It’s the rival to EA’s FIFA series and has seen its influence reduce and they are fighting to get it back. PES 2013 contains a lot of new additions to the game and provides a good foundation for the team to develop even further.

There are new licenses which brings in 20 Brazilian teams and the whole lineup has been bolstered by Konami.

The game was released on September 21st, 2013 for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. While a 3DS released was set on December 20. The game was released on the Wii on the same date. [reference]

The Wii U version is also confirmed to be region locked like the 3DS version. [reference]

The game was reviewed by us, and while we felt it was very good there were still some thing lacking that could have made it a solid contender to the FIFA franchise. [reference]

Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid is featured on the front cover.

• 1. Development
• 2. Gameplay
• 3. Stadium & Team list
• 4. Reception
• 5. Marketing

Development

Konami has mentioned that Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 will be the last game in the series to run on the same engine that has been powering plenty of games before it. The next game in the series will run on Kojima’s Fox Engine, which is also Konami’s next-generation engine.

This gives rise to speculation that the game will be a cross platform one and will be released on the PS3, Xbox 360 and also the next-gen systems from Sony and Microsoft.

The game contains a lot of new features including dynamic first touch feature. The game introduced the concept of freedom of movement, the new ‘PES FC’ in PES 2013 goes further with total freedom over ball control.

It also introduces subtle ways to receive the ball, from traps, gently lifting it past an attacker to run on to or a variety of other moves.

First touch is everything and players can trap the ball using the R2 button, killing the speed of a well-hit pass and bringing it instantly under control, or using the momentum of the pass to turn a defender.

The game offers fully manual passing and for the first time ever manual shooting, allowing users to determine the height and power of each. Long low passes can be sent skimming across the pitch, while shooting the user has total control over where the shot is placed.

Skill and precision are needed to master these, but passes can be made into open areas, allowing lone strikers to thrive, while offering an unrivaled variety in ways to score.

Gameplay

It’s a football game that is slightly different than FIFA although the controls are same with reversed keys for shooting and heading. They are all fully customizable as well.

The core strength of PES is the gameplay and the game allows a lot of dribbling techniques and the thrill of passing the ball and scoring it into the back of the net.

The dribbling has been improved. The speed with which a player moves with the ball has been slowed in line with real matches, but using R2 allows players to add various styles to their close control. Players can vary the speed of their dribbling, and cushion the ball as they move freely within a 360-degree circle.

The new system allows players to knock a ball past a player and collect it, nutmeg them, or hold up play by shielding the ball as team mates find space and make runs.

Active one-two passes can be made, with the second player being moved in any direction), facilitating various tactical movements. Countering the attacking options the new dribbling system offers, is a beautifully-balanced defence system. Players can use R2 and X to slow an attack, with a double-tap of the X button prompting a perfectly-timed challenge.

Full 360-degree control means that players can check runs and steal the ball from a parallel position, while the individuality element will see world renowned defenders using aerial dominance of physicality to win the ball.

Even the game’s ‘keepers benefit from more control, while their distribution is more precise thanks to the addition of a power gauge when they throw the ball, creating opportunities for new, quicker counter attacks. [reference]

Stadium & Team list

There are a lot of new stadiums and teams added to the game. Some of them are similar as the previous games but many of them have been redone and touched up. Here’s a complete list of all, some of them could be missing but this is the entire list we know for now. [reference]

PES 2013 Stadium List 

Wembley Stadium – English National Stadium
Old Trafford – Manchester United
Santiago Bernabeu – Real Madrid
Camp de Mestalla – Valencia
Vicente Calderon – Athletico Madrid
Ciutat de Valencia – Levante
Reyo de Navarra – Osasuna
Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan – Sevilla
La Rosaleda – Malaga
Estadio RCD Espanyol – Espanyol
Campo San Mames – Athletico Bilbao
Coliseum Alfonso Perez – Getafe
Stade De France – French National Stadium
Stade Lous II – Monaco
San Siro – AC Milan
Il Nuovo Stadio Della Juventus – Juventus
Stadio Olimpico – Roma/Lazio
Giuseppe Meazza – Inter
Allianz Arena – Bayern Munich
Estadio Da Luz – Benfica
Estadio Dragao – Porto
Estadio Jose Alvalade – Sporting Clube do Portugal
Estadio Urbano Caldiera – Santos
Saitama Stadium 2002 – Urawa Red Diamonds

Unlicensed Stadia

Bristol Mary Stadium
Rose Park Stadium
Royal London Stadium
Estadio Del Nuevo Triunfo
Stade De Sagittaire
Stadio Orione
Burg Stadion
Ville Marie Stadium
Estadio De Escorpiao
Estadio Amazonas
Estadio De Palenque
Konami Stadium
Mohamed Lewis Stadium

PES 2013 Team list:

EUROPE

Austria
Belgium
Bosnia And Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
England
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Montenegro
Netherlands
Northern Ireland
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Scotland
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
Wales

Konami’s been trying to bring PES back to the stable position it was a few years ago, but it seems FIFA has just taken off and whatever they do, they still fall short. With this new iteration running on an upgraded engine, they clearly mean business.

It hasn’t been easy for Konami trying to compete with FIFA which has become a juggernaut at this stage almost rivaling Call of Duty in sales. There was a lot of potential to PES a few years ago, and it looks like they don’t want to concede defeat to FIFA so soon based on the radical changes this year’s version brings.

Thus we have Pro Evolution Soccer 2013; a game that has been vastly improved over the past iterations in the franchise, and is something one could entirely survive on for a year because it delivers everything a football fan would want–well almost. PES fans will tell you that it’s all about gameplay, and I agree with them. There’s a unique feeling to PES gameplay that one can’t find in other football games. It’s quite different when it comes to physics simulation, and is one of the reasons why the franchise hasn’t become irrelevant yet.

Konami has improved almost everything here, from the visuals to animations, and it really does enhance the entire experience. We reviewed the Xbox 360 version of the game earlier, and when it comes to in-depth analysis, that review pretty much explained everything. In this review I’m going to tell you why you can just survive on PES without buying FIFA.

People who want a lot of licenses will not find it here, but this year’s iteration does have two major acquisitions in the Champions League and UEFA Europa League. They have also extended the club licenses to over 150, which should satisfy a lot of players; if not, there’s always FIFA.

I have always been someone who has preferred PES gameplay over FIFA, and it’s not because I’m biased or something, it just suits me better. And let me tell you, there are plenty of people who feel the same way. PES also has a terrific career mode (Master League) and if you’re into that – like me – then the choice is pretty much clear. You do have to tolerate some annoying cutscenes though.

The visuals looks spectacular with game showing how good it can be on current gen consoles. Some of the players model are incredibly accurate and all that helps in immersing the player into the game. Of course, it’s a massive improvement over the last year’s version but there’s still a lot of inconsistency here. The major improvement here is how Konami has changed the controls, and have made it very responsive and accessible. FIFA players will take some getting used to, but the basic ball controls are similar. If you want to go in-depth with skill moves and all, there’s a slight learning curve.

I see this version of PES simply as something Konami can build on and create a truly world beating football game next time. PES 2013 offers almost everything to football fans, including an online with a fairly decent netcode. It’s not something worth praising but it’s functional, and if you’ve played the previous PES games online, it can be considered as a great improvement. Konami is heading in the right direction with this game and let’s hope they don’t stray away from it.

Check out our Xbox 360 review here to know more about the game in detail.

This game was reviewed on the PS3.

The free demo is available for download starting today on Xbox 360 via Xbox LIVE and Windows PC via ‘www.konami-pes2013.com.’ The demo for PlayStation3 will be available on July 31st via PlayStation Network.

PES 2013 will be available in retail stores nationwide in the fall of 2012. Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

According to several job postings on Gamasutra, Konami are ‘Opening a new wing in Europe’.

The listing then goes on to state: ‘PES Productions is opening a new “Football game productions” in London in order to continue striving to reproduce European football culture at its best in their games.’

The page lists 16 positions, combined with also makes several references to GDC Europe, suggesting the bulk of the studio will consist of as of yet unhired staff.

Prior to this, the Pro Evo games have almost exclusively been developed in Japan, home to such footballing greats as… Shinja Kagawa?

The PES 2013 demo releases tomorrow with the full game shipping later this year.

Thanks to feedback from dedicated fans, PES2013 offers total freedom to play any kind of ball, which for the first time includes full control over shooting and the first touch. Endorsed by Cristiano Ronaldo, PES will continue to push boundaries, perfectly reflecting the genius of top level players and capturing the essence of modern teamwork. The result will be the most faithful recreation of modern day soccer to date.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

It is a bit difficult to use at first, but highly rewarding once you master it. In the short time I used this feature, I obviously couldn’t master it, and so I had to resort to traditional shooting..

Other improvements include more natural dribbling and defensive moves, especially when lines are arranged depending on your play. There are also goalkeepers with all-new animations who are more effective and have the ability to manually pass the ball for more precise counterattacks.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.