When I played PES 2018 earlier this year, the series' global product and brand manager Adam Bhatti told me it was the first game of a three-year cycle; a new foundation upon which Konami's looking to build. For better and worse, it feels like it. There are marked improvements in some areas, but PES's overall game has weakened slightly from last year, like a side that's spent big money recruiting three attacking midfielders during the close season while entirely failing to strengthen their back four.
Which isn't to say it's abandoned all the good work carried out in recent times. Those many refinements that have seen it nudge some way ahead of FIFA on the pitch over the past couple of seasons are still mostly evident. There are more improvements this year: the pace has dropped slightly which fits neatly with the game's crisp and versatile passing. Tighter, more responsive dribbling mechanics let the best players weave their magic, and you only need focus on the left stick to pull off jinks and feints. The ability to shield the ball from markers is extremely welcome, with forwards and midfielders more capable of sticking their backsides out to hold off defenders when receiving the ball with their back to goal, giving them room to lay it off and spin away, ready for a return pass.
Other changes produce tangibly positive results, but many of them come with unfortunate knock-on effects. There's been a shift towards emphasising the strengths of individual players this year, and it goes well beyond the obvious superstars. So when Aleks Kolarov, for example, hits the ball, it travels like a missile. In the main, this is a good thing: it makes sense that wiry forwards can be outmuscled by thickset centre-halves, or that speedy wingers can accelerate away from ageing full-backs. It makes the game more immediately readable against unfamiliar opponents, too: at a glance you'll have an idea of the kind of tactics you should and shouldn't employ, and shifting player positions to target weaknesses often reaps rewards.
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