Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 Review (Xbox One)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Pro Evolution Soccer 2015
  • Platform: Xbox One
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Pro Evolution Soccer 2015

Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 asks gamers to be patient, to think about their team, about the numbers that describe the abilities of their players, about the tactical setup that they have chosen and the way it matches up with that of the opposition.

All these elements need to be taken into account before a pass can be delivered in the right spot to unlock a defensive position or a slide can be attempted to eliminate an attacking threat.

The Konami-made title is not as flashy as FIFA or as focused on spectacle, but it can deliver some very interesting moments when just one good move and one goal can make the difference between victory and defeat.

Story

Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 does not make any changes to the tried and tested formula of football sims, allowing gamers to choose their favorite team and then manage it over the years, tweaking tactics, recruiting players and then leading it on the pitch as it tries to get silverware and defeat other major powers of the sport.

The problem with the new title from Konami is that it lacks licenses, and that means that for some gamers it will be hard to connect with a team given its generic name, even if the actual players are present and their likeness is pretty good.

In the Premier League, for example, just Manchester United is named as such and there’s no way I can connect with Merseyside Red as I do with my favorite team, Liverpool.

Towards goal
Towards goal

The Bundesliga is also missing in action, which is a shame given the quality of the matches it has been delivering over the last few years.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 does have the Champions League license and also introduces other cup competitions from other continents, which means that big football fans will find some solid competition to take on.

Gameplay

In an ideal world, one should be able to write about Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 without mentioning FIFA, but the developers who worked on the most recent installment of the football sim from Konami seem to have conscientiously positioned their title to offer an experience which contrasts with that delivered by the EA Sports-made title.

Initially, matches seem too slow and the movement of the player too predictable, but after a while the entire system starts to show its depth.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 is a game about the tactics of football rather than its spectacle.

Passes need to be considered based on a player’s position and movement, defenders need to carefully press an opponent before a teammate comes in to take the ball away or a tackle is launched, shots work only if the player is in a good position and has a solid angle.

Constant sprinting only tires everyone out and oftentimes it does not deliver good results. Moreover, keeping a good shape for the entire team, with no gaps that can be exploited by through balls or lobbed passes, is crucial to success.

Goalkeepers do very well in Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 and strikers need good position to express their talents, which tends to result in many low scoring matches, especially when the two teams involved are close in terms of value.

Real Madrid versus Liverpool can still result in a stream of goals, but there are moments when the Premier League has more draws than home wins.

The best piece of tactical advice I discovered is to try and begin all matches strongly, with a lot of pressing and as many shots and crosses as possible, trying to get an early goal before going into a more defensive setup.

Sliding around is also discouraged and the game seems almost eager to hand out yellow cards even for relatively minor offenses, which would not even draw a foul call in the real world.

But most of the time, PES 2015 manages to deliver an accurate take on football, with an emphasis on solid planning and good execution.

Off the pitch, the game is less impressive, with the Master League mode pretty much unchanged and with a lot of cup competitions that might not appeal to all fans of the sport.

The menus can also feel clunky and there are times when the entire interface, including the part for the solid tactical choices, seems designed to fight gamers rather than help them tweak their team.

Graphics and audio

Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 is using the new Fox Engine, which was initially created to exploit the power of the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 for the Metal Gear Solid series, and it manages to deliver mostly solid quality visuals, even if it never manages to truly impress.

The action on the pitch moves fluidly and it’s easy to see where to deliver the ball or how to move players around on the defensive, but there are moments when it’s truly hard to know exactly who you are passing to, even after spending a lot of time with a team.

The biggest problem is that detailed reproductions are only offered for the biggest stars of the game, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney, Messi and others on their level.

Tactical setup
Tactical setup

Meanwhile, the supporting cast is hard to distinguish most of the time, which can break the immersion that football simulations need to create for players to remain engaged in the long term.

The sound design of Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 is good, with plenty of noise coming from the stands, both positive and negative, but the commentary and the soundtrack are relatively boring and do not help with the immersion.

Multiplayer

Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 is a sign that Konami understands that EA Sports has hit on some solid ideas with FIFA in the last few years, and that means that the myClub mode has been modelled closely on the Ultimate Team.

Gamers are challenged to create a solid team, create tactics based on the players they recruit, and then compete against others online, with division segregated by skill.

The main difference is the way agents need to be used in order to get access to the most skilled players in the game, which adds an interesting new layer to the entire experience, and gamers are free to spend real world money in order to get better players instead of investing time.

Of course, Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 also allows gamers to simply select two teams and play out their rivalry over hundreds of matches stretched over tens of weeks, which is as satisfying as ever.


The Good

  • Core on the pitch mechanics
  • Focus on realism
  • Champions League license

The Bad

  • Presentation options
  • Graphics quality
  • Limited Master League innovation

Conclusion

Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 is the best football simulation experience that Konami has delivered in years, and next year the series might actually be a challenge that EA Sports needs to take into account as it develops its own FIFA series.

On the pitch, the new game is slower than its rival, more focused on movement and on creating space, which will appeal to football fans who value tactics over spectacle.

myClub can easily serve as a replacement for Ultimate Team and Master League can easily swallow up hundreds of hours, as long as the gamer can get past the lack of official licenses.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 is a good game that might fail to capture the attention of football fans simply because the series has disappointed for a long time and too many of its long-term fans have moved on, but the most recent release from Konami is definitely worth trying out.

It will be interesting to see how the game evolves after launch and whether Konami can deliver the long-term support so necessary to keep its fans happy as it further refines the core mechanics.

story 7
gameplay 8
concept 9
graphics 8
audio 7
multiplayer 8
final rating 8
Editor's review
very good
 

Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 Images (20 Images)

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