Welcome to my official Facebook fan page. Bear with us while we get this sorted, but there will be a huge amount of behind the scenes info from PES past, present and future in the coming days and weeks! Thanks, Jon.

The first post from Jon’s Facebook page advises content that is sure to interest many a fan of PES could be on the way in the not too distant future. Personally, I would love to learn more about the past as well as future developments so giving the page a like was a no brainer. Click HERE to do the same and stay in the loop.

PES2012 is quite possibly bipolar. Konami’s latest is a game which can inspire elation and frustration in equal measure yet has a nasty habit of the player seldom experiencing both emotions in one individual match – let alone one sitting – as your understanding evolves (pun intended) over time. In one match it can all click into place; not only for the player and their input, but how the AI responds too and it can result in an admittedly technically lacking but very pure –though far from perfect – football experience. The next match it can – and often does – seem to fall apart entirely and feed back to the user something that is miles away from that purity experienced a mere 10mins prior.

‘’That is football’’ many will say and yes, football , specifically a videogame simulation of football, should try to present the ugliness – the war of attrition that is so often apparent – in the sport and it is something that contributes to the overall beauty of the sport we all love, albeit in a somewhat perverse fashion. PES2012 can realise this ‘’ugly beauty’’ make no mistake, yet it is found more often than not in those matches when the game fully clicks into gear as mentioned previously. It is a vital ingredient in inspiring the much required sense of involvement which in itself is key to enjoyment of any videogame in any genre. It would therefore appear the problem PES2012 is unfortunately one of stability – one of balance – and it permeates throughout the entire game, lurching from the near (but not quite) perfect to the ridiculous from match to match.

Football is a sport in which random factor plays a huge part but the basic rules and regulations remain consistent from game to game, refereeing decisions apart of course. It begs the question : what are the rules and regulations in football videogame terms and by extension who acts as referee? Also, who takes responsibility for the random factor which needs to be present in order for that immersion to manifest? This will all read as WENB thinking out loud and yep, even walking the fine line between bleedingly obvious game design theory and outright pretentiousness, but let us try and answer these questions; see if we can make some sense of it for your consideration. As always, your feedback is encouraged.

The Rules and Regulations

Football has its own set of rules and regulations that are needed in order to ensure – or at least try to ensure – balance and consistency in professional competition. It goes without saying that a football videogame needs these same laws of the game to be present in order to realise any simulation aspirations at a base level. With that in mind, a football videogame therefore requires its own set of ‘’laws’’ that will help achieve a balance and consistency in experience. This would perhaps fall on the technical assets to supply them, and I don’t think it would be too assumptive for us to say that PES’ fans (and non-fans) are in agreement that Konami have not equipped their game with technology that is either ambitious or completely stable.

For all that the great FIFA v. PES debate offers up many a polarising view on each games merit as a true simulation of the sport, you would be hard pushed to find many who believe EA have not blessed their franchise with great technical assets. Sure, you will find opinion out there that questions the realism (exuberant tricks/ebb and flow/variance in play) or quality of execution in some areas (the impact engine comes immediately to mind here) but it is near impossible to argue that so far as pure look in player movement and for the most part player interaction and physics go, FIFA looks like football. Consistently. Whether it plays like football is for another discussion.

PES2012 can look like football as well (not as good as EA make it look of course) but it is more oft than not dictated by certain criteria being met to make it so. Such things as camera angle, stadium selection and even lighting condition impacting on proceedings more than they should. Since football videogames have introduced such variables as stadium, lighting conditions and even the shade of the grass users will always have their favourites and of course, some environments prove to be prettier than others. Even in those tattie* field like surfaces that looked as though they were ploughed by a farmer eating too many of his own funny mushrooms that were found in some arenas in the PS2 days of PES, you never felt like the game wasn’t moving like it should or that control/response or physics felt a little off. This happens in PES on current-gen and, along with the already limited tech., makes the user experience all the more inconsistent and genuinely off-putting. PES needs this righted moving forward – it needs it’s technical and visual assets to act like the ‘’laws’’ of the real sport and provide as consistent an experience as possible.

The good news here? Well, the murmurings are that Konami are on the same page with users and are pro-actively looking to meet the demands of the fanbase. These murmurings are not coming exclusively from within the community either and well informed sources are hinting that “a nice shock might await”.

The Referee

Okay, hear us out on this one. The referee in the sport is tasked with controlling the match and ensuring the rules and regulations are applied and adhered to. PES, naturally, has it’s officials in place in order to tick a simulation box and are equipped with their own AI that is instructed to apply the laws of the game, for better or worse. In football video game terms however, would it be completely ridiculous to assert that the user is the referee? After all, they are the ones who are in effect ‘controlling’ proceedings and like the referee uses the set laws of the game to help them do this, the player has his own rule-set at his disposal – the controller and the executable actions available to them….and switching the game off being the equivalent of a ref sending a player off!

Naturally, with the referee being only human they can get it wrong or uncertainty can creep in to their decision making in spite of them having their own instructions, or ‘controls’, available to them. Sounds a little familiar to us PES players, no? Like the real sports referees, errors in judgment or decision by the user in PES are or should be forgivable…in some cases. Picking the wrong pass, misjudging the right pass, using a lofted pass when one across the deck would have been better, shooting with a players weaker foot, ballooning a strike at goal – these are acceptable errors that should be present in any football game. What unfortunately is also comparable in PES to referees/officialdom in the real sport is the ambiguity, lack definition and interpretation of some of the ‘’laws’’; the controls to be exact. In PES2012 the weird logic and confusion surrounding some of the control and instruction requires streamlining as well as better explanation. You know where we are going here – both passing and shooting need looking at moving forward.

Passing has improved from how it was initially since patching and is much closer to how it operated in the preview code we had the privilege of experiencing in August last year. However, the strange decision to have a five-tiered assistance setting remains and it not only causes some of the more OCD players among us to tear our hair out in frustration trying to find the best setting as we jump between the variables on offer, it lacks any real definition or explanation as to what actually changes. That and the fact the passing game can be pretty damn inconsistent makes it somewhat of a war of attrition, for all the wrong reasons. Looking ahead, it seems to be the general consensus amongst the community that the developers would do well to streamline the settings so as the default is PES2011-like in its freedom, while still making player individuality key, with the other option being full manual which of course would still have player individuality impacting on execution in some way. When the passing game is good, it is very good in PES2012 and the progress made in off-the-ball movement – both AI controlled and team mate controls – should be held up as a large step forward if not quite entirely perfected.

Shooting is where the next game – or indeed, hopefully a new patch for PES2012 – should see some focus. Let’s be honest, in PES2012 it just ain’t right at all, with placement being the biggest bug-bear for all. There is nothing wrong with the theory of having player individuality, preferred foot and alike impacting on results but users need a model which offers more in the way of placement. Players wouldn’t have an issue with ballooned or wildly inaccurate efforts on goal if they have a sensation of control over it all. It’s a shame as a great deal of what happens in the build up to a strike on goal can be very satisfying.

To summarise, if indeed the user is like the ref, then give them clearly defined laws and instructions to work with – shorn of ambiguity – that allow them to control the game for the better.

The Random Factor

This aspect of the real sport is apparent to a reasonably good degree in PES2012 and no, we wouldn’t say entirely in a negative sense. It is safe to say the development team reigned in some of the unwelcome random elements that were apparent in current-gen PES up until now. Again, they haven’t eradicated all that is unwelcome regards random elements (as the previous segment touches upon) but progress has certainly been made.

When looking at the real sport, the random factor is what keeps us interested and while the sport does carry some level of predictability when looking at results and title winners, out on the field the second by second predictable… erm… unpredictability of how play can develop is still very apparent. It’s just the chaos of nature, man!

For a football videogame, PES specifically, to look to realize yet more of the welcome random elements it requires that balance of ambitious technical assets to work in tandem with intuitive control and excellent AI. Let us not forget the importance of player individuality too in the mix – a vital ingredient in not only allowing for more random and organic play to occur but one which is key to making a great PES game, period.

The overall theory of prioritizing advancement in AI by the WEP team will go some way to producing a more organic experience for the user in PES but the general opinion is that the AI can in fact prevent PES2012 from producing a match experience that ebbs and flows with a wide variance in patterns of play. The reasoning offered by the community is that the COM AI is too efficient at shutting up shop and executing its defensive duties near flawlessly that it gives the impression of the code by-passing or overriding player/team individuality in favour of tactical solidity. While not being as clear cut as that, the more you play, the more there appears to be some sort of AI override in place. Such tactical awareness and efficiency by the COM AI should not be entirely discounted as being a negative. The challenge it presents is more than welcome but it lacks context due to the stamina model not being what it should be and the aforementioned sense of player/team individuality being compromised resulting in AI teams being near telepathic in their play as a defensive unit that it would make the likes of Arrigo Sacchi proud. It can heavily impact upon final third play as well, with it sometimes feeling as though you are being rail-roaded to play a certain way to succeed. PES shouldn’t be about that unless the situation/context demands it. It shouldn’t define the experience.

At the other end of the pitch we have the AI scripting. This is a thorny issue as there is a case for the defence of such scripting needing to be in place in order to mirror the reality, the random element present in the sport. The irony. The opinion held by some at WENB is that COM AI ‘’god-mode’’ can be neutered to some degree by playing somewhat agriculturally when defending. This in itself is realistic as it is a requirement of just about any team in real life at some point – the need to defend ugly – though it can be counter intuitive as to what gamers are used to – the ability to out game the game. That said, the coding seems to be such that it can interfere with the users choice to play in such a fashion anyway, with many a user having tales of players inexplicably buggering up a simple clearance as the code cruelly initiates ‘’late drama’’ mode.

Is there a way to eradicate scripting from a football game entirely which doesn’t compromise on the immersion and sense of drama? EA claim their game is completely unscripted and it could very well be but what has happened there is heightened COM AI response, which impacts heavily on gameplay balance itself.

PES2012 : Some Perspective

For as much as a lot of the above reads as a complete deconstruction of PES2012, it is important to offer some perspective here. The simple fact is many within the community – this includes some very outspoken folks in our own community as well as others – have racked up hundreds of games each on PES2012, this WENB contributor can be included. Playing any football game hundreds of times would suggest it is doing something right to keep us coming back for more. It should also be said that this does not mean those players are blind to the fact the game has its flaws and plenty of them in actual fact. Some of the best (and in some cases most scathing) feedback comes from these players and while we can’t speak for others, putting in that much time with a game surely isn’t down to blind loyalty, a desire to punish one’s self or stubbornly refusing to ”move with the times” . Maybe it is just a balanced approach to what the game does (and doesn’t) offer.

2012 promises to be a big year for PES and that includes the immediate future. The J – League DLC for Japanese users has been announced which although not looking likely to surface for fans across the rest of the globe, could point to how the game could be supported in a variety of ways in future releases. It will be interesting to see what in fact the J – League content will add to the gameplay, if anything at all. It certainly has many curious and should it prove that this new content adds to the gameplay in any fashion it could see a spike in imports of Winning Eleven 2012. Needless to say that WENB will be sure to provide content and comment on this and other developments as we progress throughout the year. It just remains for us to say…

Happy New Year! And be sure to share your thoughts below or in the forums.

*Potato

PES Name Debate Poll

A quick load up of PES2012 confirms that the Data Pack unexpectedly announced late last week is now available for download. Full details on the contents can be found here.

Konami’s official Winning Eleven site has today revealed details on new DLC which has been confirmed for release on 27th December. At the time of writing we are still uncertain as to whether this DLC is scheduled for release in other territories on the same day.

The DLC includes 14 new boots and 3 new balls, as well as an update to the Japanese international sides kit.

Konami have just dropped a rather huge bombshell into the WENB inbox as we got ready to settle into our weekend by informing us that passing lobbies for PES2012 online play are on the way! The little heads-up we received from Jon Murphy reads :

“The addition of the pass lobbies comes thanks to the assistance of all at WENB. We’re delighted to be able to react to the needs of our fans, and this is yet another great example of us working with the PES community to benefit the game.”

We have been advised that full details will follow sometime next week regards this much desired inclusion, which has come to us off the back of a feedback initiative that was spearheaded by WENB, yet was only able to gather momentum thanks to our committed and very active community. This of course is but one issue addressed off the back of such a WENB community driven exercise but goes to show that respectful and well organised feedback will be considered and potentially acted upon by the folks at Konami.

WENB would like to thank all for their input over these last few months as without the community our desire to act as the fans voice would not be possible.

Be sure to check back next week for the full scoop but in the meantime be sure to give yourselves a pat on the back for a job well done!

PES on Nintendo’s Wii has always proven to be a safe-haven for frustrated fans not quite won over by the franchises outings on Microsoft’s and Sony’s more powerful platforms. PES2010 apart, where the Wii version of the game suffered from the same poor goalkeepers that seemed to blight every ”new” version of the game that year (PS2 apart), it has always satisfied it’s small but committed user base and hasn’t been short of innovation or introducing new assets on top of the PS2 based engine that goes beyond merely implementing motion controls.

This year Konami have maintained their consistent performance record on the Nintendo system though it is minus some of the innovation apparent in previous offerings. When you consider a number of factors – the size of the team working on the Wii game, the limitations of the technology and most of all the stability of its predecessor PES2011 – sweeping changes are perhaps not the requirement they are for other versions and mere fine tuning of what was already in place is the best policy. Nintendo’s multi-million selling console is not what it once was in terms of desirability or software support thus the safe option makes perfect sense for PES2012 on Wii for developer, publisher and consumers; especially when you consider the game retails for less than £20 in most places from release date. That said, it would have been nice to see some new additions in terms of options and game modes but these have been subject to very little or no work at all bar kits and updated rosters, with a downloadable squad update available upon the games release that fills in the blanks left by the game as shipped. Yes, the visuals have been cleaned up that little bit more as they have been with every release but otherwise not a great deal has changed and this includes the ‘’own goal’’ of having Edit Data housed in the same single file as all other game data and with this being a title that can be played online, it means the save file is locked to the console as per Nintendo’s insistence, ergo no community Option File sharing support. Truly bewildering.

So everything is pretty much as is from PES2011 and while that could initially appear quite off putting, it is worth taking into account the wealth of content on offer. PES on Wii in the last couple of years has proven to be a very complete package that makes use of the licenses/team roster available to Konami as best possible (the Champions League and Copa Libertadores return) as well as offering up a pleasing variety of offline game modes which include Master League and the Wii exclusive Champions Road (A mode crying out to be realised in some form across all platforms and even taken online) and Mii My Team modes. Lest we forget, that with this being a Wii game then motion control (Playmaker Style as it is referred to) also features along with the tried and trusted (and chosen method of control for this review) Classic Controller style of play, which results in there being two very distinct ways to play which both come with their own strengths and weaknesses; something the big boys version of the game on PS3/360/PC is without and while motion control is not the most desirable of features to many hardcore gamers, it works very well indeed in PES and offers arguably greater tactical freedom to the player. What the game lacks in tech on Nintendo’s aging platform it makes up for in flexibility and options. A vastly underrated asset.

It’s all about the gameplay then if the game is not going to amaze on the technical front but that is not to say that the overall fluidity of the game doesn’t still impress in its own right. Stability is the key word here and where PES (and FIFA to be fair) on other platforms can throw up some animation/engine quirks, what we find in the Wii version is a semi-HD polished PS2 engine that is largely rock solid and knows its limitations. Of course, the game does not have AI smarts of PES2012 or the physics driven animation and collision systems found in FIFA on more powerful hardware but it is sure footed and confident in its performance. Somewhat amazingly, in spite of the limitations apparent due to the engine and the hardware, PES2012 on Wii has the best implementation of 360 dribbling to be found in any football game out there. Where PES on PS3 might be more subtle and on a knife edge regards dribbling, here it has that sense of inertia to movement and quick direction changes that feel a little too understated on other platforms. Where FIFA might have more animation and sense of freedom in movement, here it possesses layers of individuality that EA’s game wish it could achieve when a player is in possession. It really is quite a triumph all things considered and makes playing the game all the more pleasurable not to mention crammed full of character.

Konami have succeeded in giving the series a great final run out on the Wii, should this prove to be the case. On the surface it all screams PES2011 for those first tentative passages of play before the little key adjustments and fine tuning administered by the development team become apparent. First off, the game is far more tight and congested compared to last year’s somewhat overly expansive stylings. What this does is give the illusion of a faster game initially, as players pressure the ball carrier more purposefully but you soon find your feet and realise that patience and composure remain key and that a great variance in speed and pattern of play is as present as it has always been in classic mould PES. Passing, while not adopting a manual placement and power model, still has a great sense of freedom and satisfaction with player attributes always impacting on quality of execution and while the AI might not have the smarts of it’s big brother, it has improved from what has come before which balances things nicely when faced with the greater degree of pressure apparent and makes the passing game all the more natural as a result.

In a recent WENB podcast we discussed a desire to see PES get some of it’s ‘’extremes’’ back in place for future editions and it manifests itself in abundance in this Wii version in most disciplines. Even in the now considered simplistic defensive control do these extremes manifest. In PES and FIFA on current-gen hardware both developers seem to be in a transitional phase in trying to re-imagine the art of defence with both producing mixed results. A few games in with this latest Wii offering would have you believe that there is no reason for either developer to do so and that balance and most of all, player individuality, in defence is where the answer truly lies. This not to say defending in PES2012 on Wii is perfection but it is better realised thanks to said balance and player individuality on show – you feel as though you have greater control, have more of a say and that the world’s best defenders are as solid and reliable as they should be. Food for thought.

Shooting is where things are a little less refined however, and the extremes that surface are less welcome. As far as physics, individuality, preferred foot and yes, even placement goes, things are pretty much as they should be within the confines of the match engine and scoring a goal is as satisfying as it ever has been in a classic PES offering. The problem lies in the almost ‘’light switch logic’’ that pressure upon the player shaping to shoot has on execution and accuracy. Too often efforts balloon skywards just because an opposition player is merely in close proximity, never mind physically engaging the player setting up the strike. This is something which should exist in a football videogame as it does happen in the sport in real life but not in the on/off fashion that is apparent here. What makes it more frustrating is how balanced everything else in the match experience is and how statistical influence and player attributes course through everything else in the game. It’s difficult to say whether this is a design choice or a quirk of the live player energy system or limited collision physics realised but whatever the reasoning it does remove some of the sensation of class and composure that should be apparent in some players when they are under pressure and looking to stick it in the back of the net. Not a game-breaker, miles from it in actual fact, just a bit too sensitive for its own good and is out of place with the consistency found elsewhere.

Finally on the gameplay front we have the keepers which in recent PES history have been the focus of much concern and served on some occasions to make or break the game; very frustrating for PES players everywhere, not that they need reminding. Well, they are frustrating here as well but for the right reasons! They are superb for the most part and add further to the gameplay experience overall. One handed super-human goal saving tips past goal to safety, contextually correct movements and positioning, double and even triple saves to deny from close range are all present and correct; none of the awkwardness of the current-gen versions admittedly improved post patch keepers to be found here, or at least not as regularly. It makes you wonder if the teams responsible for each version share their knowledge and findings and if in fact the recipe for well realised keepers are only an office partition away for the lead platform development team! Yes, the keepers are frustrating for that reason too but that is for another discussion.

So, all things considered PES2012 on Wii is surely the best PES available this year and maybe even the best footy game of the year, period. If only it was that straight forward. The 2012 edition of the franchise on Nintendo’s aging system is indeed a joy to play and bests the 2009 offering on the same platform pretty conclusively(that is a huge compliment) and thus is perhaps one of the best ‘’classic’’ PES’ produced, make no mistake. The simple fact is that for all the peccadilloes that exist in current-gen PES2012 and EA’s FIFA12, they are bringing new ideas and advancements to the genre which make it hard to shake off that gnawing feeling that in spite of PES2012 on Wii playing a great game of football in its own right, it serves more as a document of how good things used to be and for all that it entertains and engrosses, PES2012 has a ‘’blast from the past’’ feel about it. It comes highly recommended to those who may only have the Wii console as you will be getting the best football game available for the hardware and does so too if you have exhausted yourself trying to get on with PES or FIFA on current-gen hardware. At the price it is currently available for everybody should probably dust down the Wii and give it a go, just don’t expect miracles but a timely reminder that yes, classic PES was and still can be that good and there is a reason we all still care.

Should this be PES’ final appearance on the Wii system, then Konami have kept the best until last. Now we look ahead to what Konami may look to do with PES on Nintendo’s Wii U platform, a system that if reports are to be believed boasts power that is at least on par with Microsoft’s and Sony’s current systems yet comes with a rather unique user interface. Over to you Seabass.

*Online modes untested at time of writing.

The question that does need asking is : What are you doing reading this? There is a new PES to be playing!

Join in on the discussion covering all things PES2012 HERE and remember to get kitted out with the WENB base Option File that can be found HERE.

Check them out at the games Official Page.

Check them out HERE compliments of Gaming Phanatic.