Reviews// PES 2017

It's not without its flaws though. Get things wrong and it'll make some of the best defenders in the world look like pub team players. PES doesn't attempt to mimic. In fact this year seems to be a step back into the PS2 era of videogame football. A simple hold of X to tackle. A tap to stick a foot out manually. Good defending is more about positioning your back four more than it is timing a tackle and although it lacks the technical side of the game, it makes for a more confident approach to defending.

If my players are set up right and I spot a run, I can track a player knowing that I'm able to cut out a pass. Or if I notice a runner has taken a step too far I can push up to nip it off their feet. It's all about control, and less about worrying if the game has decided that an attacker can get past me or not. This rather dated approach to defending might turn some FIFA fans off and isn't perfect, but it clearly has its benefits.

By far the biggest improvement to the players themselves, though, sits between the posts. Keepers have been made harder to beat, keeping high scoring games down to a realistic rarity. One-on-ones are no longer an instant goal. Keepers can pull off incredible saves without it feeling like cheating. They're not invincible, though. Hit a ball hard enough and they'll have to collect the ball on a second attempt if they can't quite hold onto it - that is, if you haven't got a goal poacher up front ready to take advantage of the stinging palms of the keeper.

Overall, games play out in spectacular fashion. Each match is filled with organic drama. You'll gasp as someone runs clear in the box, and have that feeling that only football fans know when you score a goal. Each game is memorable and you'll be able to recall in great detail almost every goal you'll score.

It's the feeling of playing that makes PES so good. It feels less on-rails than any other football game I've played. That anything can happen in a split second. It feels like football and this year things have been tidied up that have held the series back.

Menus are slick, there are no strings of dialogue boxes flashing up as the game tries to 'establish connection'. Squad lists are up to date, and will be updated more regularly than ever (something that has always been a big issue). It lacks the bells and whistles of its richer counterpart, but what is there has finally been tidied up.

On top of all this, the net code has been solid in the online games I've played. Absolutely no lag, no waiting around trying to find opponents, and games play out at a steady pace without suffering from those who want to watch all the cutscenes while you're 4-0 down and ready to put your fist through the screen.

Is PES 2017 perfect? No, but the problems it has are no longer deal-breakers.

Referees can make strange decisions here and there and offsides are called way too quickly, removing the 'was he wasn't he' discussions we all have on a weekly basis.

It lacks the online features that FIFA has and licensed teams as well as the lower leagues are still something Konami needs to catch up with, but thanks to the work put in to pull the game together this now feels like a solid game of football rather than something that's been cobbled together by a small team trying to relight the PES fire because they loved it back in the day.

The things missing from the game can be worked on later down the line. What PES 2017 needed to do was take what they did with 2015 and 2016 and tighten things up. It needed to gather what it does have and iron out the creases because the series has come a long way from the dreadful Xbox 360 era. It's got back to what we all fell in love with in the first place, but it still had enough issues to get in the way of players truly falling in love with it all over again.

PES 2017 takes that extra step and Konami has created the best PES game ever. I've not played FIFA 17 yet, but based on last year's game this takes it to task and shows EA why it's not the only football game on the market. EA has a lot to do to convince me that it can produce something better.

Pros:
+ Refined gameplay
+ Vastly Improved Menus
+ Stunning visuals

Cons:
- Dodgy refs
- Lack of online game modes

SPOnG Score: 9/10