2. Presentation
It would be easy to cite the glossy new design of career mode and the aforementioned licences as the reasons for FIFA winning this category outright, but menus and fancy Windows 8-like tiles only paint half the picture when comparing two games that will be in your drive for a whole 12 months. There is no doubt that EA has given FIFA 14 a fresh new look, mostly evident in Ultimate Team and at half-time intervals. The menu system is slick and stylish, with very little clutter, and the once painfully slow process of making substitutions and releasing your inner Jose Mourinho via tactics has been given a small increase in speed throughout the game. It's fast and responsive, but still not perfect. PES 2014 is quite a nice overhaul from years gone by, with a new, more personal style overtaking the rather boring menus of PES 2013 and PES 2012. The kits and player models look incredible too, and really benefit from the added graphical boost. On the pitch is where it matters, though, and this is where PES really comes into its own. From the moment the players step onto the pitch, the atmosphere inside the stadium erupts in cheers and jeers of equal measure. The stadiums are amazingly detailed, and the crowds are very impressive throughout each game, changing with each tackle or attempt on goal. It adds an exciting dimension to each game, especially over the course of a Master League. FIFA 14, for all of its polish and attention to detail off the pitch, remains largely the same. The new entrances and match day build up look nice but, again, ultimately falls flat, as real emotion is never really captured. The players and crowd react the same playing an exhibition as they do in a league decider, which certainly detracts from the immersion. Commentary on both gets boring fast, with the same phrases muttered before, during and after each game. It's one area where there is no clear winner, but because on the pitch is where it should matter, PES 2014 just about shades it - Jim Beglin one-liners and all.
Winner: PES 2014