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This is the strongest PES game to grace this generation of consoles, and that success has come from focussing on its own strengths rather
than those of the competition. As one of the most overused lines in gaming goes – the series has gone back to its roots. It’s done so by
injecting a bit of that arcade unpredictability it was once famous for, while at the same time throwing in new gameplay elements that you
won’t find anywhere else. Pro Evolution Soccer is confident again, and while it may not cause much of a dent in the competition’s fortunes,
it offers plenty to entice old fans back and win a few new ones while it’s at it.
8/10
FULL REVIEW
This month Pro Evolution Soccer strikes back onto the pitch to showcase dazzling new skills. Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 returns to the roots of
football with unique levels of control plus major emphasis on the individual style of the world’s best players.
PES 2013 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.
Focus on Fan Feedback
Many of the new features and improvements in PES 2013 are based on fan feedback, that we collected throughout our official channels.
Thanks to the passionate support of thousands of players, we have analysed and processed various facebook posts, tweets, emails and surveys -
in order to create the game that you - the fans - are looking for!
Returning to the essence of football
The essence of football is connection with the ball. The way players pass, control and strike. By honing these basic skills, the best can perform
magic on the pitch. The rest is teamwork. At the heart of PES 2013 is this ethos. By carefully redeveloping and refining controls, adding deeper
levels of freedom and building a more complex AI engine, PES is going back to the origin of football.
Following consultation with football and PES fans, PES 2013 delivers the total freedom to play any style of ball, gives full control over the
placement and style of shots, and features stunning recreations of the game's biggest names: perfectly mimicking the way they run, move both
on and off the ball, and skills.
50 of the world's greatest players have been studied and brought to vivid life in PES 2013, and are instantly noticeable in the way they play on
screen.
PES 2013 is built around three core elements: PES FullControl, Player ID, and ProActive AI.
PES FullControl (PES FC) provides the total freedom of movement, and incorporates all new dynamic first touch where players can choose how to
receive or move on the ball; and fully manual passing and shooting.
Close control and dribbling is also massively enhanced, with the game’s pace slowed in line with real football, and using the R2/RT button giving
the player access to a number of control styles. Balls can be cushioned, pushed forward or shielded as the players around you make intelligent runs
into space.
This level of control extends to fully manual one-twos, a beautifully-balanced defensive system wherein R2/RT and the tackle button are used to
close and challenge an attacker.
Total Freedom of Control
Pro Evolution Soccer introduced the concept of freedom of movement, the new ‘PES FC’ in PES 2013 goes further with total freedom over ball
control.
Full Manual Shooting and Full Manual Passing
PES 2013 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 unrivalled variety in ways to
score.
Dribbling
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.
Full Manual One-Two
Active one-two passes can be made, with the second player being moved in any direction), facilitating various tactical movements.
Response Defending
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.
Goalkeepers
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.
Player ID focuses on the individual elements and movements that each player boasts:
Player Individuality
The very best players in PES 2013 will be instantly recognisable via incredible likeness and signature attributes, skills and tricks that bring them to life.
The way they run, turn, trap and move the ball, shape to shoot and even celebrate will be noticeably different during play. Athletes, including cover
star Cristiano Ronaldo, have been copied down to the slightest level – including their most famous celebrations.
Individuality to Goalkeepers
The individuality of movement has also been extended to between the posts. Goal keeping has been totally invigorated via new animations and play
styles. PES 2013’s goalkeepers represent a massive advance, with all new animations and AI that helps them anticipate dangers and act accordingly.
The new intelligence and AI falls under the Player ID banner, which ensures the world’s greatest players behave like their real-world counterparts.
New varieties of saves and reactions have been added to ensure the game’s ‘keepers are in line with the efforts of real shot stoppers. This level of
realism also extends to the game’s top-rated goal keepers, with their moves to close attacks down, fling themselves to tip a shot past the post, and
in-goal acrobatics benefiting from all new animations and AI.
With players behaving individually, ProActive AI ensures the whole game ebbs and flows like a real match. The new AI routines ensure a more
balanced match, with illogicalities of previous PES titles eradicated, and with better organisation of the teams who backtrack and break, while
maintaining a strong defensive line. Teams also react more quickly to losing possession, tying into the aforementioned defensive improvements and
tackling system. PES 2013 is also an incredibly deep game, and many of its options have been enhanced to exploit these key additions to the
gameplay.
Balance of Play
The development team has worked closely with the PES fan base to eradicate any illogical elements to the way players move and run in PES 2013,
with the ‘ProActive AI’ system enhancing the speed and balance resulting in a more realistic game experience.
Tactical Precision
The balance of play has also been enhanced in the play between defences and the front line, with greater organisation as the teams track back or
pelt forward, setting a harder to beat defensive line, teams adjusting faster to ball gain or loss, allowing for quicker counters.
The development team has worked hard with real keepers to ensure the AI decision process has been vastly improved.
Enhanced Goalkeepers
Improvements to the goal keepers was voted the key advancement football fans wanted to see in <strong>PES 2013</strong>, and the team
has worked hard with real keepers to ensure the AI decision process has been vastly improved. Keepers now respond with better reactions, clear
their lines more effectively and push the ball safely out of play rather than into dangerous areas.
No matter if you want to play alone, simply train your skills or compete with other players from all around the world through Online Play, PES
2013 offers a wide array of game modes.
Performance Training
The training sessions are a popular part of the PES series, and are vital to mastering the new level of total control. A series of walk-thru guides
will ease the player into the intricacies of quick passes and manual shooting, and also allow them to refine the control over secondary players
via the improved off-the-ball control, and the deft footwork of lobbing a goalkeeper.
Football Life
Introduced in PES 2012, Football Life is an umbrella term for the series’ popular Master League, Become a Legend and Master League Online
sections.
Each has seen a wide number of changes and additions, with ways to bolster team performance by earning money to add special coaches to
work on the team’s weaknesses, while transfers are more open with clearer reasons as to why negotiations are stalling.
Players will want reassurance on key elements, and will sorry they are joining a team with many players vying for their position. This carries into
the Become a Legend mode, where the player is given feedback on how they need to improve to break into the squad.
Minimum system requirements
OS: Windows XP SP3, Vista SP2, 7
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz or equivalent
RAM: 1 GB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or ATI Radeon x1300. Pixel/Vertex Shader 3.0 and 128MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics card.
Recommended system requirements
OS: Windows XP SP3, Vista SP2, 7
Processor: Intel Core2Duo 2.0 GHz or equivalent
RAM: 2 GB
Graphics: NVidia GeForce 7900 or ATI Radeon HD2600 or higher. Pixel/Vertex Shader 3.0 and 512MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible
graphics card.
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