Right i've had a day to mull over my thoughts on the demo. I played around 6, maybe 7 games last night, which is an achievement in itself given i could only stomach 1 or 2 consecutive games of PES10. Besides, it was late and me needing to go to sleep was the only reason i turned it off.
Before i give a review it's best to give you a bit of background. I was given a taste of PES (or ISS as it was) probably around 10 or 11 years ago on the PS1. I was blown away by how simple yet satisfying it was compared to Fifa. I stuck with Konami all the way through the progression from ISS to PES right up until PES10, despite last enjoying the game in PES6.
I crossed over to the dark side of Fifa when they released Fifa09, and i was reeled in by the very enjoyable demo. Being honest, i really enjoyed Fifa09, while i didn't really enjoy PES09. This lead to me buying Fifa10, which i pretty much hated, due to the broken MM, and the Ice Hockey like physics of the game - high speed, high aggression etc.
So i bought PES10 on the PC and enjoyed some fantastic mods, and at times, i enjoyed playing the game. After a while it became stale so i decided to buy the Fifa WC game to play only on manual. I enjoyed that for a while, but EA seemed to be going down an even faster and more aggressive route which totally ruins the experience. Besdies, with the last few Fifa's the player movement has become very predictable, and whilst it was fun, it never really convinced me it was a football sim, which is what i've been longing for...
Anyway, enough of the back story, here's my impressions on PES11 Demo.
Graphics
Stunning, in one word. Lighting is near perfect, shadows are great, textures are great, replays are amazing. I love the motion blur, although i have read that a few people hate it. Personal taste i guess.
Passing
Best bit of the game imo. Not really like manual on Fifa, and it is still possible to play ping pong football (granted, it is harder), but against the AI, if you decide to play that way, you obviously have no issue with it. Online it could be a problem but there are exploits and game ruiners in most games.
Short passing is great, as is the manual pass modifier. Long passing feels great, and play switching is brilliant. Through balls have been great for me, when using x. When i use triangle, i struggled.
I've noticed a few complaints about player movement, but for me it's been fine. Players react to through balls, even if they look dis-interested in making the run. I'd hate to have an L1 style forward run option like Fifa. Unrealistic imo.
Shooting
Controlled finishes feel nice. General shooting is more difficult especially when off balance as the ball feels lighter. It'll take some getting used to, but it seems to travel less straight and bullet like which is a good thing.
Goalkeepers
There had to be a negative, and here it is. They're an improvement on PES10, but that doesn't say much. The animations at times are frankly, terrible. Keepers shouldn't land on their front everytime they dive. It's odd, and ruins the feeling of scoring sometimes. They're less error prone, butit was the animations that bothered me and they haven't really been fixed.
Defending
Seems ok. That's all i can say at the minute. I'm keeping the ball well enough to not be attacked all that often. Seen no craziness so far, although i'm yet to feel fully in control of what i am doing
Everything else
Computer AI is good. Defensively they made errors at times, but attacking wise they offered variety. Through balls, long balls, crossing, good movement. Big step up from 10.
At times i noticed the computer automatically taking over my defender to clear the ball, which is annoying.
I noticed that -1 is the perfect match speed for me. Either way, there is something for everyone.
Some link up animations are still missing but all in all, it's much better than 10.
Player individuality kicks ass. Robben runs with the ball like Robben. Xavi and Iniesta turn sharply to keep the ball. Busquest kept playing easy and quick passes. Messi runs at you. It's all there and it's brilliant.
Final Score
9/10. I'd have given it a ten if the keeper animations were fixed. Oh and them darn nets.
Quality game. Hats off to Seabass and co.