PES 2018 review: Refinement, not revolution

The latest addition to the PES series doubles down on what already works and plays it safe elsewhere.

Given how long there have been two major soccer video game franchises, it would be hard to imagine there are many sports gamers left out there who don’t have a preference. The good news if you’re already a PES fan is that PES 2018 delivers more of what you enjoy, looking prettier than ever and with small gameplay refinements thrown in.

If you’re not in the Konami camp, though, it’s hard to see what would convince you to switch.

What’s new

Considering that the series already has a well-earned reputation for substance over style — one it nearly gave away a few years ago before a nice recovery — it makes perfect sense that PES 2018 doesn’t upset the apple cart too much in terms of gameplay. Konami says that there’s a more realistic pace of play, but it was already ahead of its main competitor in that regard. Soccer feels more like the real thing here, for all that implies.

One of the real joys is how it’s possible to make all kinds of tactics and strategies work. Fancy keeping possession and stringing together short passes? You can do that with gusto. Like to get out wide and throw crosses into the box? That’s a viable way to attack as well.

PES games have also long made their controls go logically from basic to advanced without feeling like you’re at a competitive disadvantage if you don’t know every last trick, and that’s still true even though there are more dribbling moves than ever before. Additional free kick and corner kick options are also welcome, even if you never use them.

Graphically, PES 2018 is the best looking entry to date, helping to make up for the fact that it doesn’t have the license for every famous club team or stadium. If you have a favorite footballer, you’re going to recognize him as soon as he comes onto the screen.

The same main game modes return, though they are combined in new ways. PES League, the mode for competitive online play, now supports myClub and online co-op. Even for those of us who aren’t into the diehard PvP scene, online co-op adds a fun new choice for playing with friends.

Master League, which is the PES franchise mode, has some new wrinkles as well, but they’re more tinkering around the edges than anything else. Both Master League and myClub feel much the same as they did last year, for better and worse in various ways.

What’s still missing

Though the visuals are improved both in-game and in menus, PES 2018 still can’t say it’s best in class when it comes to presentation. Notably, the English commentary from Peter Drury and Jim Beglin, while entertaining, feels almost exactly the same as before, and if you play PES Club Manager on mobile too, you’ve heard some of these phrases a lot. As in, haunt your dreams often.

And while myClub is fine as the squad-building mode where you try to assemble the best possible team of real life players, it’s also almost identical to how it was constructed prior to this year. It’s great that Konami puts in a variety of tournaments and competitions, but it still leans more heavily toward online play than solo, and some kind of single-player league system would be nice.

The gacha-esque system of acquiring new players? It is what it is, and PES players are used to it by now. The logos and kits of plenty of the world’s best teams are also missing in the strictest sense, but that too, isn’t likely to change any time soon.

The verdict

At this point, you can feel pretty sure that a PES game is going to give you nicely balanced gameplay that seems like real soccer in the most important ways, well-rendered players and a good variety of game modes. The presentation has taken a step forward for PES 2018, but not a leap.

If that’s enough for you because you liked what the series offered before, you’re going to want to pick this one up as it’s more than just a roster refresh. Not fixing what isn’t broken isn’t a bad way to go for a sports game, and that’s certainly the case here.

Score: 8.5/10

Disclosure: FanSided.com was provided with a copy of PES 2018 free of charge for the purposes of this review.