A true-to-life pitch

If the beautiful game instantly kicks you to your happy place, then you’ll be on cloud nine (or eleven) when you discover Pro Evolution Soccer 2019, the latest back-of-the-net hit from the makers of the Pro Evolution Soccer series.

And like previous releases, PES 2019 boasts fresh updates that reaffirm developer Konami’s talent for designing games that continually evolve in a league of their own.

“We’re always endeavouring to make the world’s best soccer game based on the slogan, ‘The pitch is ours’,” says executive producer of the series Manorito Hosoda.

So what’s new?

This season, PES 2019 is equipped with the exact game engine used in the console version, making it possible to drastically increase the amount of data available. As a result, the FPS (frames per second) rate has doubled, creating impressively smooth animations. And that means a rewardingly realistic on-the-pitch experience embodied in the natural trajectory of kicks, tackles and strategic ball control.

“When you shoot, the distance between the body to the ball is always different. Sometimes it’s too close or too far away. This makes the shooting form different each time. We had always been focused on making dribbling smooth, but this time I wanted to achieve a whole new level of realism,” Hosoda explains.

“In a real match, players get tired, so in the second half, spaces open up. You don’t know what kind of drama is waiting until you’re in it. I wanted Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 to have that tension that is unique to soccer,” Hosoda continues.

The game’s production team actively collect data on how users actually play and in doing so, continually strive to build upon and improve the overall gaming experience for their players.

“For example, when the dribbling distance decreases, the data indicates ‘it might be difficult to dribble’. We are constantly optimising the game for a better soccer experience according to feedback from players,” Hosoda says.

And now that it matches the console version in terms of power, this focus on gameplay improvements has resulted in more types of goal celebrations and additional ball trajectory patterns.

The game also contains a whopping total of about 8,000 different kinds of animation, so there’ll never be a dull moment in your matches.

“Shot variations have also greatly increased. For example, depending on when you shoot, it may be a drop-kick where the ball drops suddenly, or a raising shot where the trajectory sharply rises,” Hosoda adds.

“From the movement of the player with the ball to the movement of players without the ball and the movement of the ball itself, as well as tackling, dribbling and shooting; I believe that realistic, detailed movements are directly linked to how much people enjoy the game.”

Besides the latest gameplay dynamics, PES 2019 also includes a ‘Featured player’ feature that syncs with real-world matches. So, if your top defender is performing well in real life, then that player’s abilities will improve in your PES matches too.

“Until now, because abilities were fixed, the most popular players in the game were basically determined. But wouldn’t it be nice if, when your favourite player on your favourite team did well in an actual game, their ability improved the next week? I expect a more realistic gaming experience when it links with reality like this.”

And with all these new updates, Hosoda has some tips on how to successfully manoeuvre your way around the PES 2019 pitch.

“Like actual world club teams, practice from Monday to Thursday, improve your skills with digital opponents in tour events and use a scouting agent to acquire players. Then, at the weekend, play online games against other players. Since the ability of players who performed well the week before improves, I think you’ll enjoy playing Pro Evolution Soccer because it’s packed with the excitement of real soccer.”

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