PES 2012
Teammate Control
One of the biggest additions in PES 2012 is Teammate Control, that lets you control two players. Yes, you read that right. With Teammate Control, you can control teammates you want to cross/pass the ball to to place them in good positions or shake off their markers. While it may be a little difficult control and may take some getting used to, it will add a whole lot of fun and complexity to the game. This might just be the feature that gives PES the edge and takes it back to the top spot it reigned over some years back. We can’t wait to check it out.
UEFA Licenses
Just as the FIFA series has licenses for all teams and other competitions that the PES series does not have, the PES series has licenses for all UEFA help competitions- Super Cup, Champions League, Euro Cup, Europa League… all of them. Not just licenses, they show realistic, broadcast style build ups for all UEFA matches too. It ups the credibility and authenticity of the game several notches, and definitely adds to the experience. Again, if you’re a hardcore football fan, you might actually find this to be a huge point in favour of PES 2012.
Improved AI
The AI, claims Konami, in PES 2012 has received an overhaul. Enemy defenders will play more thoughtfully when defending rather than simply applying pressure, and AI teammates will make more intelligent movement decisions. Goalkeeper AI has been amped up too, with new animations and more reliable performances to boot. This comes as a huge relief, because AI in PES games sometimes can be inconsistent. This will really add greatly to the gameplay, and we look forward to having more fun with the game with the new AI in place.
No More Glitches
The Pro Evolution Soccer series has been notorious for its bugs and glitches, with strange, freaky things like players twisting their limbs while celebrating, running through each other, falling through the ground and running through goalposts being frequent occurances. While we get a great kick out of it, it’s not intentional on the developers’ part (hopefully). With PES 2012, Konami has promised to remove as many bugs as they can, and consequently, make the gameplay much smoother and more fluid. We look forward to playing a game that doesn’t freak us out with its weird bugs and instead provides with an enjoyable, smooth experience.
Better Refereeing
You might think this is a very obscure point, but refereeing goes a long way if you want an authentic football simulator experience. This year around, like in FIFA, referees will sometimes let the play go on if you or one of your opponents commit a foul, but will come back to it when the ball goes out of play if that foul was particularly nasty. Other than that, referee decisions will be much more authentic now, and more realistic, and they will make good use of the advantage rule. Let’s hope this affects our gameplay greatly, in a good way.
Conclusion
While PES 2012 does not include as many features over PES 2011 as FIFA 12 does over FIFA 11, it does look very good, especially the Teammate Control mechanic. Bottomline, if you want a game that isn’t particularly fun to play, but still very enjoyable, go with PES 2012.
