FIFA 14 Versus PES 14: Which One Should You Pick?

Soccer is probably the most popular sport in the world and why wouldn’t it be? A game that brings countries and teams from around the world together in competitions to see who has the best players is thrilling to watch. We gamers also get to watch two other rivals square off at the same time every year to see who’s made the most out of the season’s downtime.

EA will be releasing Fifa 2014 the very same week that Konami will release their competing title, Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 in September. Both games appear to have made improvements and are promising to offer some good, competitive gaming no matter when the world’s real soccer teams are competing. So which team are you going to be rooting for?

Alright, so this is the matchup FIFA 2014 VS. Pro Evolution Soccer, or PES we will call it. Both EA and Konami have a lot riding on their respective titles. So let’s break down what each of them is bringing to this year’s big game.

Platforms:

First, lets takes a look at where these games are going to be getting released on; now the big boys are involved with both these releases. Both Sony and Microsoft are snagging copies on release. EA is making a strategic move here and will also be releasing FIFA for Microsoft Windows, sorry Apple fans. Management is already whispering about FIFA being re-released later on Both the PS4 and the Xbox ONE, that’s a good strong push out of the gate folks, so now it’s time to see what Konami is going to do.

Not to be outdone, Konami is also releasing their game on the MS Windows platform! It’s a good follow-up and gives the devoted PC gamers as choice in the matter. Unfortunately, PES is only being scheduled for release on the current-gen systems. So, if you plan on  picking up this little number you’d best not be packing up that old 360 or PS3 if you’re planning on a new console this season. PES on the other hand has decided to go with a release on PlayStation Portable, not a bad response from Konami with this release, though I will be honest. I am a bit concerned with the lack of commitment to the up and coming generation of consoles. Maybe next year, boys and girls.

Ball Handling:

Both games’ have got ball control coming out their ears. There is no way about it. Konami is bringing something new to the table in this game, they call this little number Trueball Tech. With this comes the ability to control both the player and the ball independently. The player will also be able to move the ball in any direction, whether it is on the ground or in the air. It is sounding like this is going to add quite a bit fluidity and style to the game. Pairing this with their new M.A.S.S. system, the Motion Animation Stability System allows players more realistic contact and collision. Hopefully this will be adding an extra level of competition and strategy for players who’ve decided to go with PES.

EA isn’t just showing up with last year’s updated tech to FIFA 14 either. They’ve made some major improvements with their ball physicals. With better control, shots and defensive tactics while in possession of the ball this promises to being a bit extra to FIFA that the other titles didn’t. EA’s

“Real Ball Physics,” and what they are calling “Pure Shot” is certainly going to give the player the tools they need to get the job done and put the ball where it absolutely needs to be. EA has also spent plenty of time revamping their dribbles, touches and sprint dribbling and tackling abilities. EA has taken particular care in bettering the fundamentals of their game.

Graphics:

EA appears to be following suit with their previous games. It doesn’t look like they are going to have any ground breaking graphics coming down the pipe this season. They are making some improvements, along with hopefully fixing some of those issues with modeling they had and general character issues. Personally, I think it adds a bit of flare and comedy to what amounts to a pretty standard sports game. Even if they are able to fix what gamers were complaining about last year, I am sure there will be something new that crops up that will be frustratingly entertaining. Instead, EA has put their efforts into improving the playability of their game. A solid, and understandable move in my opinion.

Konami is using the Fox Engine this year for PES. That’s right, the very same engine that we saw in Metal Gear Solid 4, only updated for a sports game rather than all out war. From what we already have seen from the Fox Engine in previous games this should be a real treat, folks. While PES has a distinct lack of sneaking and tactical espionage that made this engine famous Konami made a good choice with this one and they’ve obviously made some pretty attractive changes to it as well. The game animations are fluent and downright sexy sometimes, there is some real eye candy in PES 14.

Game Modes:

FIFA 2014 has given the old standby “Career Mode,” a facelift again. EA tends to change this puppy around from season to season, either adding, removing or completely changing it all together. This time around they’ve added a Scouting option so that you can look for new players to pick up through cities around the world. A bigger player base? No one can really argue with that.

From the looks of it, PES is sticking with the tried and true game modes they’ve had in previous games. While players can expect to play as one of their favorite Asian teams it looks like they’ve played it safe this time around and are just giving the gamers more of a good thing. There is also rumors that PES will be adding the Argentinian soccer leagues to the game, not a bad move but  the redone career mode in FIFA 14 is pretty tempting, this may cost PES a few sales.

Both of these games are shaping up nicely and frankly have a whole lot to offer soccer fans of the world. In the end it’s up to you to decide if you want a more realistic style you may find in FIFA or a fast-paced game that offers plenty of arcade-style action and higher scoring games like PES. While you certainly can’t go wrong with either game, plenty of soccer fans and gamers alike seem to have a preference and strong opinions on both sides of the fence regarding which game is better. Really, in the end you’re the one who decides who the winner is in all this.