Been as though everyone is in nostalgic mood I just played a game of PES6 patched on PC, which managed to get a nice cross lend between 5 and 6.
Unbelievable game. Not in terms of goals or anything like that (although even my shitty scuffed goal brought a smile as it looked so fucking realistic), just the tiny subtle stuff.
Things like the ball bouncing in the air and the headed battles. The one or two moments in the game when you are completely on top, everything is crisp, then the periods of stodgy midfield scraps where arms and legs are flying everywhere and no team can get hold of the ball and players are bouncing off each other. The fouls...brilliant.
Was a period where Arsenal tried to rough Downing up with 2/3 quick body fouls, so brilliant. The shooting. awesome. The keepers, my god. Natural or what.
The colours and textures and atmosphere and crowd. For the first time in ages I paid attention to the pre game screen, normally any old fucker will do. But I had to manage the form and stamina etc correctly as this game actually implements these things brilliantly.
I love the way you feel totally in control and yet fully never in control if you understand me. You have to be aware of the player, his preferred feet, the pressure, body angle. It's 8 axis and yet it feels a thousand times freer than this gen. This is no shit. One game saw 1 goal each, 2 yellows for them, one for me and a red for me (had to take him down as he got past Hyypia but thought a had just enough cover from a running defender).
Love the way when the keeper throws it to certain players they need 2/3/4 touches to get under the spell and then others just the 1 or 2. Love the way my players clearly were knackered last 15 minutes, Suarez was on his arse. Did I mention the keepers?
Two brilliant parts of the game stood out though, it was a save made by Reina which the CPU shot low and hard which he managed to get a hand too and push it wide and a wonderful bit of interchange between Gerrard and Suarez culminating in a brilliant save from keeper when Suarez tried to dink one. It's these moments that make the game. Not the score being 5-5.
Also slowed down a few replays and the way the ball moves and spins is just....unbelievable. Threw the ball out to left back and you could just see the ball spinning as he was trying to control it then it went up to his jersey, chested it and back down. Love the way you can use you body too lose players with the slightest of the flick of the controller regardless if your Ronaldo or Carragher charging at you. If the CPU has their angles wrong and momentum, and you get it right, you slide by.
These were the highlights. Just awesome.
https://youtu.be/NdRTXOYDdDc
And this is just brilliant.
https://youtu.be/Atl2jmS6Yq0
Gerrard is running into space, gets involved in a jostle in which he probably has better strength stats, wins the jostle and comes back on himself whilst the CPU momentum continues forward. Suarez logic is then outstanding as Gerrard sees the pass but the keeper is too quick off his line narrowing the angle. Suarez tries to beat him but the distance has been closed and the keeper makes a brilliant body save. THIS!!
So how come I can still get blown away by a game which is a decade old and every time I have a an hour spell on it I still see about 3 new things, and yet be so underwhelmed these days. Just bonkers. If they released a PES 5/6 on PS4 HD NOW I'd pay £100 for it (well maybe £60).
The fact is people go on about clunkiness and restricted by the axis etc, but once you work with the mechanics of the game and the logic you can deal with it. The CPU felt as human as me when I played it. They made mis-placed passes. They shoot scuffed shots into the ground and one volley from their striker literally went out the stadium.
Sorry about the reminiscing (AGAIN) but I feel we are as far away from this than at any other point to date. Every single box this ticked as an 8 or a 9 out of ten.