Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 hands-on: A whole 'nother ball game

Without delving into a long-winded missive on the transition of power between rival sports franchises, Pro Evolution Soccer has arguably been on the backfoot compared to its competitor in certain regards for some time. That's not to say that it's been downright awful for the past few years, but it's not quite on the level of its magical PS2 era predecessors.

Konami wants to change that with PES 2013. You may have noticed some of those changes with the recently released demo. We've been toying with a slightly more advanced build than what you're playing at home right now. Here's our initial thoughts on the game-in-progress...

From the get-go, PES 2013’s first touch feels phenomenally better than in PES 2012. The bounciness of ball physics feels like a solid counterbalance to a heavier ball in past games. There’s a sound buoyancy that offers the same level of chaos and tactical foresight seen in Konami’s usual sports rival. The flicks have been refined so that with a click of the right stick, you can pop the ball up. We’ve been unable to stop chirping “boop!” every time the ball bounces up for a volleyed shot. This is a good Benchmark of Fun.

We didn’t know just how much we’d appreciate those revamped ball physics until we started playing with them. We popped in PES 2012 for posterity. That didn’t last long. The additions and refinements to touch are much more intuitive and fun to incorporate than anything we’ve seen in a PES title in many years.

It’s not just about players sticking feet out for a stop. On more than one occasion in our playthroughs, we felt a strong sense of physical play. Players don’t just tackle opponents off the ball, they will collide to take them off, quite jarringly. The best analogy? It’s like driving a car and taking your hands off the wheel, momentarily. Even if you’re late on the tackle button, there’s a good chance that if you’re controlling a big bruiser, you may win the ball back, regardless. Just play cautiously. Too many bumps off the ball and the ref’s whistle will start getting a workout.

PES 2013 feels really smooth to play, but with the number of revamped maneuvers, you’ll absolutely need a run through the tutorial mode. Unfortunately, it’s typically PES-obtuse in the most uncharming way. By that, we mean that the introduction of new movesets feels somewhat stilted and confining. If you miss the third step of a three-step maneuver, it’d be nice to re-watch the tutorial videos from where you’re making a mistake. At other times, the instructions could be clearer about what the game wants you to do, and how (a video with where to press and move a stick isn’t enough when AI defenders are breathing down your neck as you try) it really wants you to do it. On more than one occasion, it felt like we cleared a section through sheer luck more than skill.

We don’t like to play backseat developers, but some sort of “early/perfect/late” meter to get the timing right for certain moves would be immense. As it stands (and given the course of Konami’s tutorials for PES), this will likely be the tutorial mode you’ll experience in the final product – at least, the lion’s share of it. Although some of the sections will prove maddening to clear.

Tell us: What do you think of PES 2013 based on your play time with the demo? Is it clicking for you? Do you feel like the action is leaps and bounds above last year's game? What are you happy about? What do you wish it had more of?

Let us know in the comments! We want to know what you think.