Pro Evolution Soccer 2015

If you're a football/soccer video game fan, chances are you're loyal to either PES or FIFA. My own longstanding loyalty to FIFA 15 ($59.99) was shaken this year thanks to problems with the AI and referees. Pro Evolution 2015 ($39.99) offered relief for me this year, but PES 2015's lower price tag also reflects the lower quality of just about everything else in the game, from the gameplay to the commentary.

The View From The Stands
If you've played previous iterations of PES, you'll instantly recognize that signature Konami arcade game look. But while the game may look familiar, it just isn't visually stunning like FIFA 15. For example, the grass on the pitch looks like a PlayStation 2 would render it comfortably. In fact, the grass looks as though it could have been sampled from Minecraft during closeups and replays, which has a negative impact on the general aesthetics of the game. EA, on the other hand, has incorporated individual blades of grass in FIFA 15, and the pitch becomes trodden and damaged by footprints and slide tackles. Overall, PES 15's graphics don't hold a candle to FIFA 15's.

You can recognize some players simply by the way they run or carry themselves, but they appear a little squat in stature. PES 15's player movements during close-ups and goal celebrations are smooth and realistic compared with the awkward FIFA 15 player movements. Konami does a much better job than EA at replicating facial details, emotions, and expressions. Players' eyes in PES 15 reveal what they're feeling at the time, whereas players' eyes in FIFA 15 lack soul, and facial expressions are terrible. Unfortunately, that's where PES 2015's player aesthetic superiority ends, as players are stiff and limited to a smaller variety of movements during gameplay.

While the player physics and aesthetics during a goal celebration look better in PES 2015, there's one element that I really miss from FIFA 15. That game's wobbling camera effect caused by your fans jumping up and down in the stand after your team scores at home is a great touch that adds more excitement to scoring. Its lack in PES 15 is by no means a deal breaker, but it's a small detail that's typical of the FIFA's better overall visual experience.

You'll hear a few familiar fan chants from the stands in PES 2015, but nowhere near as many as you hear in FIFA 15. Commentary is also extremely limited, which may seem like a small detail, but after listening to the extensive commentary in FIFA 15 it's pretty hard not to notice.

Unfortunately for Konami, English Premiere League licensing is exclusive to EA, which means most team names and emblems are made-up to represent the real-life team as closely as possible by location and emblem design. For example, London-based team Chelsea is called London FC, and, while the emblem is completely different, there's still a lion in the design. At least player names are the same in each imitation team. Manchester United fans will be pleased, as theirs is the only Premiere League club to make it into the game without alteration.

Slow but Smart
PES 2015 still delivers a good rendition of the beautiful game. It's easier to score in PES 2015 than it is in FIFA 15, but not too easy. Sadly, some of the excitement in PES 2015 is hampered by comparatively sluggish controls. Ball control and handling generally feel soft, and passing is slow unless you use quick one-two passing. Speeding up gameplay in the settings doesn't have much of an effect, either, as players still don't display much urgency. Even when you kick or head a screamer, the ball appears to fly at a casual speed, which detracts excitement.

On the other hand PES 2015's AI is better than FIFA 15's, which makes for a less frustrating experience. I used to think the frustrations I felt in FIFA 15 were EA's way of replicating the frustrations real players feel during a match, but it eventually became clear that FIFA 15's poor player AI was to blame. For example, computer-controlled players bump into each other and fall to the ground, and the amount of time it takes to get back up renders them useless, which is particularly irritating during crucial moments.

FIFA 15's lacking AI extends to its refereeing, where AI mistakes caused the referee to call completely arbitrary fouls that ruined matches in my testing. Thankfully, PES 2015's referees are much better, and they also let the momentum of play go on after official extra-time if there's a potentially match-changing play in progress, whereas refs in FIFA 15 can blow the final whistle the moment you're about to press shoot for a critical goal.

Both PES and FIFA let you issue attack and defend commands to players outside your control, but PES 2015's players are smarter and, refreshingly, less reliant on your commands. It's good to have some control of the surrounding players, but sometimes you just want your team to play like they can read each other (you know, like a real team). I can't tell you the number of times in FIFA 15 that my forwards don't make obvious runs to receive a through-pass, instead waiting for my command to do so. In PES 2015, your players have more autonomy and do a better job of getting in positions on their own.

Teams you're playing with or against become noticeably ramped up after scoring a goal, and they conversely feel deflated after conceding. You can feel the difference, which adds versatility to gameplay and makes every match unique. FIFA 15 also features these in-game emotional reactions.

Second-Class Soccer

If you can think of FIFA 15 as your first-team goalkeeper, PES 2015 is the one on the bench. It offers a familiar look that has garnered the love and loyalty of millions around the world, but it may be time for Konami to engage in a graphical overhaul for the game to match expectations in this next-gen day and age. Most importantly, gameplay isn't as exciting, as it's relatively slow and feels laborious compared with FIFA 15. That's not to say it's not fun, though, as it's still a good football simulation. It's just that the overall quality isn't quite up to the level of FIFA 15.