➤ Kick off 🎮

Punctual as a clock, the start of the real championship coincides with that of the virtual matches played on pixel fields between players addressed by a controller. Having passed the milestone of twenty years, Konami football continues on the high road traced by the adoption of the Fox Engine which marked a big turn for the now stagnant franchise, reinvigorating its gameplay and aesthetics with the approval of the players who year after year have proved to appreciate more and more the new course of the Japanese title. Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 is therefore called upon to confirm its positive trend, but also to redeem the missteps made by its predecessor, first of all a support for very infrequent squad and player updates. On the field, on the other hand, with the coming season, the Japanese developer has also introduced a whole series of innovations in terms of gameplay and team management, even the opposing one, redesigning the algorithms to command artificial intelligence and demonstrating how the prolonged development on the new graphic engine brings from year to year to an ever better knowledge of the means to achieve unexpected results until a few years ago. It is very important to point out before proceeding with the review that during processing we could not verify the quality of the online sector and the actual consistency of the day one patch. In fact, both contents are not yet available but we will take care to analyze them properly in the coming days with in-depth information and dedicated contents.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 brings improvements in terms of gameplay and team tactics

The season begins

There are many challenges that the development team is called to face this year given the bad choices in managing patches and updates that characterized the first months of life of the previous chapter. From the referees who seemed to have forgotten the whistle in the locker room, to the latest transfer market transfers that took unwarranted months before being implemented. Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 will still arrive in stores with the squads on disc to be updated with the Day One patch available from September 15, but Konami has long announced the presence of constant weekly updates of squads and player values to make it as faithful as possible its virtual football to the real counterpart. Also because this year there have been several improvements in terms of gameplay, all aimed at adding more depth to a football simulation that is always fun and immediate.

Once on the playing field, a few touches of the ball were enough to immediately become familiar with the "Real Touch", that is the system that, through the left analog stick, allows you to manage the movement of the player even before receiving the ball, to anticipate the marker. and have greater freedom of movement and maneuver setting. The next step is to use the lever coupled with R1 for the "First Touch Control" to perform first touches to be used to suddenly change direction or to rest the ball on a partner and start at speed with a one-two. Each player will have his own way of moving and managing the ball based on his physical characteristics and abilities, but also with respect to his position on the field and the commands we decide to give. Whether it is to control Cristiano Ronaldo or a less noble colleague, PES 2017 returns a very convincing ball-to-toe feeling especially for the plays in tight spaces and for the construction of a dense network of passages, also thanks to the generally slower pace of play than last year. The merit as well as the fine and precise control system is also the large amount of animations that have been added to further expand the variety of situations that are seen on the playing field. The result is an exquisite fluidity made possible by the harmonious movements of the players who switch seamlessly from one animation to another. Dribbling, shifting the center of gravity, feints, shots, crosses and deep passes give back the feeling of having full control over the players, shifting the balance of the gameplay towards the skill of the players, pad in hand, thanks above all to the very accurate ball physics which makes it particularly important to give the right force and direction to the sphere. In this sense, it will be even more important to exploit the peculiarities of individualities avoiding engaging in complex games with clumsy players or attempting the shot in depth by controlling the tallest and heaviest attackers. The goalkeepers also enjoyed a good number of new animations, mainly aimed at increasing their quality and reliability. In practice, there is a greater variety in the exits, a more careful positioning with the tendency not to leave the posts prematurely to give scoring chances, even if it happened that some rejected ended comfortably on the feet of the attackers for an easy tap. in.

The importance of the team

The feeling with the game system convinced us and the management of the team is no less thanks to the great freedom of customization left by Konami. First of all in Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 makes its debut the adaptive artificial intelligence that allows the CPU to progressively adapt to our style of play by intervening accordingly to exploit the weak points of our defense or to defuse the most dangerous offensive weapons. For example, if we opt for the central breakthrough repeatedly passing the ball to the most talented player, the opponents will begin to double it, while if we prefer long balls on the flanks they will tend to widen the defense meshes to better cover the side lanes.

Each strategy has pros and cons, but a computer so responsive and always well disposed in the field forces the highest levels of difficulty to change tactical approach countless times during the match, for an always challenging level of challenge. Through the appropriate menu we can select up to four advanced instructions, two in attack and two in defense, to be applied during the game. We can use the tiki-taka to build a dense network of passes with the teammates who will bring the ball to meet, or bet everything on quick restarts or play on the flanks, while in defense aim to tighten the markings on the ball carrier or concentrate on defense of the penalty area. Plus we have the option of choose the level of aggression of the team to intervene on the center of gravity of the formation leading it to close in its own half to defend the result strenuously or pour it towards the opponent's goal for a more effective offensive. The extreme ratio will be to bring all the players on offense, with the possibility of even getting the goalkeeper into the opponent's penalty area in the event of a free kick or a last-minute corner kick. Speaking of flag shots, Konami has introduced a handful of tactics to try to make the most of our style of play and the formation available. By pressing the left arrow of the directional cross you have access to four quick strategies of immediate implementation: for the attack it is possible to let the towers run from outside the area, bring all the players inside, place them on the far pole, or keep the most classic configuration with six players in the area and the others in tow. In defense, on the other hand, there are man or zone markings. During the match, the players significantly change their behavior on the pitch and manage to create more interesting situations than in the past, it being understood that once the tactics have been decided, it is then up to us to direct the ball with the right trajectory and power. So much freedom, but the great quality of Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 is that thanks to the aforementioned adaptive artificial intelligence it will be especially the opponents controlled by the CPU who will properly use all the tools at their disposal, adapting to the situation: For example, if they are in the lead with a team that is weaker than ours, in the final minutes they will delay close to the flag, or on the contrary if we are playing a qualification for the Champions League they will not hesitate to bring everyone in attack and try everything.

Barça mania

One of the most historically discussed topics related to Pro Evolution Soccer is licensing. PES 2017 focuses everything on Barcelona by offering an experience as in-depth as possible thanks to the exclusive partnership signed with the Catalan club that allowed it to bring the stadium, logos and official uniforms into the game as well as having exclusive access to players to reproduce them in the best possible way on the pitch. game.

The immediate most important aspect is the return of the Camp Nou, present exclusively in PES 2017. In view of the Premium Club status, the Camp Nou has been recreated in detail, not only as regards the exterior and stands, but also for the neighborhood that rises around it, framed with an aerial shot during the presentation of the match. The work continues inside where we find fans inflamed by their favorite team who sing the Blaugrana anthem at the top of their throats when the players arrive, animate the stands with spectacular choreography and are heard throughout the match with choirs and incitements addressed to the players. most representative favorites, Messi and Iniesta above all. The players respond with a superfine technical realization made possible thanks to 3D photographic scans of the players' faces, particularly appreciable especially during celebrations and replays. Here the detachment from the players of the other clubs is evident: a match with Barça is enough to realize the best visual rendering of expressions and somatic features compared to high-profile players who are still very well made but lack that realism possible thanks to the scan. facial. Similarly, the most used tactics are proposed for Barcelona such as the tiki-taka typical of the Catalan team that will give its best in building a dense network of passes to get to the net, but obviously all other strategies are also available. to be selected in the appropriate menu if you prefer a more inclined approach to lateral insertions or to play on the bands. There will also be a whole series of special content for the modes, such as historical kits and past glories of the likes of Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Puyol and Xavi to use as Legends in MyClub.

PlayStation 4 Trophies

PES 2017 offers 41 trophies, divided into 2 Gold, 12 Silver and 26 Bronzes and the inevitable Platinum. First of all, there are those related to training, with the tests that must be passed at least with a silver rating, and then it will be necessary to spend several hours in the Master League and in Become a Myth to go and win in the various championships around the world. You go online with the MyClub mode and the Divisions to be climbed to the sound of victories against the other players.

Problematic licenses

The counterpart to such a careful experience with Barça is the loss of many other licenses that probably place PES 2017 among the titles with fewer official teams in the last period. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are in fact the only ones who are saved in a Spanish league no longer fired, which therefore sees the remaining eighteen teams and those of the Spanish Serie B carry totally invented names, as well as logos and uniforms.

Italy fares a little better, which although it does not have the official Serie A license has all the teams faithfully reproduced except the usual Sassuolo that has become Sansagiulo to which is added the Juventus transformed into PM Black White. The departure of the Italian Champion team is a hard blow as it also brings with it the Juventus Stadium, one of the few officially licensed stadiums to appear in the last edition of Pro Evolution Soccer. Like last year, the Series B is also totally license-free. The Argentine, Chilean, Brazilian, Dutch (Eredivisie), French (Ligue 1 and Ligue 2) leagues are saved, with a predominance of South American official clubs over European ones. Arsenal and Liverpool remain in the two divisions of the English league, while for Portugal there are SL Benfica and Sporting Lisbon. The Bundesliga is missing, with only Bayern Levercusen, Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 representing the German championship, to which are added the other European teams Club Brugge, Dinamo Zagreb, CSKA Moscow, FC Basel, Besiktas and Dinamo Kiev. In this scenario, the one that comes out most penalized is the UEFA Champions League license, with fewer and fewer official clubs taking part to the detriment of the show. In addition to Juventus, Bayern Munich, unfortunately, is also missing, a very precious piece among the European teams vying for the final victory. If we add to all this the lack of licenses for other big names such as Real Madrid, Seville, Manchester City, Porto, Tottenham and Leicester, the Champions League unexpectedly loses its appeal. The stadium issue is also critical, with first of all the lack of the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff which will host the 2017 UEFA Champions League final. couple of others, but in most cases also this year we will find ourselves treading the pitch of Konami Stadium too many times. Compared to last year, the Copa Sudamericana and the Copa Libertadores with their participating teams are also missing, while the AFC, the Asian Champions League, survives. On the part of Konami, therefore, the situation is not the most optimistic, but we must remember the presence of the editor and the possibility of sharing the modification data with other users equipped with PlayStation 4, who can indulge themselves in the creation of uniforms, logos and stadiums official to share with the rest of the community.

Fox Engine in great shape

The modality park is almost unchanged compared to the high years, with the Master League and Become a Myth to be the master with regard to offline content and MyClub for the hours spent playing online. The latter we have not yet been able to try it due to disconnected servers, but we have immersed ourselves in the Master League and its innovations including the new transfer system. With PES 2017 we will in fact have two different budgets for the market, one to pay the price of the players' card and the other dedicated to the amount of wages.

It is not possible to push through, so you have to think carefully about where to invest the money available. In this sense, Bayern Munich players are very tempted, given the laws on image rights in force in Germany, they can only be present in the title if they are part of their respective national teams: there will therefore be Neuer, Robben, Jerome Boateng, Vidal as if they were stuck, but other players like Lahm and Xabi Alonso will be missing. In addition to the valuable work done with the faces of the Barcelona players and with the Camp Nou, Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 is not distorted from the visual point of view but improved in all its parts. The definition of the turf, the dynamic lighting, the incessant rain, the fans in the stands and the details on the sidelines have improved compared to last year, giving an even more engaging experience, especially when the Champions League anthem starts at the entry of teams into the field. The salient moments are always very accurate and able to enhance the spectacularity of the action just ended. All the players are reproduced in great detail, from the hairstyle to the presence of beards and accessories that they wear regularly on the pitch. The park of personalized celebrations for each player has been expanded, including that of Neymar Jr. who can take off his shirt to run bare-chested towards the curve, only to get a yellow when the game resumes. Speaking of cards, it is worth mentioning the excellent behavior of the referees who made us suffer a lot at the launch last year. The whistles of PES 2017 were shrewd and punctual in assigning free kicks, penalties and cards, also showing excellent management of the advantages. On the sidelines, the use of the controller's vibration should be noted whenever the ball is printed on the pole or there are more or less pronounced contact situations between two players. The commentary is again entrusted to the duo Fabio Caressa and Luca Marchegiani who have implemented new jokes in favor of the variety, even if very often the team name is still pronounced with different tones than the rest of the sentence.

Comment

Tested version PlayStation 4 Resources4Gaming.com

8.5

Readers (69)

7.4

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Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 proved to be an excellent step forward for Konami football, even if there are problems. Thanks to the more relaxed pace of play and the great freedom in controlling virtual players, the gameplay manages to entertain and satisfy even those who are looking for more depth to test their skills. The management of the team with tactics, strategies and changes of center of gravity moves the games a lot, thanks above all to the adaptive artificial intelligence that reads our plays to better counter us. The result is an enjoyable title which, however, has never suffered more than this year from the loss of important licenses which in part also undermine the very enjoyment of the UEFA Champions League. Another important game will be played on squad and player updates, but only time will tell if Konami has learned the hard lesson of last year.