Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 is out today in shops all over Europe, and we are itching to get stuck in to the competition to EA Sports' FIFA 15.
In recent years the once great PES series has fallen from grace. Ever since the transition from the Playstation 2/Xbox to Playstation 3/Xbox 360, Konami's footy title has played second fiddle to the FIFA juggernaut and was never able to regain the foothold it once had as the must-have soccer simulation.
But a new football season brings a new opportunity for the team at Konami to restore some credibility to the name of Pro Evolution Soccer, and there are a number of reasons why we believe that this year could be a big year for the franchise.
Here are five things that have us excited for Pro Evolution Soccer 2015.
This is PES's maiden voyage on the PS4 and Xbox One.
Like a student who doesn't quite know what career they want to pursue and needs more time in the forgiving bosom of third level education, Konami took a gap year in 2014. This was a decision we fully supported, as the last time we saw a transition to new consoles we saw a rushed effort that damaged the series to a point where it never fully recovered. This time out Konami gave themselves time to really work on getting the game back to it's best, and we hope it is the shot in the arm that Pro Evo needs.
"myClub", Konami's response to FIFA Ultimate Team.
The ridiculous success of EA Sports' Ultimate Team mode has prompted Konami to offer an alternative. The game mode is a twist on the Master League Online mode that had been in recent versions of the game, but with the ability to use real money to purchase the players you want if you don't have the time to build up in-game currency and buy them. You need to go through agents to secure the players, and this ties in nicely with our next thing that has us excited...
The return of Castolo, Minanda, and other Master League legends.
The boys are back in PES 2015, but not in the way you would expect. Castolo, Minanda and other legends of the default Master League squads of the past are the elite agents in MyClub, so you will have a working relationship with the virtual men who brought you so much joy and despair in the glory days of PES. We can't use them as players, but we are delighted by this nod to the heroes who are essentially the foundation of the glorious PES nostalgia we so regularly enjoy.
The Stadium Editor makes a return.
While it isn't a full stadium editor that lets you channel your inner architect and design the ultimate home for your Master League team (one day, maybe), the ability to customise your stadium by changing the pattern of the grass, the colour of the goal nets, and the colour of the seats in the stadium is a small feature that delights the nerd inside us. While most will never use this feature, those of us who spent days editing the logos pixel by pixel to ensure the closest possible replica of the Premier League badges and sponsors back on the old 'Edit Mode' will love this attention to detail.
Second divisions for leagues in England, France, Spain, and Italy.
Finally! Konami have added a further division to the biggest leagues in Europe which adds much needed promotion/relegation elements to the seasons mode, and further spices up Master League and myClub as more teams mean more players. This is going to help bridge the game in team selection between PES and FIFA, which had been growing further and further in FIFA's favour every year.
Thanks to WinningElevenBlog.com for the screengrabs.
