Pro Evolution Soccer 2014

In many ways it's the same message as last year, then, despite sea-change in a lot of areas: PES 2014 is a methodical sports game with deep systems that reward practice and experimentation; the sort of game that will appeal to people who read Zonal Marking rather than Sun Sport.

While the new engine, based on Kojima Production's FOX Engine, allowed a visual improvement, it also helped us realize that the game's physics are in need of a little renovation. The game modes are basically the same as in previous editions, but the real improvements were made in its core mechanics. Obsessive players are going to be able to control every detail of the game, but newcomers might feel overwhelmed by all the new possibilities that the complex control scheme allows.

The new Fox Engine was able to give new life to Konami's franchise. PES 2014 has deeper and more challenging gameplay than his predecessor, but the lack of licenses, both teams and stadiums, remains its biggest problem.

This is a good restart for the series and we're sure all the fans will appreciate this chapter.

Even with the powerful Fox Engine to sustain this new PES, Konami manages to get to the podium. The gameplay feels great but the constant lack of licenses is an even greater pain this year.

A step forward for the series on the pitch, and provides a great foundation for it to build on going forward. But it feels like it’s only taken one step forward rather than a huge leap.

PES 2014 is a new era in Konami's franchise. Fox Engine offers new options, more realistic visuals and better mechanics, but not polished at all. This is the first step to return to the top of the genre.

The new game engine makes the field play feel infinitely better in this edition of PES. It's a welcome and well needed change for the series. There is also a fair amount of bugs and some strange a.i but in the end PES 2014 is a sports game that is well done.

Smart advances on pitch make the game skillful and extremely rewarding. It's just a shame that a few small niggles haven't been fixed from last year. [Issue#104, p.76]

Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 lacks polish but still has that good, familiar PES feeling. A true football game. [Oct 2013]

PES 2014 is a huge improvement in a franchise with a new engine, which will provide football fans with countless hours of fun. Sadly for everything good Konami has done, if they don’t change their after sales administration, PES will never be top of the League again.

The King is back, as Pro Evo produces the best offline football game to date. It still lacks online, but this was never a game about playing faceless people across the world. Get your mates round and remember the good old days. There is room for improvement, but at long last the future looks bright for the former great.

PES 2014 shows its strengths in the most important places, but ultimately could be more appealing to a wider audience with some polish in the right places. Even so, it's a strong entry in the series that proves there's definitely room for two on the pitch.

True, its slower pace may mean it’s more fun to play as Pirlo than Messi these days, but if PES has lost a little of its former flamboyance, it’s a more robust, complete game as a result.

Its also frustrating that a game that can give so much on the pitch has very little to offer beyond it.

If played locally, PES 2014 is a great soccer game showing that Konami took the right path for its series rebirth. But as you try getting online, countless problems arise making it hardly playable.

It brings a sense of passion and build-up to a football match which EA Sports haven’t captured as of late.

The progression over the years for Pro Evolution Soccer is evident. Just a few years ago this was an arcade game that only collected dust in the corner and watched as many a kid gingerly thumbed through selections around it. Not saying fútbol fans haven’t enjoyed it, as there’s surprisingly quite a following to the title, but it has just taken time for growth and solid improvement. ’14 seems to be the year we’ll look back and say, “Yup, that’s where it turned the corner. Man, I miss that DeLorean.”

The best looking soccer game on the market right now also happens to offer the best experience on the pitch. Missing licenses and less than inspiring singleplayer-modes keeps it grounded though.

With improved physics and an incredible depth in gameplay, PES 2014 is a step in the right direction for Konami. The game still suffers from weak AI, lack of licenses and few innovations in their gameplay modes, but its the closest the series have come in matching PES 6, the highlight of the series.

The moments of fluid football where you feel completely at one with the game are better than FIFA. But all the strides forward in ball control are undone by the game seemingly doing everything it can to take true control away from you, leaving you with the feeling that PES 2014 is more about simulating football than it is about you playing it.