Re: PES 2014 Discussion Thread (NO FIFA DEMO TALK IN HERE!)
More thoughts after a few more games:
The goalkeepers need a little more polishing. It just feels like they're somewhat incomplete. They are MUCH better at dealing with low shots now, pulling off great leg and line saves, but they seem to have problems with dipping or rising shots.
The CPU defenders are beastly. They close you down immediately, sticking their foot out, jumping, doing anything to get their body in the way of the ball. It does need balancing though as the physics and animations get a bit wonky after collisions often leaving you unable to move for a couple seconds.
Referees need ALOT of work. This is where the game fails. Soft fouls practically don't exist. If the referees were fixed, half of the tackles made by the CPU would be non-carded fouls.
CPU teams need more variety. This will be fixed by community members, but I was hoping Konami would do better this year. Basically every CPU team plays deep defense, counter attacking football. They keep possession in their own half for a bit, pass it to the midfield and within seconds will most often use a lofted through ball. It also doesn't help that your own teammates seem inept at tracking simple penetrating runs.
I absolutely adore the shooting. The sheer variety of shots is astounding. What's more is that shots don't feel mathematically random like in the 'other game'. They feel and look totally organic; rising, dipping, curling and even wobbling. Love it.
All in all, it's a fantastic game, not their magnum opus, but definitely laying the ground work for perfection. I really think they should have brought this to NG consoles. PS360 can't handle it. Replays run at <15 FPS and frame-rate drops during gameplay lead to drops in responsiveness. Thankfully I'm getting it on PC.