of freedom of movement. The new ‘PES FC’ in Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 goes further with total freedom over ball control.
  • Dynamic First Touch: Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 introduces subtle ways to receive the ball, from traps, gently lifting it past an attacker to run on to or a variety of other moves. First touch is everything and players can trap the ball using the R2 button, killing the speed of a well-hit pass and bringing it instantly under control, or using the momentum of the pass to turn a defender.
  • Full Manual Shooting and Full Manual Passing: Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 offers fully manual passing and for the first time ever, manual shooting, allowing users to determine the height and power of each. Long low passes can be sent skimming across the pitch, while shooting the user has total control over where the shot is placed. Skill and precision are needed to master these, but passes can be made into open areas, allowing lone strikers to thrive, while offering an unrivalled variety in ways to score.
  • Dribbling: The speed with which a player moves with the ball has been slowed in line with real matches, but using R2 allows players to add various styles to their close control. Players can vary the speed of their dribbling, and cushion the ball as they move freely within a 360-degree circle. The new system allows players to knock a ball past a player and collect it, nutmeg them, or hold up play by shielding the ball as team mates find space and make runs.
  • Goalkeepers: Even the game’s keepers benefit from more control, while their distribution is more precise thanks to the addition of a power gauge when they throw the ball, creating opportunities for new, quicker counter attacks.
  • Player Individuality: The very best players in Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 will be instantly recognizable via signature attributes, skills and tricks that bring them to life. The way they run, turn, trap and move the ball, shape to shoot and even celebrate will be noticeably different during play.

  • To top