Something i'd like to share here with the usual silly FIFA and PES debate.
I have played both and will continue to play both and every football game which is released since 1994. I have extensively played FIFA 14 and PES 2014 and 2013 this year, when i read people's opinions here the overwhelming issue i see here is people seem rather, as i say 'insecure'.
People's awareness is solely based on now, now and now, nobody seems to be good at looking forward and seeing the big picture. PES's rise and fall and imminent resurgence is no accident along with the Rise of FIFA. What i can't understand is why people can't see this?
ISS/PES became the number 1 football game because Seabass's team did their homework and didn't cut corners like other companies did way back on the PS1 Generation, this followed onto the PS2 generation because Seabass's team got the philosophy right. Build the game on stats.
Most if not all the other titles built their games on all manner of gimmicks and their games lacked individuality and variety because they where not prepared to do their homework.
The reason why FIFA came to prominence now is because of money, EA tried all sorts of gimmicks over the years, most if not all of which failed until around FIFA 2005, they started to get hardened PES fanatics in who gave FIFA a better platform to build their game on, trying to emulate PES with new technology and a more stat based philosophy. EA despite their failures always had giant reserves of cash and received a new, groundbreaking next generation engine in 2005! This was and still is standard procedure at EA, Konami on the other hand didn't look into the future and their failure was inevitable due to their fear of change.
EA's success around FIFA 08/09 and especially 10 on this generation unfortunately brought in an issue, they had an engine a generation ahead of its competitor so there has been since FIFA 08 no core changes to build the game on stats. Their intention from FIFA 10 onwards has shown no serious attempt to improve the game using the PES philosophy, instead it's become the 'Call of Duty' of football games, an 'action sim', it simulates a few aspects but fails to balance out the game, it seems to go from one extreme to the other each title. Take for example the tricks on FIFA, on FIFA 08 this was in the philosophy of PES stat based, every player who was over 85 for ball control could do all the advanced tricks, since 09 it's been totally separate to the stats. Then you have the goals you score, for years finesse shots across the keeper where king, then they stopped this for near post piledrivers to become the king. Every year they have added new features which have brought the game 4 steps forwards but these have always brought new flaws which bring the game 3 steps backwards. This is because EA have had gameplay which looks and feels a generation ahead with it's engine despite the action simulation nature of the game itself.
EA have their game in an unassailable position regardless of what PES does, hence why i have put no energy into trying to improve EA's title like i used to, our input means nothing because the game will sell regardless.
The reason I've put so much energy into PES is because it's doing it's homework with the resources it has available, it's accepted it's position in the marked and has worked hard to go back to what made it great and stabilize, it's simply not had the money to advertise and promote it's game against EA, so it's gone into working on the care fundamentals of football. From PES 2010-2013, clearly not all the titles, every year key improvements where made to advance the football philosophy. PES 2013 for me and for many was the 'genesis' of PES, it was everything they could do within the last generation engine they had.
The most interesting me is last years failure with PES 2014 was people has seemed to forget that Konami now have an engine which can stand up to EA's engine, this, just like FIFA taking over from PES 7 years ago means PES's resurgence is inevitable.
It's not about, arguing which is better and who is an idiot for playing what, these things go in cycles and it's about all of us being aware what was good, what's good now and what will be good. People will pick what they like, we are a community and that is the most important thing we all share our experiences, whichever game is better won't change our lives but the discussions here and new awareness discovered can only create good things.
