PES 2018 vs 2019 vs 2020 vs 2021?

i'm back with pes 2019 for current season, there were some things with pes 2021 that bothered me a little bit.
 
I am giving a try on all those again in ML. SUPERSTAR difficulty on 2020/2021 always, on 2018/2019 back again on SS after TP.

Still feeling alone, still searching for someone to tell that he played ML in 2018 and 2019 , on console, without gameplay modes and come and tell me that SUPERSTAR is OK and that i am doing things wrong, or it is up to my personal skill.

What i finally get? YES both games are more responsive, YES 2018 is the best PES to control player and ball up to date, etc, etc... It is a joy to build up, and you feel 100% in control of your game and your plays..

Issues remain...

Where i finally end up... In both games on SUPERSTAR, in ML, i feel like i am playing against "a machine".. It feels difficult, it feels challenging, but it becomes so artificially difficult , that it becomes blatant and unrewarding.

The AI is cynical, it can't hold up with my 60% ball possesion, especially in 2018 , that i feel 110% in control. The only difference, that in 2018 due to better variation, it can score with more ways, headers, shoots, etc.

In 2019, the SUPERSTAR practically limits the AI to play in a certain way. Either excecute 2~3 long low passes and then smash the ball to my goalpost top corner, or if i manage to keep clean sheat for a while, they give up on this type, (usually they smash 2 to 3 goals like this), they start collapsing to wings and try low crosses with tap-in high smash. Among all those, they may try some crosses and headers, but their love for low crosses or high-smash diagonal shots, is more than obvious.

So on 2018 & 2019, i am still trying, still enjoying the "football" situatuin in the duration, still feeling unsatisfied or "cheated" or not rewarded by the final results.
 
In 2018, at least the freedom of dribbling, controlling and the variation of the CPU AI, makes the game more bearable. Even the interstellar level of CPU shite teams, is something i can get over. What i cannot stand is the Supermen DFs and GKs, that makes you do a lot of hard work, to achieve a goal. I mean after a level, the difficulty makes the game too "seperate" from the real sport and its quintessence , which is scoring goals.

I mean, most of my goals , i need to work hard, something like these below:


The finesse here was OK-ish, but the second was "TRY-HARD" more again. Despite that, i loved how secondary press+gegenpress worked, and i contained opponent defender with three players of mine :)

And both goals, only before i was loosing 0-2 already.

 
I am giving a try on all those again in ML. SUPERSTAR difficulty on 2020/2021 always, on 2018/2019 back again on SS after TP.

Still feeling alone, still searching for someone to tell that he played ML in 2018 and 2019 , on console, without gameplay modes and come and tell me that SUPERSTAR is OK and that i am doing things wrong, or it is up to my personal skill.

What i finally get? YES both games are more responsive, YES 2018 is the best PES to control player and ball up to date, etc, etc... It is a joy to build up, and you feel 100% in control of your game and your plays..

Issues remain...

Where i finally end up... In both games on SUPERSTAR, in ML, i feel like i am playing against "a machine".. It feels difficult, it feels challenging, but it becomes so artificially difficult , that it becomes blatant and unrewarding.

The AI is cynical, it can't hold up with my 60% ball possesion, especially in 2018 , that i feel 110% in control. The only difference, that in 2018 due to better variation, it can score with more ways, headers, shoots, etc.

In 2019, the SUPERSTAR practically limits the AI to play in a certain way. Either excecute 2~3 long low passes and then smash the ball to my goalpost top corner, or if i manage to keep clean sheat for a while, they give up on this type, (usually they smash 2 to 3 goals like this), they start collapsing to wings and try low crosses with tap-in high smash. Among all those, they may try some crosses and headers, but their love for low crosses or high-smash diagonal shots, is more than obvious.

So on 2018 & 2019, i am still trying, still enjoying the "football" situatuin in the duration, still feeling unsatisfied or "cheated" or not rewarded by the final results.
Difficulties in both Pes and Fifa is a weird mix of AI getting superhuman and your own players getting slightly worse in situations.
It's like playing poker vs someone but your cards are shown and the opposition's aren't.

I know this isn't what you want ,but what's the best difficulty AI wise?
For me regular/professional/Top player.
Then adjust PA for yourself.
I can start at regular on PA0 when I'm used to that get the difficulty up to professional/TP.

I used to play FUMA on Pes 17 on SS ,a nightmare at times ,and certainly not enjoyable.
And Pes 17 PAO is slightly assisted ,18+19 aren't so playing TP/professional gets you a challenge without the AI being cheaty.
Pes 20 (and the little time I have on 21) are at least to me very cheaty regardless.
Just a thought mate
 
Difficulties in both Pes and Fifa is a weird mix of AI getting superhuman and your own players getting slightly worse in situations.
It's like playing poker vs someone but your cards are shown and the opposition's aren't.

I know this isn't what you want ,but what's the best difficulty AI wise?
For me regular/professional/Top player.
Then adjust PA for yourself.
I can start at regular on PA0 when I'm used to that get the difficulty up to professional/TP.

I used to play FUMA on Pes 17 on SS ,a nightmare at times ,and certainly not enjoyable.
And Pes 17 PAO is slightly assisted ,18+19 aren't so playing TP/professional gets you a challenge without the AI being cheaty.
Pes 20 (and the little time I have on 21) are at least to me very cheaty regardless.
Just a thought mate
On first part. On both games, i think i've fallen in the gap between TP and SS. On both games, with PA1, i make 70% possesion, against most teams, regardless OPR in TP, and be more of a spectator or hardworker in SS, at least in the final results of the matches.

Although i am a fan of PA1, i keep for those both games a combination of TP+PA0 or FuMa, but still as a last resort, cause i like a lot many aspects of those games.

On 2020 and 2021, i live a paradox here, the games are of course cheaty in SS, but what i feel as a person. Despite when the game traps you in canned animations or nerfs you, they are less responsive than 18 & 19, and as a result less free, but out of stranger things, i can buy it as more "natural", as a lore in my mind, that my team was in "bad day", just a myth i build in my mind, of course it is BS-cheating. But i can pretend it happened due to bad luck.

I know it sounds really paradox: 2018 and 2019 i feel more in control, more able to define my "destiny" but also more cheated or more trapped in "unstoppable moments", or the CPU boost/ Human player handicap is more obvious.

2020 and 2021, less freedom, less response, less feeling of controlling my destiny, less feeling of me participating in the game with my inputs, but somehow i feel that it is better "camouflaged", maybe a better illusion? A better choreography? Not sure..

All in all not sure, still in the get going with 2018 and 2019. 4+3 years passed respectivelly, still pushing the wall!!!!

Things are crazy!!! :P
 
On first part. On both games, i think i've fallen in the gap between TP and SS. On both games, with PA1, i make 70% possesion, against most teams, regardless OPR in TP, and be more of a spectator or hardworker in SS, at least in the final results of the matches.

Although i am a fan of PA1, i keep for those both games a combination of TP+PA0 or FuMa, but still as a last resort, cause i like a lot many aspects of those games.

On 2020 and 2021, i live a paradox here, the games are of course cheaty in SS, but what i feel as a person. Despite when the game traps you in canned animations or nerfs you, they are less responsive than 18 & 19, and as a result less free, but out of stranger things, i can buy it as more "natural", as a lore in my mind, that my team was in "bad day", just a myth i build in my mind, of course it is BS-cheating. But i can pretend it happened due to bad luck.

I know it sounds really paradox: 2018 and 2019 i feel more in control, more able to define my "destiny" but also more cheated or more trapped in "unstoppable moments", or the CPU boost/ Human player handicap is more obvious.

2020 and 2021, less freedom, less response, less feeling of controlling my destiny, less feeling of me participating in the game with my inputs, but somehow i feel that it is better "camouflaged", maybe a better illusion? A better choreography? Not sure..

All in all not sure, still in the get going with 2018 and 2019. 4+3 years passed respectivelly, still pushing the wall!!!!

Things are crazy!!! :P
I get what you're meaning.
Finding the sweet spot in games ,and finding games that are balanced is tough.
For me Pes 17 TP was/is perfect.
I played PA1 SS on Pes 19 when it came out ,and the amount of freedom was really good , obviously the CPU scored on everything but they also made tons of mistakes ,great fun.

I'm playing professional PA0 on Pes 19 now ,having a mid 70s TS and it feels very solid.

It's the same for me on Fifa ,WC feels really good ,a bit too easy ,but as soon as you play legendary and above it's like playing robots ,no fun at all.
 
Holly shit. Just installed 2019. Its like more organic, better than 2021. Like im in total Control. More freedom, skillfull, more responsive. Great vs ai. Great feeling when ai attack me, press me. Nice feeling of defence
On the ball ,one of the best.
It's truly a good game ,downside no D2 for Spain/Italy
 
What's the point sharing all these gameplay videos ? You're spamming the forum. If you want to share your videos go to correct section.
Cool, won’t share. Thought this thread was related to Pes 2019 and how the variations differ so rather than just write about it I was giving an actual demonstration. No bother though as it’s more hassle to post than not :)
 
Still get amazed how well Pes 19 plays on the ball ,and how great it looks.
And player movement ,brilliant.
But ,I'm not loving the CPU AI ,even if you set up opponents to attack down the middle (to avoid the low cross from the wing) they always look for that short pass in to the box ,very rarely outside shots.
Got to give Pes 20 the advantage Vs 19 ,just for that small but important detail.
Otherwise brilliant
 
I know it's not included in the list but lately I've been really enjoying PES 2017 PC version (with latest 2022 version of Smoke Patch). :TU:

Even if the graphics aren't the same as the newer versions, Smoke Patch has done a really nice job with the faces, kits, adboards, stadiums.. And honestly what makes this installment so good is the actual Gameplay. Haven't detected hardly any script, the matches at -1 speed play really nicely even without any gameplay mods, just straight vanilla, the passes, player movement, AI behavior work really well. I think this version is a very fun interpretation of football.
 
I know it's not included in the list but lately I've been really enjoying PES 2017 PC version (with latest 2022 version of Smoke Patch). :TU:

Even if the graphics aren't the same as the newer versions, Smoke Patch has done a really nice job with the faces, kits, adboards, stadiums.. And honestly what makes this installment so good is the actual Gameplay. Haven't detected hardly any script, the matches at -1 speed play really nicely even without any gameplay mods, just straight vanilla, the passes, player movement, AI behavior work really well. I think this version is a very fun interpretation of football.
Wait until you got this... Lol

 
So i played a game in my PES 2019 ML last night. I do not know if it adds anything.... The freedom and player control on the ball, is superb, in comparison to 2020-2021. Inferior than 2018, but superior to the newest PES games.

Well i don't know how to describe it. The game in Superstar difficulty, has a strange tempo and strange things happen, in favour of the CPU and in order to handicap you. It can be recieved as part of the "difficulty", but when it corrupts the final result, and after consecutive matches, it can be nerve breaking.

To put it more specific, the general match flow was spot on, as long as the match was 0-0, and after CPU finally scored for the 0-3. In those parts the game, felt, played and was superb and very immersive.

Between the period 0-1 and 0-3 , the game behaved strange, suspicious and made me wonder, if i should turn it off.

I know there is always the ace in the sleeve, of FuMa+Top Player, but still after 3 years, i am trying to make something out of this, with my traditional settings, PA1+Superstar.
 
So i played a game in my PES 2019 ML last night. I do not know if it adds anything.... The freedom and player control on the ball, is superb, in comparison to 2020-2021. Inferior than 2018, but superior to the newest PES games.

Well i don't know how to describe it. The game in Superstar difficulty, has a strange tempo and strange things happen, in favour of the CPU and in order to handicap you. It can be recieved as part of the "difficulty", but when it corrupts the final result, and after consecutive matches, it can be nerve breaking.

To put it more specific, the general match flow was spot on, as long as the match was 0-0, and after CPU finally scored for the 0-3. In those parts the game, felt, played and was superb and very immersive.

Between the period 0-1 and 0-3 , the game behaved strange, suspicious and made me wonder, if i should turn it off.

I know there is always the ace in the sleeve, of FuMa+Top Player, but still after 3 years, i am trying to make something out of this, with my traditional settings, PA1+Superstar.
all Pes have scripts that ruin the game. I play with pes 2018 where 90% of the scripts have been removed, but the rest are activated from time to time, especially with small teams from the minor category. It's nerve-wracking when your 90+ attacker fails to outrun defenders with 70+ values ... Konami is that too, you can't do anything.
 
I played some 2018 today and was pleasantly surprised at how it played! I found the games to be really enjoyable, a lot less retreating than I remembered and the AI seemed solid. It was a very small sample size but I’ll definitely be playing some more to see how it holds up.
 
PES 2018 with some amazing mods (thanks to all who keep making them) and this game is destroying 21 in my opinion. It's not even close.

The AI has so much more variety, it's obviously much more responsive and there's more of a midfield as the CPU isn't retreating when you get the ball.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 Screenshot 2022.04.03 - 10.11.22.91.png
Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 Screenshot 2022.04.03 - 09.54.35.19.png
 
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I wanted to check PES2018 once again but all i got - black screen at the start. I tried administrator mode, compatibility with Win 7 - nothing helped. Any ideas?
 
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