I've had the chance to try the new "eFootball PES 2020" over the past week and it's not good. But let us tell you why that is and go into some details.
Instead of doing a classic review, let's concentrate on PES 2020's gameplay - it's the core of every mode - single player or online - and will determine the game's longevity.
Problematic Keepers
Keepers in PES 2020 still leave a lot to be desired and often seem unrealistic. They still float in the air on high balls and sometimes dive in irritating ways. The clip above speaks for itself, really.
Unfitting Animations / Animation Issues
You'll often find that the movement made by a player does not match the situation or that the ball movement does not at all match the previous animation (see the clip above).
Many times players also showcase animations that are not fitting the situation they are in at all. For example they will not show any urgency to make their pass / shot despite being heavily pressed. Or they'll let the ball run past their body to pass with their weak foot - something you'd never see in real life. If you've played PES recently, you'll know...
And then there are often situations like the one below, which have probably resulted in hundreds of broken controllers around the world.
Tackling is way to easy
Taking the ball from the opposition in PES 2020 is easy as cake. You can simply hold down the tackle button and, no matter who's the opposition player, the ball will be yours much more likely than not. You can pretty much barge into the opponent from behind and the referee will not whistle most times.
This is especially sad because the demo, which was available from late June, had a much more nuanced system in place. It was much more rewarding and required players to be much more sensitive when pressing the tackle button. But Konami scrapped it after the company received complaints about the high number of fouls in the demo.
Other issues
There are some other, smaller issues with the game. There is no button to intercept passes and all you can do is place your player in the way and hope he does his best to block the ball. Too often the ball passes very close by or even through the legs of your player. If it hits your player, he will often be 'stunted' for a short moment and unable to move.
Shielding is very inconsistent and another possible frustration because there is no dedicated button which forces your player to shield the ball. This is another aspect that felt better in the demo.
Reaction times are a bit slow and you have to press the shot or pass button well before the contact is made - or the player will take an unfortunate extra touch as in the clip below.
The team-mate AI could almost be described as broken and you'll often find your players hidden behind the opposition, standing in your way or simply not joining the attack despite their role being that of an attacker.
Free-kicks in PES 2020 are super easy: with players like Messi or De Bruyne, a free-kick from outside the box is almost as good as penalty. Konami definitely needs to work on this in a future update.
Sometimes it's great
All of this does not mean that PES 2020 is always terrible: there's the occasional move or midfield scramble that feels just perfect. It's just that, with all the issues the game has, these moments are far and few between.
And, although PES 2020 makes incremental improvements in the area, the new PES games are a far cry away from the unpredictability that ones made it the most popular football series. You'll likely experience all or almost all of the issues above in a single session of playing the game.
Verdict
Unfortunately, PES 2020 carries over many of the issues that have plagued the series for years. Despite the improvements in the licensing, atmosphere and mode departments, I can't see myself play this game much longer and cannot really recommend anyone to buy it - unless they liked the previous few iterations of the series, of course.
PES 2020 continues the path of 2018 and 2019 and is better than both in some aspects. Only a new engine will be able to really bring a new quality to the game.
Have you tried PES 2020 yet? How did you like it? Do you disagree with this verdict? Drop us a line below.