PES 2016 Review (XB1/PS4)

[RaychelSnr]

On the surface, Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) 2016 looks a lot like the 2015 version which won various awards (IGN Best Sports Game of 2014 & 2015 Gamescom Best Sports Game) and received an “8.0” from this very site. It’s not until you spend a little bit of time with it that you fully realize the improvements the team over at Konami made to this proud franchise. From the initial kick-off to the final blow of the whistle, there’s a lot in between to satisfy your yearly footy fix.

Read More - PES 2016 Review (XB1/PS4)

[ps3veron]

Great review!

[kamackeris76]

Re: PES 2016 Review (XB1/PS4)

Little to no fouls = no buy for me.

[Fedor_52]

great review

it's a fun game for sure, but the lack of fouls and passive CPU AI is a big problem, CPU plays way too much man coverage, don't even care for the ball, every attack feels so similar because of it

https://vimeo.com/136305347

[mjarz02]

I love the gameplay in PES 16. The game is fluid and lots of fun to play. However, lack of licenses, sliders and fouls is concerning. I ended up buying PES 16, but I'm leaning towards trading it in for Fifa. I didn't mind importing images and editing teams for the Premiere league. Once I realized that the Bundesliga would have to be completely built, along with creating players, it was just too much.

[HenryClay1844]

PES is fun and I love being able to edit the game, but IMO an 8-10 is a bit generous. After playing FIFA 16 and having a very very good foul engine, PES is just not good enough. The champions league music (there are tons of teams missing), the Asian teams and South American teams, along with edit mode are positives, but unless EA patches FIFA 16 to its detriment, I'll only be playing PES occasionally.

[KennyJ1976]

I honestly don't think Konami will do anything to address the lack of fouls in the game. They're getting too much praise on how good the gameplay is, which it is by the way. Maybe, if they release a Euro 2016 game next summer they'll do something about it, but I don't see it happening in PES 2016.

[dubcity]

Re: PES 2016 Review (XB1/PS4)

Well, that's easily the most in-depth and (in my view) accurate review I've read. Puts the rest to shame. Good work.

[DBMcGee3]

Now that's more realistic. Saw the 9.5 on IGN this morning and almost choked on my muffin.

It's a really good game, but far too many key flaws to be anywhere near a perfect score, in my opinion.

[BIGE888]

Can't wait to play this. I just hope the AI puts up a decent challenge this year. Only thing that really blows is how my PS4 decided to break during the time of year when my favorite games come out lol

[dubcity]

Re: PES 2016 Review (XB1/PS4)

Now that's more realistic. Saw the 9.5 on IGN this morning and almost choked on my muffin.





It's a really good game, but far too many key flaws to be anywhere near a perfect score, in my opinion.

All of those sites seem to give the same surface-level type reviews, and it makes it seem like the reviewer played the game for like 2 days. It'll be the same when the FIFA reviews drop. They'll spend half the review talking up how amazing the grass looks, or how much Ronaldo looks and feels like Ronaldo.

[RoyceDa59]

Re: PES 2016 Review (XB1/PS4)

All of those sites seem to give the same surface-level type reviews, and it makes it seem like the reviewer played the game for like 2 days. It'll be the same when the FIFA reviews drop. They'll spend half the review talking up how amazing the grass looks, or how much Ronaldo looks and feels like Ronaldo.

Its like that with all sports games unfortunately.

[ty5oke]

Good review. Hits just about all the points that I feel most strongly about in the game. With some editing done on PC version, I feel the game could become great.

[dwnz]

Re: PES 2016 Review (XB1/PS4)

Easily the best review of the game so far, everything else I have read only scratched the surface of the game.

[mfp]

Re: PES 2016 Review (XB1/PS4)

I don't see how a football game can receive a "great" review when it:

* lacks any satisfaction scoring goals unless playing with manual settings;
* has serious referee/foul issues;
* has some major issues with defensive AI;
* every goal is spectacular that it becomes repetitive;
* one-touch passing is ridiculously easy;
* R2 shooting is really, really OP;
* legacy issues with animations, automation, and player awareness;
* still very limited library of animations compared to other AAA sports titles.

And that's just gameplay. What about:

* horrible commentary;
* lack of licenses;
* lack of stadiums;
* lack of proper rosters;
* lack of updates stats for many players;
* horrible menu system;
* technical issues with online play.

PES 2016 might be the best PES ever, but that's not saying much considering what this franchise has done over the past decade, and the only way you can consider this game deserving of an 8 is if you grade PES only against other PES titles and disregard what other games, including other sports titles, are accomplishing with the current technology.

Relative to other PES titles, PES 2016 could be considered great; relative to what we should be expecting in 2015, this game ought to barely receive a passing grade.