PES 2012 - Preview

We find ourselves in the middle of the PES revolution. Rewind 12 months, and you would see PES 2011 demanding that you re-learn everything you know. It was the same game that we're used to yet, at the same time, was entirely different. Some loved this new direction, others hated it – I, personally, reside in the former, with the caveat that, whilst the changes in PES 2011 were good (and needed) – it had a lot of work to be done before it could be classed as great.

Also, those that have followed my thoughts over the last 12 months will have seen my scribbling that PES 2012 would need to ditch the annual cycle of unnecessarily-complex overhauls and reinvention, and instead opt for a more streamlined approach – a process of improvement and refinement, with a particular focus on enhancing the most important element: gameplay.

As you're no doubt aware by now, this is exactly what Konami have done. Which leads us to ask the inevitable: Has it paid off? Will PES 2012 finally give us a great game of football?



AI/Gameplay

Konami have been shouting from the rooftops, claiming that the gameplay advancements in PES 2012 will more-than-prove that last year's rebirth was the right decision. Despite this, the sceptics amongst us would have looked at the recent gameplay videos and assumed that the footage was cherry picked to show the AI improvements at their best, myself included, but that's certainly not the case.

When you play it, you instantly find yourself with options on the pitch – players are constantly moving around you, trying to create space and often make those incisive “diagonal runs” that we've heard so much about. The overlaps are obvious – but it isn't just the fullbacks, you notice your midfielders constantly trying to pull the defence apart in order to create vital passing and scoring opportunities. This is a world away from what has gone before it – and even though I still like PES 2011, placing it next to PES 2012 makes it look like it severely lacks invention, and all that credit should go to the team in Japan and the efforts that they have put into the new game.

To pull that back in – you aren't always being given gilt-edged chances, but your teammates are actively trying to manufacture attacking plays and that is something that has been missing from PES for a while. Obviously, as the player, you want to be the decision maker, the one that runs the game but to do that you need your team to assist you, to be creative and present you with options – and it's impressive to see just how well they do that in PES 2012.

There's also a raft of improvements that when isolated seem relatively small, but when put together increase playability tenfold. Player responsiveness, for example, is so much faster – you have more control over your movements, allowing you to turn with pace and precision, perfect for those that like to move with the ball in the midfield. This was most prominent when playing against The Boss, I felt that I had more freedom to move with the ball – and turn a man, rather than just resorting to systematically passing past him a la PES 2011.

Allied to that, reduced animation lengths (multiple frames have been cut from animations making them quicker and link more realistically) and less instances of player unresponsiveness mean that you can shrug off challenges, or even stumble, but remain in control of your player, rather than being locked in a lengthy animation and end up losing possession. This was obvious from the offset – being a Manchester United fan I chose the reds for my first game and was instantly energized when Rafael made a surging run from the back, rode a dodgy tackle from Tottenham's Huddlestone and regained composure to pick out Valencia on the wing. I didn't score from the move – but seeing play flow with a greater degree of realism was just as rewarding as finding the net. Obviously, the magic of this sort of thing will hardly be noticed after a week or two, but PES players will undoubtedly appreciate it the first time they see it.

PES 2012 also promises that you will be able to impact on the gameplay like never before with the brand new 'Teammate Controls' – meaning you can, whilst controlling your own player, directly influence the behaviour of a teammate. There are two options: Assisted and Manual. Assisted asks that you choose a second player, then once selected the AI sends him on a run into space, whilst Manual requires that you control the run yourself with your right stick (and still control your player with the left stick).

The true value of this function will only become obvious over time, but it's definitely a great addition. Admittedly, I found the Manual Teammate Controls a little too complicated – controlling two different runs, in two separate directions, at the same time would probably work better if I could move my eyes independently (or at least use my peripheral vision more effectively). That said, with time and practice I don't doubt that the best gamers would be able to make this work for them – and the benefits for doing so are obvious. I, on the other hand, will happily settle for the Assisted Controls. A flick and a press of the right stick sends a man running – simple yet effective, and as well as creating direct scoring opportunities, it can be used to draw defenders out of position to open up extra space for the man in possession to have an open shot.

Passing has been tweaked too – though it's easy to miss it with everything going on around you. The biggest annoyance, for me, on PES 2011 when it came to playing in a Barcelona fashion (passing the ball around in midfield) was that I occasionally found it hard to stroke the ball to a man a yard or two away from me, often watching on in frustration as I rifled it past him instead. I didn't see that happen once on 2012. Also, if you're the type of player that'd like some assistance when it comes to passing – you've now got a slider that determines how strong the helping hand of the AI will be. Push it up full for a lot of support when placing passes, or tone it down to have the full freedom of choosing power and direction yourself.

I mentioned earlier that the freedom to move with the ball is greater – and that's directly proportionate to the freedom to pass it. Both I and The Boss had sessions of one touch football, creating glorious passing triangles – followed by sessions that saw us embark on close-quarters twists and turns that inevitably lead to panicked last ditch slides, all within the same match. It's somewhat cliche to put it this way – but you have been given a little more permission to play exactly how you'd like to.

So, you can pass better – and you can run with the ball? Surely that's setting up a game of goal-fests? In a word: No. The team in possession aren't the only ones that have benefited from a boost in intelligence – defenders move also move a lot more proactively, with increased awareness of the dangers around them. I'm not sure whether I'm alone in this – but on 2011, when stretched on the flanks of my defence, I found it safer to control a Centre Back in the middle and use the AI to pressure with a Full Back, purely because as I had more belief in my central defensive positioning. This wasn't the case in the play-test – I found that I was controlling the hounding and hassling on the wing as I had more confidence in my central defence.

In general, I found it harder to defend – the increased freedom in player movement obviously amplifies evasiveness. To use a word, I found dribblers a little more “slippery”. I'd get near the man only for him to find ways to slide past me, but I'd confidently put that down to inexperience on the newer version – as I would the number of fouls I made too. The referee seemed suitably balanced – and yes, he did call for more fouls than I'm used to, but they all seemed to be the right decisions. The fact that a man can skip out of a challenge means that if you slide, you need to be sure. I obviously need to work on my sliding technique in 2012, but on the flip side – I wasn't penalised for any aggressive slides where I took the ball cleanly. The AI wasn't afraid to go in for a challenge too – or lunge to put a block in, which as you'd expect will lead to more cards for the opposition. A straight red was given for a nasty foul on my winger just 6 minutes into one game, and I also had a couple of penalties for mistimed challenges in the box.

There is a key area that has been worked on for both attack and defence – and that is one-on-ones. However, I got very little experience with this so can't comment fully at this point, other than to say if it adds any more excitement to player movements and defensive timing/positioning to that already contained then it can only be a good thing. This is something that I'll look at in more detail in future.

Other elements of gameplay that I'll refrain from commenting on with such conviction, simply because they need to be viewed over longer periods of time, are things like the AI's desire to win. I had instances where I was controlling the game, flying 2-0 up, only to be lucky to still be in the tie going in to extra time and penalties. Also, I found that I was beaten more regularly via the use of skills and feints – with a quick inside-bounce or stepover wrong-footing my defender on a number of occasions.

There is still work that needs to be done on the pitch and, after all the efforts gone into creating a more free-flowing game in the midfield, it seems to be mainly in the final third. Shot selection is a little baffling at times, and efforts on goal are occasionally a touch too weak meaning that you can carve a team open with realistic moments of brilliance, but finish with a powder-puff effort – where you'd ideally be looking for a daisy cutter.

Looking at it optimistically, the shooting is balanced by the keepers – who seemed solid at first, but after more play time it became evident that they chose to parry a number of shots when they should have opted to catch. They did have greater responses generally, managing to get firm hands on more strikes and getting back up on their feet much quicker – ready for double and even triple saves, but also caused more corners than was necessary by tipping tame shots wide, or over the crossbar. They do have moments of brilliance, and they have it in their arsenal to leap and punch shots clear with a strong fist, with such purpose that even David Seaman would be proud, but in general they need a little more work before release, as does shooting.

Finally, there was also couple of animations that caught my attention, for the wrong reasons: Firstly, when I sent in a low shot with little power (or it had a deflection and had started rolling) I expected the keeper to drop onto it, instead he jumped over it and lifted his arms up to his head as if he was held at gun point (this happened twice, with two very different quality keepers). Secondly, I saw Berbatov perform an 'improvised' overhead kick on goal which looked great – but after that it occurred nearly almost once per game, and was also used as a defensive clearance, and to pass to a team mate. It works as a rare instinctive shot – but it was used too frequently, and in the wrong scenarios.



Aesthetics

The game looks largely similar, which isn't a bad thing – PES 2011 looked great visually, and this remains the same in PES 2012, save the addition of a few new camera angles. As well as the normal Wide Camera, you have the option to choose between: Blimp (higher elevated, sees more of the pitch), Pitch Side (Lower, but harder to judge ball trajectories), Vertical Wide (end to end), Mid range, long range (same types of angle as wide but different levels of zoom) and Live Broadcast – which, as the name suggests, changes view depending on placement on the pitch (like you would expect to see on a televised match), a nice touch but almost impossible to play in.

The menu system is almost identical – but the Messi-rich backgrounds have been changed for a looped video, currently displaying the E3 trailer, and the “rotating squares” that show when you hover over a menu item have been replaced by what can only be described as a revolving camera lens. You're also asked to create an Avatar when you first turn it on – a face that you build to represent yourself/your user profile, but the significance of this remains unknown. It could be a visual tool only – or it could link in with some game modes – at this moment in time it's anybody's guess. This is completely my own thinking, but it'd be nice to see my avatar used as the face of the manager in ML or the Legend in BAL etc.

As you'd expect, the audio hasn't really changed much at this point – the music used was just a selection of generic Konami tracks. That said, commentary has been added to slightly, with a few new sayings spread out amongst Jim Beglin and John Champion's previous vocabulary. The only criticism is that some of the new phrases were lengthy – and didn't have time to finish before they were interrupted (Beglin talks of Bayern Munich's Bavarian fans and the team having the colours of the state on their badge, which is great to hear but too much for one sound-bite).

Editing/Teams/Leagues/Stadiums

There are some nice additions to the game – and also some secrets yet to be revealed. The main thing you notice at first glance is the inclusion of “Portugal League” to the team selection screens, which means another league of teams to choose from – though only Porto, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon were licensed.

The English league is pretty similar, with Manchester United and Tottenham still licensed at this point. There are one or two small emblem changes for the other teams in the English league, though the names remain the same as those that we saw last year – except for the addition of Northluck C., North West London and Swearcle.

Liga BBV is now fully licensed, alongside Ligue 1 and Eredivisie, and there is also an unofficial Italian League as well as PES League, D2 League, Other European Teams, and Other Latin American Teams. These remain essentially the same, save the obvious changes over last season – with the exception that there are still spaces for 8 new teams to be added to Other European Teams (teams named “New_Licence_1” through to “New_Licence_8” are scattered around the league).

Editing seems to be wholly similar – save a few new layer styles within the kit editing sections, and a selection of hairstyles complete with glasses in player editing. League structure looks to be exactly the same system as the one found in PES 2011, as does team editing, which allows for a total of 51 emblem spaces.

The number of stadiums seems to be roughly the same – with the inclusion of 2 new stadiums called “Burg” and “Royal London”. There are 14 existing stadiums editable in stadium edit mode, which itself has seen little change – save the inclusion of more “bowl” type stadiums, as opposed to isolated stands.

Player stats look similar, though they have changed the name of a few elements: Free Kicks has been renamed “Place Kicking” whilst “Ball Control” and “Explosive Power” find their way in to list at the expense of others. On a similar note, the player skills index is largely the same – save the inclusion of a new card called “Long Range Drive”, which is different from the existing “Long Ranger” Star Card, and is described as: “enables wicked dipping shots which are troublesome for keepers”.



Miscellaneous

The most obvious, and curiosity building, element is the inclusion of a greyed out “Football Life” icon on the main menu. The icon itself looks similar to the one used for last year's Master League – but is located in the menu in place of both Master League and Become A Legend, which were absent in our code. As the option was greyed out I couldn't find out if Football Life just a folder name for the two career modes, a direct replacement for one (or both) or something new altogether, although hints elsewhere suggest the latter.

The Extra content section has the usual array of new hairstyles, balls, stadium parts, sounds and classic teams – but hidden away in Mode Expansion Kits it shows that you can purchase items to help with Master League and Become A Legend (more money, easier to sign or be signed etc) but there's also an expansion kit called “Club Boss” which is used solely in Football Life? Make of that what you will.

The Extra Content also housed new “Physiques” such as 80 Keegan-esque short-shorts and collars, and a “General” section which contained one small, but significant item: The Super Star difficulty setting which finally makes a return. I found it hard enough playing on Professional and Top Player – the AI really is that good, so I can see this setting separating the World Class from the greats. It's a smart addition from Konami – people have been crying out for a real test, and it's sure to prolong the shelf-life of PES 2012. I, for one, can't wait to get annihilated by it match after match until.

Another item that has found its way back from the wilderness is the cult-favourite “Training Challenge”, which adds, as the name suggests, a specific set of challenges to the existing training scenarios – as has Penalties. Obviously, penalties were always present – but we see a return to the front-of-goal camera view for all penalties (not just shoot outs) with a more instinctive shooting system in place of the complex setup in 2011.

Subtle changes are ever-present, and you'll no doubt be picking up on them weeks into playing the PES 2012. New camera shots – such as the rotating, over-head view I saw at kick off in a Champions League match, and the attention-focussing glide towards goal at the start of a penalty shoot out give a renewed, refreshed quality to the game – as well as a touch of 'broadcasting' feel. Add to this the new continuous play elements, such as designated free-kickers running in to take a set piece if you opt for a change (rather than black screens), and players jogging over to pick up a ball when it rolls out for a throw in (when available), as well as managers on the touch-line, and camera men/cleaners on the pitch, post-game, and you get a real sense that this game is engineered towards giving a realistic feel.


Conclusion

I was impressed when I saw PES 2011 because of how drastically different it was from the year before, and how obvious it was that a vast amount of effort had gone into it. PES 2012 carries the same potential to impress, more even, but does so in a subtle, quietly-confident manner. The advances are where it is needed – in the game, on the pitch, in the passing and the moving. Obviously there is more that we're still to hear about in terms of game modes, but for me the excitement lies in just playing a few more games. I can't stress enough how much of a difference has been made from what is essentially a large scale project of air-brushing. I knew PES 2011 needed refining, rather than re-evolving – and I'd be genuinely surprised if PES 2012 doesn't make you agree with that statement.

What's even more impressive is that the majority of flaws that I've noted in this article have already been noted and looked at. We passed a list of our thoughts over to WEP in Japan immediately after the test and they gave us some very reassuring responses which were, in summary:

• Keepers already parry less often and the animation that sees them dive over low balls has been fixed – as have other bugs that have become apparent to the team.
• Shooting is still being worked on.
• The improvised overhead kick has already been toned down.
• Replays in the preview code, like PES 2011, often missed the action – but the camera work to follow the ball has been improved in the next code of PES 2012.

Coming back to my original question: Will PES2012 finally give us a great game of football?

The answer looks positive. PES 2012 has already taken pushed PES 2011 way further than I was expecting – your teammates seem to think like footballers, not aspects of a rule driven game. Now, if the action in the final third of the pitch can just match up to that in the middle of the pitch, and the sounds coming from Japan suggest that it can, then this really could surprise some people.

I'm not going to say PES is finally getting back to where it was – simply because we're looking at evolution: we should look at where we can go, not what we have been. But, I will say that those who questioned the direction the PES was taking after PES 2011 might just get the answers they were looking for in PES 2012.