I began to lose a bit of faith a week or so ago, games were getting samey, the game felt too arcade and the game speed just went through the roof, I really wasn't enjoying it although I was winning in the main. To put it short, I hated what the game had become.
So today I thought let's try 1.02 and really dig a little deeper and try and work out why the game started to play so badly in my eyes. Having spent the last few days PES6'ing it, I wanted the game to be more midfield orientated or at least have some element of build up with different pace changes, but in order to get what I'm after I had to ask myself some serious questions of how I approach the game, and was I contributing to the mess that the game had become. By mess, I mean Superstar mode just going ballistic with the CPU directness and just counter after counter after counter.
1) So the first thing I did was change to this 1.02 on PS3. I heard that the CPU play a bit more cautiously and there is more variety in its play.
2) The second thing I had to do was to ask myself why the games were panning out like they were? Why there was acres of space in places that I didn't want. Why players were doing things I didn't want them too off the ball, and how the CPU was exploiting me with such directness on the counter. Now, this may be right or wrong but this is just my experience.
Firstly, I had to totally erase what I had previously thought was right about player positioning on the tactics board. I had tried cramming players in the middle of the park, deep, and still I was getting countered. Player support wasn't too high, so what was the problem? My 4-5-1 was still making the game play stupidly.
So onto the Offence/Defence setting, and this is where I think the problem lies. On the default (which is off, which equals no preference) my players just seem to do what they want, players get ahead of the ball and this is where things go berserk. I switched this to defensive firstly. I then switched away from 4-5-1 and now play 4-1-2 with the 1-2 being deep on the tactics board with a lone striker and two wide supporting wingers. The result therefore looks like midfield space, but the player positioning pans out much different due to this defensive setting being made.
It's this midfield three though that are now staying where they should when I switched to defensive. Instead of Lucas, Gerrard and whoever, always getting in front of play and leaving the midfield practically vacant, now my team had shape.
Also, I wasn't fooled by the 'defensive' nature of a defensive strategy. This is another thing where KONAMI just need to be clear about what stuff does. Players can still make runs with player support set accordingly, but now the defensive mentality just kind of kept players in their positions.
So, with 1.02, and then a change of mentality to either defensive or super defensive, this went a long way in stopping the silly CPU counters. But these two things in collusion with number 3, has just really opened the game up for me to another level.
3) R2 (And yes I know, I'm late to the party) Whilst I have garnered success on Superstar it has come at a cost, and that is playing a way that I did not want to play. I'm a PES player through and through, but I have always neglected the intricacies with regards to controls in favour of the pass, long pass and shoot approach. If I could master these, I could master anything.
But R2 this year....well....it's sublime. I persisted through three hammerings. Atletico schooled me 4-1 in the Europa, then Arsenal beat me 3-0. I then lost a tight game to QPR. I was adamant though that I was having some of this R2 stuff. By game four, things started to click. And this is another major point I want to raise.
It seems that half the problem, without using R2 in the past, has been down to the way I played. I analysed a couple of matches, and my general play was highly team-work orientated, highly inter-changeable with a multitude of players involved in the move and getting forwards of the ball carrier. In short a Barcelona style game just waiting to be countered.
With R2, because it brings out the individual battle element, I now don't have to commit players forwards of the striker in possession (or wingers) all the time. It means that my game has changed from predominantly pass and move, to a mixture of pass and move and individual battles. This is extremely handy in the final third.
Where's R2 been all my life?
I'm expecting the backlash, but quite honestly, it is probably the single best mastered thing I've ever committed too. Suddenly Downing, Suarez for example are fixing their man in the sights and taking him on, nullifying Superstar levels lightening reflexes. Also, R2 slows the game down brilliantly, commits players and just creates so many more opportunities in terms of player runs and general positioning. In fact I almost use R2 with virtually every attack now, to change the landscape of the pitch.
The result of these three things, has been four awesome games today. Simply awesome. The last two, have been particularly great. The way I have everything now, the gamespeed is at last realistic, the CPU is playing some football, and I'm playing the type of football that I want to play and get enjoyment from.
Here's three goals that are all down to R2.
YouTube - PES 2013 R2 build up play
The first was a lovely ball from Suarez to Downing, who traps it and sells his man hook line and sinker after drawing him in with R2.
The second is two fold. Some lovely hold up play from Robinson brings into play Gerrard, who laterally moves his man creating time and space for Borini to finish.
The third may not seem like much, but just by using R2 it changes the picture of the game and moving laterally whilst others changed their paths, winning the ball back (probably because of Gerrard's tenancity) and then just a simple ball gives Suarez the chance to finish.
So with a few things tinkered about with I am now getting more satisfaction out of PES than at any time leading up to today. The last two games, a 2-0 away to Stoke and a 2-2 v Villa have been just outstanding in terms of realism and balance and with me looking to master R2 plus the tactical tweaks, I feel that it's on a far level playing field.
PS
The last thing I just want to say is that I'm back playing where I want to be, on my big tele on the PS3. I'm also using Long cam as I feel closer to the one on one battles and Superstar mode, 15 minute matches, -1 gamespeed.
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