eFootball PES 2021 Season Update

• eFootball PES 2021 Season Update is exactly what it says – due to Covid-19 disrupting the sports calendar – this is an updated version of last year’s edition
• It comes with a very competitive price due to this that will likely appeal to some undecideds
• It also boasts exclusive Euro 2020 content even before the delayed tournament takes place in 2021

Disclaimer – I began playing Konami’s football games with International Superstar Soccer 64 (I feel old now).

I’ve played ever Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) series up until the Playstation 4 and during the heydays of the Playstation 2 was an avid defender of PES against FIFA. However, where once the two franchises were close rivals during this period, it’s become pretty clear in the intervening years that FIFA’s ultra-realism and huge scope of teams have really put PES to shame.

A Season Unlike Any Other

Due to Covid-10’s impact, playing the latest version of PES, eFootball PES 2021 Season Update, was pretty much like picking up a PS2 version of the game – and that’s not a bad thing.

Obviously for a PS4 game, the graphics look pretty impressive, with some players’ resemblances looking quite life-like. The controls? Again, you could feel no major differences from any previous versions.

However, each version of PES has its own dynamics – sometimes the passing is tinkered with, runs players make are different, or physicality of players matters more. It is a moveable feast each year.

This year, passing feels, at times, extremely slick until you experience deflected or scuffed balls which cause the play to fragment in a pretty unnatural way. The core passing system is still there, making through balls a delight when executed correctly.

Meanwhile, sprinting with players for a loose ball can see the game’s AI struggling to discern which player should be doing the chasing. 50/50 runs with defenders can see your player, in effect, being held back – which in any game of real football now would lead to a foul.

Here’s the thing. I still love PES. Fundamentally it gas always had great mechanics and is an extremely fun game to play.

This year is no different. Boot it up with friends and you’ll have a riot, especially in coop teams or tournaments.

Everything looks the part and despite the issues I mentioned above, you get the latest kits and the latest players in a very fun game.

The issue I have with PES and also FIFA is that each year’s edition is really just tinkering of minor features, without looking to make a big leap forward in changing the essence of these games. One thing to say though is that PES’s price this year is extremely competitive which is great for any undecided looking to give the game a go.

I’m hoping with the advent of new consoles, like the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X, that both EA Sports and Konami will make attempts to really address significant changes to both series. In reality, for fans of both, we’ve been playing the same game each and every year with little to no difference.

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Rating:

Playing eFootball PES 2021 Season Update is a blast, it really is.

If you’ve ever picked up a copy of PES in the past, you’ll instantly be at home with how the game looks and plays. New kits, new licences and good graphics.

While this is well worth your time and money (especially at the price of this game), the question has to be, what comes next?

As a long time fan, I’m hoping that we can see a really transformational leap from Konami for the next gen version of this vaunted series.