long, and are likely to abandon the
mode through net-minder frustrations.
Strong as it is on the pitch, PES
doesn’t have it all its own way when
compared to FIFA. Take MyClub, the
series’ answer to FIFA’s Ultimate Team.
There’s enjoyment to be had with this
mix of card-collecting and match-
playing, but while Ultimate Team’s
daily Squad Building Challenges tempt
you back constantly, MyClub lacks that
unmissable, signing-in-at-2am draw.
Commentary remains shambolic, too.
Konami’s clumsy attempts in this field
were endearing in the early ’00s, but
now they fall unacceptably short of
the pro sports atmosphere for which
contemporaries strive.
Division subtraction
Licences also have to be considered.
Earlier, we mentioned playing PES
the ‘purists’ way’, and those who
do so may baulk at authentic strips
being used to judge the superior
football game. Yet comparative sales
figures over the past 18 years confirm
that these details matter. Fair play
to Konami for its exclusive deal to
feature Juventus in PES 2020 – a
move which means Ronaldo’s men
are rechristened ‘Piemonte Calcio’ in
FIFA 20 – but ‘Manchester B’ vs ‘Aston
RB’ is nonetheless an immersion killer.
In this particular area the two games
remain, in the most literal sense
possible, leagues apart.
That change in name is an odd
one, too. The ‘e’ in ‘eFootball’ is
an attempt to ramp up Pro Evo’s
online appeal. So now we have
Matchday mode, where games played
representing your real-life side count
towards a global scoreboard, and
a commitment to improving server
robustness. It’s too early to say
whether either are successes. Early
‘Matchday’ windows have only lasted
four hours per day, and while we’ve
not been troubled by slowdown in
online games, it’ll take weeks to
conclusively describe them as ‘fixed’.All of which leaves PES 2020 in
a curious place to kick off the new
season. If it were a Premier League
club, it’d be Everton: for the most part
entertaining, and living off past glories
to a degree, but overall giving you
the sense that serious trophy hopes
are a season or two away. That won’t
put off devotees, just as Goodison
Park remains sold out on a fortnightly
basis. Yet you can’t help but feel
like its richer on-pitch rival is going
to perform more consistently in the
critical months ahead. QOLD FACES
Recent seasons have
seen a new type of
arms race develop on
the footballing front.
With both games
limited by the number
of active pro teams,
those holding the
purse strings have
looked to the past.
Capturing the rights of
retired footballers has
become big business.
Pro Evo boasts a
half-century of these
footy legends in
MyClub, some of
whom are exclusive
to Konami’s football
simulator: Andrey
Arshavin, Gabriel
Batistuta,
and – arguably the
biggest catch in
either game –
David Beckham.“You’re
constantly able
to take note
of team-mate
movement”
LEFT Replays are
relentless to
the point of
occasionally
being an
annoyance.
BELOW Master
League manager
likenesses are
pretty
impressive.OXM VERDICT
Konami’s gradual
return to form
takes another
welcome stride
forwards.8
FAR LEFT Often
thought as the
‘thinking man’s
FIFA’, PES still
offers up
spectacle.More Xbox news at gamesradar.com/oxm THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE 085