It’s unfortunate that the balance of control that is evident in attack, seems to be bypassed in defence. Offensive AI players make runs which see your players left for dirt as you try to get them in place following a ridiculously perfect chipped through ball from the AI midfielder. At times players completely miss the ball coming to them, failing to react until too late. I have experienced this with some of the top players in the game, so it is not rating related. On defence, you need to be a bit more measured, but not to the degree where it feels like a massive change in skill.ĭefending, at times, feels like it lacks true control as you miss tackles that seem simple, make tackles that seem unlikely and often find your players “stuck” in a position or animation where you need them to be a bit quicker to react. On the positive side, you can no longer spam the tackle button to the degree where your player will pressurise an attacking player until winning the ball. The slightly slower pace of the game adds to the realism as you attempt to penetrate through an opposing defence by being patient and playing sensible football, before bursting into life down one of the wings, cutting in and doing what Salah does best.ĭefensive aspects of the game don’t seem to have received quite as much love. It’s a matter of adjusting, but there are noticeable times where players appear to be in the perfect position for a shot or pass only for it to go in the completely wrong place to where I was aiming.Īttacking situations seem to have received the most work in PES 20. Similarly, with passing, if you are in a position whereby a pass would be difficult to play, you will struggle to hit the mark, your pass will go awry, lose power or end up going straight to an opponent. For example, it’s impossible to have your back to goal and turn and shoot in one instance – this will likely end in a shot going wide of the mark. Players need to be more precise in choosing a direction, while also more aware of which way your player is facing, and where you want to play the ball. The biggest improvement in PES 20 affects passing and shooting whereby players need to ensure correct body positioning to pull off the best possible pass or shot. It means that players like Gini Wijnaldum and David Silva are as usable in-game as ever, utilizing their strength in those situations and creating space for other players to run through and continue the attack.Ĭrossing and heading feel more realistic while player movement from your own AI seems to have improved drastically compared to some of the unbearable movement in PES 19, although your players do tend to “switch-off” and miss the ball completely with absolutely no reason.

Using the new dribbling mechanic and first-touch control makes keeping the ball in tighter areas slightly easier, and to the benefit of your attack, especially when surrounded by defenders with no easy way to progress. That said, the mechanic is not as intuitive or user-friendly as it could be, and often results in frustrating outcomes.

The ability to tap the right stick in different directions and in a variety of combinations keeps attacking play fluid and controlled, and while it can be frustrating at times, it is useful in one-on-one situations where you need to create that extra bit of space, particularly with your more skilful players. The newly added “Finesse Dribbling” is difficult to master but can be beneficial once you understand its importance. Players react to receiving the ball in several different manners with a realism never seen before in a video game. PES 19 introduced a first-touch control mechanic which has been tweaked in PES 20 to make even the subtlest of touches with the ball more precise, often proving the difference when attempting to create space for the perfect pass or shot. PES 2020 follows along similar lines in this regard, and despite its usual tough competitor, it comes out with punches of its own.

With its constant claims of “gameplay is king”, the key focus has been to ensure the ultimate footballing experience when taking to the field. It’s easy to see how PES has evolved over the past few years.

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