PES 2013: 10 Reasons You Should Play Over FIFA 13
It immediately came to mind when I set out to write this article that many might dismiss me as yet another biased old-school PES player mindlessly promoting the imprisonment of an era, but Ive been playing FIFA since the days of the Megadrive and even back then I remember everyone busting my ears with a certain International Superstar Soccer".The best players play ISS! Its hard, its faster and much more fun," was the mantra I quickly got used to.
Back then I ignored it, slipping the cartridge back in to re-induce my FIFA trance, until curiousity got the better of me and I relented when PES 2008 hit the PS3 - ironically the year that FIFA really started to impose itself as the number 1 football game. The franchise had hit its lowest then, with Konami being heavily criticised for their perceived inability to make the most of next-gen platforms and with their game looking dated compared to EAs title, and yet I stuck to PES 2008 after falling for its very special feel. Half a decade has passed since, and Konami have been building up slowly while their chief rival has been busy tasting glory. But something seems to have changed this year: PES 2013 landed on the shelves of European gamers on the 25th of September and the tradition of seeing it completely slaughtered by most reviewers didn't come. And that positive critical reception (WhatCulture gave it a huge 4.5 stars in the official review) Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 is a game packed with charm, personality, technicality, freedom & creativity. Thats exactly why you need to open up and give both a good taster before immediately presuming that PES 2013 could never be as good as FIFA 13 based on past glories and failures. You have to ask yourself - is gloss your religion or a leather football flying and bouncing like it should? The decision should be your own, but that doesn't stop me presenting my own 10 reasons that this evolved title is a worthy contender for top spot...10. Feeling of Authenticity
The players in PES 2013 have always held a lot of soul due to the incredible amount of detail Konami put in sculpting player heads. Torres freckles, Fellainis "interesting" hair, Drogbas custom dreads, Gervinhos predator haircut and even Ronaldos razor slip... In fact, its the focus on the human feel that attracts me to PES. The facial expressions, the goal celebrations and not to forget the Player ID factor which maximises the focus on the gifted children of football such as Ronaldo, Rooney, Nehmar, Robben and many more. The players dont look like high quality textured models, but digitally sculpted to the finest details. You wont be saying, It does look a bit like John Terry here, no, youll more likely be saying Oh my god! I didnt know he had a spot on his nose! And its not just about the nose: its also about the cheekbones, the whole body proportions, the shoulder size and the way the physics engine wrap it all up to recreate earths gravity on both football and player.