Remember the good old days when FIFA had the modes, the teams and the slickest presentation, but Pro Evo had the edge on gameplay? Well, they’re back again. After a few years in the doldrums, Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 sees Konami’s football series back on form and looking better than ever. Not all of Konami’s efforts to match FIFA have borne fruit, but it no longer feels like a struggling Championship side in terms of features, and it gets things right on the pitch. If you’ve sampled this year’s FIFA and decided that it’s not for you, then PES 2015 should be right on target.

The skin-deep stuff is a big improvement on Pro Evo 2014. The menus have never been slicker, while the modern indie and EDM soundtrack is the best we’ve heard from a sports game in recent years. Crowd noise rises and falls in response to the onscreen action and the commentary from Jim Beglin and John Champion does the same, even if it grows worryingly repetitive within the space of a few matches.

The graphics, meanwhile, show that Konami is getting to grips with the next-gen consoles. Players look more solid and convincing, hair and facial details are more lifelike, and the animation is top-notch. Arguably, Pro Evo’s handling of player-to-player and player-to-ball interactions is more convincing, with fewer of those weird-looking motions that drag you down to the uncanny valley.

FIFA still has the better lighting, the better cloth dynamics, the better player likenesses and the better pitch, but PES no longer looks like a spruced-up last-gen title, and the close-ups of post-tackle injuries and goals can be eerily convincing. Weather and pitch deformation effects, while not that frequently used, also add to the real-world football feel.

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PES 2015

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Summary
Our Score
8/10
Pros

Next-gen graphics and slick presentation
Fast, fluid gameplay
More game modes
Cracking soundtrack

Cons

myClub mode is no Ultimate Team
Still falls behind FIFA in some key areas

Review Price £41.99

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Available on PS4 (reviewed), Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Remember the good old days when FIFA had the modes, the teams and the slickest presentation, but Pro Evo had the edge on gameplay? Well, they’re back again. After a few years in the doldrums, Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 sees Konami’s football series back on form and looking better than ever. Not all of Konami’s efforts to match FIFA have borne fruit, but it no longer feels like a struggling Championship side in terms of features, and it gets things right on the pitch. If you’ve sampled this year’s FIFA and decided that it’s not for you, then PES 2015 should be right on target.

The skin-deep stuff is a big improvement on Pro Evo 2014. The menus have never been slicker, while the modern indie and EDM soundtrack is the best we’ve heard from a sports game in recent years. Crowd noise rises and falls in response to the onscreen action and the commentary from Jim Beglin and John Champion does the same, even if it grows worryingly repetitive within the space of a few matches.

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/00002f6db/36d5_orh616w616/PES-2015-2.jpg
PES 2015

The graphics, meanwhile, show that Konami is getting to grips with the next-gen consoles. Players look more solid and convincing, hair and facial details are more lifelike, and the animation is top-notch. Arguably, Pro Evo’s handling of player-to-player and player-to-ball interactions is more convincing, with fewer of those weird-looking motions that drag you down to the uncanny valley.

FIFA still has the better lighting, the better cloth dynamics, the better player likenesses and the better pitch, but PES no longer looks like a spruced-up last-gen title, and the close-ups of post-tackle injuries and goals can be eerily convincing. Weather and pitch deformation effects, while not that frequently used, also add to the real-world football feel.