Konami has revealed their financial results for the first quarter of this fiscal year, which is the period from April 1 to June 31. Overall, it looks like it has been a decent year for the company, even though there has been a drop in profits.

While revenue has increased by 4.9% year-on-year, profits have decreased for the company by 13%. The company has received an increase in revenue from the Digital Entertainment Business which is to do with video games. The company is focused on delivering new experiences through their games, and they are also emphasizing the importance of the eSports scene. The company has also performed well with their mobile games. Regarding this, they said, “Under such circumstances, our mobile games in the Digital Entertainment segment performed strongly as Winning Eleven 2018 (known overseas as Pro Evolution Soccer 2018) attracted much attention due to worldwide “soccer fever” during this first quarter. In the Chinese market, Winning Eleven 2018, and Winning Eleven Card Collection, continued to be released through collaboration with local companies. Various titles also continued to perform stably, including Jikkyou Pawafuru Puroyakyu and Professional Baseball Spirits A (Ace) in the domestic market and Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links in the global market.”

As for computers and video games, it looks like Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 has been performing well, especially with its myClub online mode. We also learn that Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 2018 is off to quite a good start with its sales. The company stated, “As for computer and video games, we released Jikkyou Pawafuru Puroyakyu 2018, which was loaded with new features including VR compatibility. Sales of the game got off to a favorable start. In addition, we released Super Bomberman R for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam (PC), which had been released for Nintendo Switch in 2017. Due to the recent global interest in soccer, an online mode in Winning Eleven 2018, myClub, continued to perform strongly.”

We also learn that the reason for the drop in profits is because of promotions, advance investments and also investments in research and development. It seems then that the drop in profits is nothing to worry about for the company. Konami has quite a lot of games set to release later in the year, at least as far as sheer volume goes, so we’ll have to wait and see how these games perform for the company through this fiscal year. Konami will be bringing a few of these games to Gamescome 2018 not long from now. Read more on that here.

More specifically, though, by playing some incredible football games. This is a feature about ten incredible football games, all easily playable right now, that you should get into to get ready for the big day on July 15th.

Without further ado, let’s jump right in!

FIFA 18

Let’s start with the most obvious choices first. And really, is there any choice more obvious than FIFA 18? EA Sports have refined their series’ gameplay to a ridiculous degree over the last few years, with FIFA 18 featuring even more refinements than its predecessor. With an entertaining career mode, the amazing narrative-driven The Journey, and the dangerously addictive Ultimate Team, FIFA 18 is a love letter to anyone who considers themselves a fan of the sport. On top of that, EA also recently released a World Cup update for the game, which is totally free. The perfect way to gear up for the festivities ahead.

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA

If you’re looking for something that’s even more dedicated to the World Cup than EA’s new update for FIFA 18 though, 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa can scratch that itch. This was the last World Cup-specific FIFA game EA made, and it was absolutely brilliant. From its stellar presentation that captured the atmosphere of the massive competition that the World Cup is perfectly, to its moment-to-moment gameplay, which was bang in the middle of the period where EA Sports were making some of the best and biggest changes and improvements to their formula, 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is the perfect side activity for football fans during the World Cup.

PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2018

But of course, FIFA isn’t the only big name around when it comes to sports simulation video games- this is a two horse race, after all. Pro Evolution Soccer has been its massive and bitter rival for as long as anyone can remember. What the series lacks in shiny presentation and licenses, it makes up for its amazingly polished and fine-tuned mechanics, with many veterans of the genre even claiming that, as far as pure gameplay is concerned, PES has the upper hand over FIFA. Oh, and PES 2018 is also the last game in the series that will have UEFA licenses, so if for nothing else, maybe play it to hear that iconic song in-game once more.

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2018

While FIFA and PES battle it out year over year, every year, on the pitch for the crown of the best football simulation game, Football Manager consistently maintains its monopoly in the management simulation space. This is a game that is tailor-made for hardcore veteran fans of the genre. With a bevy of charts, graphs and stats to pour over, a ridiculous level of detail in systems, and micromanagement over every aspect of your team’s management like you’ve never seen before, Football Manager is easily a game you can pour literally hundreds of hours into.

NEW STAR SOCCER

If you’re looking for a lighter, more accessible football experience, then New Star Soccer, downloadable on iOS and Android devices, is the perfect game for you. New Star Soccer sees you playing as just one player, and it follows you on your journey from the lowest rungs of the football world to the very top. But it’s not just about football- when you’re not on the pitch, you manage your finances, you sign sponsorship deals, you buy stuff with your money, you manage your image with the media (and thus, the general masses), you improve your stats, hell, you can even participate in side activities (like betting on race horses, or playing blackjack). It’s a deceptively deep (yet still very accessible) experience that can pull you, and refuse to let go for dozens upon dozens – if not hundreds – of hours. The best part? It’s completely free.

SCORE! HERO

Score! Hero is yet another mobile football game, but unlike New Star Soccer, the focus here is squarely and solely on the on-pitch action. What sets is apart is how different, simple, fun, and addictive it is. Every time the moment arises to pass, cross, or shoot the ball, the action pauses, and you then have to chart the ball’s trajectory yourself, by drawing it on your touch screen. As we said, it’s very simple – you can basically play the game using just one finger – but it’s so, so good. On top of that, it looks great, and it’s also free.

FIFA STREET

FIFA is a series that has its fingers in many pies. There is, of course, the main series as well, but over the years, it’s also tried its hand at international-only games, management simulators, and street football. 2012’s FIFA Street brought back the fan favourite street football variation of the sport back into the limelight, and it’s fair to say that it wasn’t nearly as successful as its parent franchise. It has its issues, sure, but it’s also undeniably fun. You’re pulling off tricks, panenkas, and over-the-top flair shots in street environments with the likes of Rooney, Messi, and Ronaldo- how can it not be fun?

MARIO STRIKERS CHARGED

Okay, we’re getting into “weird football game” territory now, but Nintendo and weird basically go hand in hand, so it’s more or less unavoidable. The iconic Italian plumber has been a doctor, a kart racer, a tennis ace, and, well, a plumber. Mario and co, however, have also been weird, whacky football stars. Wii and Wii U title Mario Strikers Charged was an incredibly enjoyable game, mixing on-pitch football action with the trademark goofiness and over-the-top abilities and power ups that we all expect to see in any Mario game. Playing this game online against a friend is an absolute blast.

ROCKET LEAGUE

Is there any football game weirder than Rocket League? A bunch of monster trucks boosting around arenas, pulling off gravity-defying stunts, trying to jet an oversized ball into the opponent’s goal- who thought this was a good idea? Whoever it was deserves a medal, because Rocket League is a brilliant game. Mixing car combat with football? Absolutely genius. In spite of being three years old, Rocket League still remains hugely popular to this day, and that’s because it struck gold with its brand of bombastic gameplay.

DREAM LEAGUE SOCCER

You’d think delivering a proper, FIFA or PES-like experience on mobile devices would be next to impossible, but that is exactly what Dream League Soccer 18 does. In spite of being a free to play title, Dream League Soccer includes proper, full-fledged matches for you to play, as well as a meaty and addictive career mode to sink your teeth into, where you create your own team and pull it through the ranks to the very top. You upgrade your stadium, you buy new players- it’s the perfect blend of management elements and on-pitch action. Basically, as close to FIFA as you can get on iOS and Android.

Konami has just announced their financial results for the last fiscal year which ended on March 31, 2018 and the results look quite good. The company shows growth year-on-year with a 24.3% increase in Operating Profit. There has also been a 4.2% increase in total revenue from the year.

The biggest source of revenue for the company is the Digital Entertainment business which is related to the sales of video games. There has been a 13.9% increase in revenue earned from this business as compared to the previous year. As for the current fiscal year, the company expects further growth and improvement. The company stated that they will focus on “functional enhancement” for both consoles and mobile devices and will also focus on new experiences which can be delivered through games, such as through eSports. Titles such as Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 have been enjoying a decent performance, but any details regarding the performance of Metal Gear Survive has been conspicuously absent. The company also mentioned forecasts for the coming year with titles such as Super Bomberman R and Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball. 

We’ll have to wait and see what kind of experiences Konami will bring us in the coming year.

What a year 2017 has been for football fans! Both Konami and EA Sports have delivered yet again with Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 and FIFA 18 respectively. The latter even more because it takes the series a few more steps ahead compared to its brilliant predecessor. Last year’s iterations of both FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer were exceptional games, however FIFA 17 was graphically ahead of Pro Evolution Soccer 2017. Things, however, are a bit different this time around.

So, we recently got hold of the PS4 versions of both games and ran them on the PlayStation 4 Pro. Both versions render at native 1080p resolution and run at a smooth 60 frames per second. The on field action looks largely similar in both games, however, just like last year, the biggest difference comes in the form of lighting and shadow quality, with FIFA 18 taking the lead once again. However, the difference is reduced this time with the developers making impressive improvements in the FOX Engine’s lighting support for the Pro Evolution series. This results into better looking character models and skin shaders compared to last year’s iteration.

However, when compared side by side, FIFA 18 takes the lead with better skin shader quality, better looking character models, realistic cloth simulation and beautiful tress effects. Seriously, the tress effects in FIFA 18 are a sight to behold and this is all down to Frostbite’s strong support for physical based renderer pipeline.

If there is one area that Pro Evolution Soccer excels, then it has to be the on-field animations. Players’ reactions look authentic and much more realistic compared to FIFA 18 whose players seem like sliding around at times.

So overall, FIFA 18 nudges ahead of Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, but it’s a very close victory for EA Sports. Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, on the other hand has showcased big improvements. Next year’s comparison between the two series will definitely be interesting as both series will aim to push the visuals further.

While Konami has openly admitted that it cannot compete with EA’s huge cash reserves when it comes to licensing, Pro Evolution Soccer has still been able to carve out a space for itself due to its gameplay. Now, Konami has also been partnering with clubs such as Valencia CF and Fulham FC. The latest of these partnerships is with Arsenal, and the aim is to capture the individual styles of each of the players on the team.

They will achieve this by digitally scanning players from the team, and by taking into account each player’s quirks and even reproducing a player’s behavior pattern in the game. There will be a huge emphasis on portraying a team’s style and form accurately. According to Konami, “the team’s famous free flowing style of play will also be accurately implemented to the game.”

Vinai Venkatesham, Chief Commercial Officer at Arsenal stated that, “Our working relationship with Konami to date has been extremely successful from a licensing perspective and we are delighted to extend this and welcome them as an official partner. We look forward to getting started in the next phase of our relationship with Konami and creating some fun and exciting content that both Arsenal and wider football fans will enjoy.”

“We are determined to work with the very best clubs football has to offer and are delighted to partner with Arsenal,” stated Jonas Lygaard, Senior Director – Brand & Business Development for Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. “The relationship we formed last year has gone from strength to strength, most notably when Emirates Stadium played host to the PES LEAGUE World Final. As such, we were keen to work even closer with such a highly regarded club and the new agreement will allow us to perfectly recreate and feature Emirates Stadium, and the club’s many stars, within PES 2018.”

Hopefully, Arsenal will have a better time in the game than they do in the real world right now. PES 2018 is out right now on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC.

The net result is undoubtedly a positive one. PES 2018 is not a complete overhaul of the series, rather an evolution of a winning formula, and while there are definitely significant issues that hold the game back from hitting the same heights as its predecessor, the game is still very much an absolute blast where it actually matters- on the football pitch. Konami have made several tweaks to the moment-to-moment on-pitch gameplay in PES 2018, and while most of these changes might not seem too significant on paper, all of these come together to contribute towards making the action a lot more fluid, a lot more entertaining, and a lot more authentic.

The most important change to gameplay in PES 2018 is that the on-pitch action has been slowed down a bit as compared to its last year, which is something that fits in rather well with the kind of gameplay the PES wants to propagate. You can take more time to choose your passes, to decide whether to float in early crosses or drill in low, hard ones, to organize your defence better in the event of a counter-attack, and a great deal more. The gameplay, thanks to this, becomes more tactical, more methodical, a change that is decidedly in favour of audiences who are more than just casual fans of the sport, but one that ultimately works out for the best. Thanks to this slower, more deliberate pacing of on-pitch gameplay, matches in PES 2018 feel a lot more like the real thing, and the fact that the game actually tries to reward you for using your footballing brain rather than just using strikers or wingers who can blaze past the opposition defence is definitely appreciated.

"Thanks to this slower, more deliberate pacing of on-pitch gameplay, matches in PES 2018 feel a lot more like the real thing, and the fact that the game actually tries to reward you for using your footballing brain rather than just using strikers or wingers who can blaze past the opposition defence is definitely appreciated."

Real Touch + is another subtle yet important addition that contributes a great deal towards making PES 2018’s gameplay feel as good as it does. Thanks to Real Touch +, dribbling is now a whole lot tighter and much more responsive. Players now use all parts of their bodies to control balls, from their chests and and thighs to even their heels and toes. On the other hand, the ability to be able to use your players’ backs and their bodies to shield the ball from their opponents is also a welcome addition. Both these things obviously seem quite simplistic and rudimentary on paper, but when you actually get down to playing the game, you realize that they are anything but.

Shielding the ball allows you to slow the game down, bring more teammates into your plan of attack, to take time and think about your next pass, while the tighter, more fluid dribbling lets you do all the stylish showboating and delicate weaving and zig-zagging that you could possibly want. Of course, how effective these actions are depends on the stats of the player performing them, so while someone like Neymar or Anthony Martial might be great at speedy dribbles, other forwards such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Harry Kane would be much more effective at holding up the ball and bringing their teammates into play. It also helps that a lot of the players in the PES 2018 roster have been further customized and developed by Konami to make them more like their real life counterparts, so that their strengths and weaknesses and other characteristics align with the actual real-life players. Of course, equal attention and work haven’t gone into all the players in the game, but it still goes beyond just the obvious choices- your Rooneys and Messis and Ronaldos and the like.

It all works very well, helping the game accomplish a prime sense of authenticity in terms of the on-pitch action. In spite of that, however, there are a few instances when that authenticity gives way to frustrating moments. Goalkeeper AI, for instance, has been a problem for the Pro Evolution Soccer series since as long as anyone can remember, and it continues to be a problem in this year’s iteration as well. While goalkeepers in PES 2018 are much more prone to making flashy, blockbuster saves than they have been in recent installments, they are also incredibly inconsistent. All too often they simply parry shots directed at them back into the box, leading to a disappointingly simple and lame tap-in goal, while other times they manage to get their gloves on a shot, only to let it bounce off the ground and meekly dribble past the goal line.

"Goalkeeper AI has been a problem for the Pro Evolution Soccer series since as long as anyone can remember, and it continues to be a problem in this year’s iteration as well."

Matches on the lower and medium difficulties are almost ridiculously easy, and while on the higher difficulties the game is definitely a lot more challenging and, as a result, a great deal more enjoyable, you will still see ridiculous 5 or 6 goal games more often than you’d want to. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with 5-0 demolition matches or 3-3 thrillers, but when they come around as frequently as they do in PES 2018, they lose their novelty and end up breaking the immersion and authenticity that the game otherwise builds up so well.

So yes, on-pitch action in PES 2018 is as good as you’d want it to be, despite a few minor issues which are not all that hard to ignore, but outside of the bounds of the football pitch, the game falters a great deal more. Flashy TV-like presentation has for long been the forte of the FIFA series, while PES attempts to offer its players an engaging, authentic football experience, and in that regard, not much has changed with PES 2018. Licenses are, of course, still an issue, and it’s a bit jarring to be seeing major teams such as Juventus, Manchester United and Real Madrid under different names, but these are mostly issues that will only bother you if you’re a core fan of the sport itself.

Other old issues that have plagued Konami’s football series persist in PES 2018 as well. For instance, commentary is as stilted and awkward as ever. Oftentimes it’s drab, other times its poorly written, and often, it is just poorly timed. The commentators’ sudden shouts and yelps don’t even come close to generating any sort of excitement or tension, while their remarks and comments lack insight or anything that can pique the listener’s interest, and that fact does the game no favours. Atmosphere has never been a strong suit of Pro Evolution Soccer, and the poor commentary is partly responsible for that. Menus, too, are as bland as ever, muddled with clutter and unattractive blocks.

Do these presentation issues hurt the actual on-pitch gameplay? Not at all. That is the one area where PES 2018 is at its peak, and issues with the presentation, atmosphere and licenses don’t do much to change that fact. They remain cosmetic, superficial issues that do not really have much bearing on the gameplay itself, but for a sport like football where the presentation and atmosphere aspects are so vastly important, these issues end up mattering more than they should, which is why it’s such a shame that these tiny niggling flaws have been persisting in the series for so long. But weak presentation doesn’t mean weak visuals- far from it. Like its predecessor, PES 2018 is built on the Fox Engine, and it takes full advantage of all of its refinements and capabilities. Players faces and models are, for the most part, quite lifelike, animations and smooth and slick, and the stadiums and grounds themselves look very good.

"Like its predecessor, PES 2018 is built on the Fox Engine, and it takes full advantage of all of its refinements and capabilities. Players faces and models are, for the most part, quite lifelike, animations and smooth and slick, and the stadiums and grounds themselves look very good."

Another area where PES 2018 disappoints is the Master League, or the career mode, where, if you are playing offline, you’ll be spending the bulk of your time. The Master League has been in need of an overhaul for a long time, and it’s sad to see that that change still isn’t here. There are some improvements and additions- there are pre-season tournaments, transfers have been improved and are now more realistic, and there is a difficulty setting that makes off-pitch managerial matters much more life-like, challenging and, as a result, much more entertaining. These changes and additions are enough to sure that the manager mode is still enjoyable, but these are all additions that seems pretty basic for such a game, and beyond these changes, the Master League mode at times feels stale and lifeless.

Thankfully, there’s plenty of content on offer here even outside of the manager mode, and some of the new game modes are an absolute blast. The highlight, of course, is Random Selection, which makes a comeback to the Pro Evolution Soccer series after a long time. Random Selection essentially lets you customize four pools from which the game makes up a randomly selected combined squad for you to play a single match with, and you can vary the range of your customization from something as broad as their nationalities to something as specific as what club they play in. Random Selection also packs a mini-transfer saga gameplay element to it, and has you trying to keep a hold of your best player (or players) before a match begins, while trying to snatch good players away from your opponent. It’s a simple and effective concept, and Random Selection works very well thanks to this bite-sized, multi-faceted gameplay loop. It’s great fun when you’re playing solo, and it’s even more enjoyable if you’re playing it with a friend.

The game’s online component, disappointingly enough, is riddled with a number of issues. The online component of the Pro Evolution Soccer series has never been one of its best features, and it continues to falter in PES 2018. There are quite a few instances when the game freezes or lags during the middle of an online match, which is obviously an issue with a game such as Pro Evolution Soccer, while matchmaking is also inconsistent at best and frustrating at worst.

"There are quite a few instances when the game freezes or lags during the middle of an online match, which is obviously an issue with a game such as Pro Evolution Soccer, while matchmaking is also inconsistent at best and frustrating at worst."

And so it turns out that after a number of years of continuous and consistent year-on-year improvement, Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer has slowed down the momentum a little bit- in more ways than one. The slower, more methodical approach to matches is a subtle yet vital tweak to the gameplay, making it as much of a blast on the pitch as anyone could want it to be. On the other hand, however, numerous issues that have been plaguing the series for a long time have either only been modified slightly, or haven’t been addressed at all. But while these issues certainly come together to bring down the overall experience just a notch or two, PES 2018 is still an excellent game for football fans who want to see an addictive and authentic video game realization of the beautiful game.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4. 

Konami was present at Gamescom with a new trailer for Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, one of the few triple-A franchises it still has to tout around. The new trailer showcased some of the features that could be expected along with the bonuses you get for pre-ordering. Watch it for yourself below.

Of course, if you’re more interested in trying it for yourself, then Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 will have a playable demo out on August 30th for PS3, PS4, Xbox One and Xbox 360. The demo won’t be available on PC however and the overall content hasn’t been confirmed just yet.

Still, it’s a good way for PES fans to see the improvements first-hand. Who knows, it might also be enough to convince FIFA fans to make the jump (which isn’t happening but still).

Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 releases on September 12th for North America and September 14th for Europe. It will be available for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox One and Xbox 360.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0FCfnmlEwI

Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer series has always been a step behind EA’s FIFA franchise but that hasn’t stopped the former from making advancements. Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 is no difference with new modes like 3v3 and 2v2, a Random Selection Match option, even more polish than ever before and so on. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s running on the Fox Engine and looks pretty good.

However, when we say “pretty good”, we mean at the most ideal settings which would be 1080p and 60 FPS. Speaking to global product manager Adam Bhatti, it seems that the Xbox One version isn’t currently hitting that standard. When we asked him whether the PS4 and Xbox One versions runs at 1080p/60 FPS and replied, “Xbox One isn’t at the level right now. That’s not to say it won’t reach it. But right now it’s not.”

What about Nintendo fans who haven’t seen a PES title since PES 2013 on the Wii? Can they play PES 2018 on the Nintendo Switch? With regards to plans for a Switch version, Bhatti noted that, “On a personal level  I would love to. I personally love the Switch.  Right now, we have only announced the game. I don’t want to say, “no” because that’s not true.

“And I don’t want to say, “yes” because that’s not true as well. So it’s a difficult one to answer. I guarantee you every developer would be like this. Everyone is now, “hmm,” because it’s doing fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.”

Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 releases on September 18th for Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Thanks to a product page on Xbox.com unearthed by True Achievements, Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 is more or less confirmed. Which is a given since the publisher’s football franchise releases every year. The funny thing is that the release date has also been provided: September 14th.

The listing also noted features like “strategic dribbling” and new set pieces that will apparently take gameplay “to the next level”. New lighting, animations (facial animation, for example), revamped player models and an overhauled presentation with new menus and player images are also in store. Interestingly, there will also be a new co-op mode included. Pre-ordering will net bonuses for the MyClub mode.

Konami has yet to make an official announcement so stay tuned for that. At this point, expect Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 to release for PS4 and Xbox One in September, as the series is known for. What are your thoughts on the new features? Let us know in the comments.