Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 (PES 2014) is the latest instalment in Konami’s flagship sports franchise that can be traced all the way back to the release of International Superstar Soccer almost twenty years ago.

What You Need to Know

PES 2014 is a game that can be enjoyed by beginners and experts alike thanks to a deep control scheme that gives you unparalleled precision on the football pitch. Have you ever wanted to control individual players in the box when you’re taking a corner, or be able to specify exactly which player you want to send on a run while you’re taking the ball up the field? Well, in PES 2014 you can!

What’s New?

The main new feature that sets PES 2014 apart from previous games in the series is its use of Kojima Productions’ Fox Engine that was created to not only make Konami’s games look better but also to significantly speed up cross-platform development. I’ve only dabbled in previous PES titles during this console generation but it was immediately obvious to me that PES 2014 is a major step up for the franchise in terms of visual detail, lighting, animation and physics.

In addition to new commentary languages (Arabic, Argentinian, and Chilean) and licenses for the AFC Champions League, the Argentine Primera División, Chilean Primera División, Copa Sudamericana and Recopa Sudamericana, the game also features the all-new Motion Animation Stability System (M.A.S.S.) that increases the realism of tackles and player momentum on and off the ball based on each individual’s physical characteristics.

What’s the Same?

PES 2014 certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel in terms of the modes on offer. Just like most other football games, you can take part in exhibition matches, tournaments, online matches, assume the role and responsibilities of a custom or real-life player in Become a Legend mode, or experience the ups and downs of being a manager in Master League mode.

The game’s basic control scheme is also very easy to get to grips with if you’ve played other recent football titles, so you should feel right at home with PES 2014 even if you’ve never played the series before.

You’ll Enjoy Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 If You Liked…

… The FIFA series. There are many similarities between PES 2014 and FIFA 14 in terms of their control schemes, and they are both striving for the same level of realism when it comes to elements such as ball physics and player collisions.

… The MLB: The Show series. SCE San Diego Studio’s baseball franchise goes to great lengths to put absolute control in the hands of players and I got the same sense when I was learning the intricacies of PES 2014's incredibly deep control system.