FIFA 2011 vs Pro Evolution Soccer 2011

Every year, football/soccer fans are divided into two large masses, at least when it comes to videogames. On one side are those who prefer FIFA's more paced gameplay with its vibrant graphics and full licenses for the use of players and their respective images. The latest versions are showing great improvement and raised the popularity of the franchise. On the other side of the field we have the series developed by a team from Konami, Pro Evolution Soccer. The games, which are considered as "kings of the genre," the faithful community, are undergoing severe transformation over the years, approaching more and more of the gameplay brought by rival. After a few stumbles along the way, the developer promise is to make a revolution with the 2011 version. This summary has put up an explanation: we're approaching the release of version 2011. FIFA 11 is scheduled for release on September 28, arriving in stores just two days before rival Pro Evolution Soccer. After all, what game will raise the cup?

Graphics

Lighting, photorealism to the stadiums, animations or natural expressions for the players? This generation of consoles has brought a great leap in graphics, but still has severe limitations that prevent the developers to achieve the same quality seen in an actual broadcast, even with the distant camera. This year, FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer will bring significant improvements over what was seen in the past, but each franchise seems to be focused on a different aspect of image quality.

FIFA 2011 - EA Sports is investing heavily in the realistic portraits of the athletes. To achieve maximum realism concerning the faces, the company is using a new technology: an advanced screening, made from eight sequential pictures. Athletes are invited to the production studio production, location where they are photographed.The sad news is that such procedure is not feasible for most teams. So far, only four teams have been confirmed as "worthy" of differential treatment. The result is phenomenal, but our concern is that the quality becomes very discrepant between a player and another, especially during the replays and animations, which are strengths of the games produced by EA. Another novelty is the increase in the number of character samples. Ten in total, compared to only three from version 2010. This will allow an extremely accurate portrayal of most athletes. But those who do not fit in any of the models ready (Peter Crouch) will be programmed individually. In general, the image of FIFA 11 is very vibrant, dramatic, depicting the sweat on the faces of the players, exactly as observed in EA's boxing games.

PES 2011 - On Konami's side, the visual aspect is also undergoing major transformations. First come the athletes animations, remade from the 2010 version: according to Seabass, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 will bring more than a thousand unpublished sequences obtained with motion capture technology from athletes. Such dedication to give further variety to the veracity of the images, bringing the excitement of the games afloat, especially during the animation of free kicks and off side, or the goal celebrations . Even the fights with the umpires have been reworked, according to the videos released by Konami. Then we have the stadiums' lighting, which now features more defined shadows and light areas. The light beams of the spotlight and the Sun cause distortions in the traditional camera lens, creating a beautiful effect. The colors are softer than those seen in FIFA, creating a more natural scene (though some aspects of the franchise are higher than rival). The team led by Seabass is also using real photos to try to balance the image quality by adding photographic elements to the screen. Is what you see in the stadiums are now much richer in detail.

Gameplay

FIFA 2011 - Say goodbye to the infamous ping pong pass. In FIFA 11, players will have to master it in order to pass the ball accurately. Concern over the passes still aren't over: There will be weight control in the ball distribution, allowing more free throws closer the area, along with the depth effects on the ball - making it quickly loses its speed, getting on the pitch for an attacker to reach in time. After dominating the ball, just to invade the area as the defenses will probably be running and try to follow the striker. At the time of the attacks (or defenses) the interaction between the players in FIFA seems to be much better, as players follow their trajectories trading pushes and pulls, giving space also to the traditional strenght game . Obviously, the dribbling speed, passing and shots accuracy depend entirely on the personality and the skill of the player.

PES 2011 - Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is faster, even with regards to movement of the players. It's as if every action, dribble or pass had to be initiated in the controls at least one second before running on the screen. The impression one gets is that the players are stuck in the ground, with heavy legs. The manual is practically demanding that you control very well the analog stick while holding the touch buttons. The passes have weight and strength, requiring adjustment of the players, who will also learn to see the entire field to explore the best chances during the games. The new system may seem overly complex for those who played the series from the 16-Bit generation. However, it is uniquely capable of meeting a key demand from his fans: free to play the ball. You are solely responsible for the control, of who will receive the pass and direction. The transformation field can be problematic at first, but the rewards are totally worthy. 

Championships and Online Modes

FIFA 2011 - Until now, FIFA had online modes, with support for up to ten players on each team. But that is about to change: coinciding with the release of version 11, the franchise finally have support for 22 players, with the entrance of the goalkeepers, who are controlled in real time - even though their jumps into the ball to be coordinated automatically.

PES 2011 - With the announcement of the Beta phase, Konami dropped the bomb: the first time in franchise history, PES will have support for the Master League online, making life or death confrontation between participants of the championships. The intention of the producer is to make the championships meaningful, rewarding the winners with cash for new acquisitions and investments.

Small Details 

That makes a big difference...

FIFA 2011 - As promised by EA Sports, players will finally have access to an interface for editing and creating teams, with the right selection of colors, uniforms and emblems. The company acknowledges that the proposal is still limited (which is true if we consider what is allowed by the game competitor), but explains that this is only the first concrete attempt - and that future versions will be much better in tthis department.. With the team created, players will have the opportunity to record their own songs, hymns and chants and cheers, so that these audio tracks can enter the replays of the games and the entry of virtual athletes in the field.