'FIFA' vs 'PES': Which of the New Titles Is the Best?

A still from FIFA 15

You can’t have missed that there’s a new FIFA out. It’s everywhere. For many years gaming’s preeminent simulation of the so-called beautiful game, the series consistently tops charts in the UK whenever another iteration arrives – this latest one ate up 80 percent of all games sales in its week of release.

An unexpected knock-on effect of FIFA 15’s success so far has been an increase in Xbox One sales – cross-promotion with Microsoft’s current-gen platform, and a limited-time price cut for said machine, saw the console outpace its main rival, the PlayStation 4. Hardware sales were up 155 percent for the Xbox One, indicating just how massive an attraction FIFA is to gamers.

Everything’s rosy then, right? Sure enough, the new FIFA builds on previous models in all the right, but entirely anticipated, ways. It looks sharper. Its grass is prettier. Shirts crumple with greater realism – and you can pull them, if you’re a dirty, dirty cheat. Its menus remain intuitive, its multiple modes of play offering a range of options, maintaining attentions for as long as anyone can stand staring at Lionel Messi’s face every ten minutes.

The game continues to get recognisable footballers talking about it, in developer EA’s promotional material. Here, Rio Ferdinand and Samir Nasri debate the stats they’ve been afforded in the game; there, Eden Hazard shows off some tricks that have transferred from the training ground into the game proper.

EA’s marketing power is colossal – even if the reviews for FIFA 15 weren’t good, which they are, the game would still romp its way to commercial dominance. All it really went up against on release was a single PC game made by a small team, The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter. That’s it. The big guns give FIFA a wide berth before putting out their own triple-A wares. Forza Horizon 2, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Alien: Isolation, even Skylanders – the people behind these big-sellers know better than to pitch themselves into week-one battle with a game that consistently excels at the tills.

A more interesting situation might have arisen if FIFA’s closest competitor for console soccer honours, Pro Evolution Soccer, had been issued around the same time. Last year’s version of Konami’s football game – aesthetically and mechanically similar to FIFA, but lacking a lot of official licenses (and, historically, decent player likenesses) – came out in the UK in September, days after its rival. This year, Brits won’t get to play the Japan-developed alternative until November, which gives EA complete dominion over the football games-buying market for a solid two months.

But after playing the bridesmaid for a number of years – the last time PES was truly ahead was in 2007, when PES 6 (Adriano and England’s Brave John Terry on its sleeve) refined its formula to a state of previous-gen perfection – 2014 could see Konami’s title emerge as the better game. Honestly. Its demo is available to download now and, compared with FIFA 15 on the same platform (in this case, the PS3), it stands up really well. If you want Sky Sports-like presentation and officially licensed leagues and cups, it’s FIFA that will still tick your boxes – but while the new FIFA can feel a little sluggish in motion, inputs sticky and player responses lethargic, PES shapes up with a sharpness and slickness reminiscent of the series’ glory days.

FIFA is the complete package. It’s world football distilled to a disc, with lifelike players – for the most part, as no way does this year’s model look close to the actual Dusan Tadic – turning out for authentically kitted-out teams, and a plethora of leagues and the like to compete in. All 20 Premier League grounds are featured, meaning Burnley fans will finally get to see a digitised Danny Ings score against the backdrop of the Bob Lord Stand. Dreams can come true. It’s kept its popular Ultimate Team mode intact, and is so accurate that it’s even recognising Luis Suarez’s ban for chewing on an Italian, meaning Career Mode players won’t have access to the Uruguayan until October 26th.

A still from PES

FIFA 15 plays really well. Much like 14, it can be an absolute arsehole to defend, with timing of the essence or it’s early baths for the back four. But the game has opened itself up to favour attacking attitudes – after a slow start to my own Career Mode, I was soon seeing some special scores come in: a home win against Stoke City to the tune of 7-2, and an away victory at White Hart Lane, slaying Spurs with six of the best against their single goal in return (although Adebayor missed such a sitter from about two yards out that I must have gawped at the replay for a full five minutes).

After ten matches in charge of Southampton I’d scored 47 goals and conceded eight. Ridiculous. I realise that nothing is as dull as talking about your own non-existent virtual football teams but I do so to illustrate a point: that this is what FIFA players want, and that's what EA have given them. Fantasy football, but with enough realism to frame the fiction with studied stats and basic management tasks – there’s no cleaner to sort out a pay rise for, but you might find Jack Cork becoming a contract renegade, even when you’re starting him every other match and offering him an improved salary.

PlayStation Access’s FIFA vs PES Challenge

PES is great for different reasons. Its demo matches FIFA in terms of immediate playability, combined with nuanced depths – both titles can be approached as arcade-y kick-abouts, but learn the tricks and they become more rewarding experiences – and both possess a physicality to proceedings that simply didn’t exist a few iterations ago. The ball pops and spins, deflects wildly from desperate lunges and when players collide at pace they’re soon enough prone on the turf – which, again, has never looked more handsome, particularly in Konami’s game.

PES – without commentary in its demo guise, which is actually a relief after hearing Alan Smith spout the same garbage kick-off after kick-off – is smoother than FIFA, though, and its responses quicker. It also seems – and I must stress “seems”, as I’ve played neither game for hours enough to be categorical about this stuff – to possess better opposition AI.

When playing as Real Madrid against their city rivals Atlético, with Los Roijiblancos a goal up and the clock ticking towards 90 minutes, the computer-controlled guys adopted a keep-ball mentality. They didn’t push on, and tried to roll passes between defence and midfield, seeing time out. It didn’t work – I nicked it, and scored a 90th minute equaliser (or, rather, substitute Jesé did). But what came next really did fascinate me – and, again, perhaps it’s just chance, but it’s what happened.

From the restart, Atlético surged forward in numbers and overwhelmed my defence. And they scored, with the last meaningful kick of the game. I was gutted, but massively impressed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it in a football game before. But then, I still play Sensible Soccer more often than modern equivalents, so what do I know?

Enough, from this limited comparison, to feel that Konami’s claim that they’re returning PES to its roots is supported by actually playing the thing – 15 really is the closest, even at demo stage, that any PES has come to greatness since the John Terry years. Its menus are still messy, and the game won’t feature much in the way of real cups to win, but if it’s a fast and furious, but fair, local-multiplayer game of football you’re after, PES might be the one. The Ultimate Team-ers and online screamers, the sofa-sitting schemers and transfer market dealers – you’ve already picked up FIFA, so however PES turns out won’t matter to you. But, if you’re on the fence?

It’s too tough a call right now. I’m going back to Sensi until Cork packs in his petulance.

@MikeDiver

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