Physics wise it's the best PES. Goalkeeper wise, it also happens to be the best. Animations are also amazing.

But it's all ruined due to an inconsistent difficulty option and extremely obvious scripting, which becomes worse when playing with mediocre 2nd division teams. The oposing players are always stronger, faster, more accurate and do better teamwork than your players even if their stats are worse. My fastest player is Lynden Gooch with 90 speed rating while also being in top form and he couldn't catch another player who had a 75 speed rating and ALSO had the ball.

Also, whenever you score, it is as if the AI goes to the next difficulty setting, which is terrible. Your may be dominating your enemy, but after you score a goal, they exchange a series of one touch passes and score an equalizer. Also, your team becomes worse. My best middlefielder who played excelent the entire first half, suddenly misses a header even though the ball was going terribly slow and passed right next to him. This didn't happn once. One game it may be my middlefielder, it may be my defender, it could be both of them. It happens every single game and only after I score. Every single game.

It has gotten to the point where this game is not enjoyable. Heck, I could even say it is infuriating because you know that once you score a goal, the enemy 2nd division team plays like Barca, and there is nothing you can do about it.

A number of other issues:
-Defenders don't mark properly. They leave too much space and often run away from the ball(!!!)
-Annoying transfers in Master League (Manager Career). Liverpool literally gave away all their good players and bought some randoms.
-All teams play the same. Counter attack and nearly perfect short passes. Even the worst 2nd division teams play like that.

I was really hoping for something better, since my last PES was 2012 and 2013, but the improvement is only graphical. Gameplay is a joke. Save your money for next year's game.

(EDIT - Extra Issues)
-Terrible foul system/tackle system. Your tackles are 90% of the time an instant yellow card.
-Perfect opponent tackling - Always inch perfect accurate tackles and never a foul.

I think PES also needs a Workshop, so people stop making ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ YouTube video's about updating teams and players.

And we can just easily download it in the game by Steam!

Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 is without doubt the best football game since the PES 4,5 and 6 glory days. Not only is the PC version finally on par with its PS4 counterpart; it is actually far superior with an excellent technical performance and astonishing visuals thanks to the latest Fox Engine build.

Graphically; the game looks almost photorealistic at times and the attention to detail is phenominal in places. The animations of players is an remarkable achievement and the immersive feel of the stadiums just offers an incredible experience. It is a groundbreaking step up from the 'hyrbid' builds we've had in recent years which is just polite terminology for 'PS3 port'.

In terms of gameplay; the pacing is a bit slower in this outing and it feels spot-on. Matches are less erratic and everything flows much better. Players are more composed in their play and the ball isn't bouncing around the pitch like a hot potato. You have to be more tactical and patient in your approach instead and it works really well.

Unfortuately, despite a string of key improvements to the game; the user interface is still incredibly dated as is the recycled commentary which drags the presentation down. It's not a major issue but Konami really need to improve this aspect next year. Online server and connection issues still persist as is the poorly supported online entity which is a shame.

Overall; PES 2018 is a stunning game and Konami's best effort for over a decade. From a gameplay and graphical standpoint, it's simply outstanding at times and if you're just looking for a football game to enjoy; it's an absolute must buy despite some dated elements and a disappointing online portion.

I am back to PES now, have been buying FIFA up to this point only because PES was not bringing their A game to PC, but now...damn, I forgot how good this franchise was. To start off with, I am coming to this game with 300+ hours on FIFA 17, most of those hours are with Ultimate Team, which I believe is the strongest mode of that game since you learn the game from a bronze 55 to a gold 90 rating team (without micro transactions, guess if you buy your way up is gonna take a shorter amount of time) and learn to do tactical defending the bad way for online matches, so, of course, I got some appreciation towards FIFA, but one hour into PES 2018 and I am already craving for some mechanics to be implemented into FIFA.

In short, PES2018 feels a lot more like football (tactics, formation, positioning, passing, set pieces) while FIFA felt more like a pseudo free-style "soccer" match (flip the stick and break the defense unless you are MLG pro)

I've been playing FIFA since 2009, and through to FIFA 2018 this year. All the while, I know in the back of my mind that this is a rubbish football game, over top, aimed at youngsters who want the instant buzz of wonder goals and shallow easy-to-grasp game play. After reading reviews of PES 2017 and seeing the strides taken forward with PES 2018, I am not dissapointed with the switch, if I compare the two games purely on what is happening on the pitch.

But let me start with the negative points and get those out the way:

- Slow loading times, even on an SSD this game takes an age to just load into the menu screen
- Lack of licenses - this IS remedied by fan made option files, but still a pain to have to load to make up for this
- Online play is a bit finicky to get up and running, FIFA is much slicker to get a game going
- Menus are a bit rubbish as well, especially the team sheet view.
- There are a few issues with gameplay, but nothing that breaks the game. Cursor changing is the biggest gripe, sometimes you just dont seem to be able to choose the player you want especially while defending.

Now for the positives

- The gameplay on the pitch is streets ahead of FIFA. You actually feel like you are playing a game of football. Ball physics are near perfect, accurately portraying speed and weight of a real life football. Konami have nailed animations, its one of the few sports games where I almost always watch the replays just to marvel at how smooth and realistic the animations are.
- Tactics that actually work. Instead of some vague sliders, you get to to choose from a range of tactics and dynamic formations and the results are immediately apparent on the pitch.
- Believable AI. PES is fun to play agains the CPU, they adjust their tactics and close you out if you continually try and score through the same moves.
- Depth to gameplay. The PES tutorials get you familiar with the basics of the controls and you can get onto the pitch and play a competent game of football. However, there is so many more options to controls under the bonnet that allow for an incredible range of moves, passes, touches, off the ball running that it makes PES a game that takes a long time to truly master. There is a level of subtlety that you just don't get in FIFA.
- Graphics. Menus aside, I personally think PES 2018 looks much better than FIFA.

Bottom line for me? I enjoy every game I play, I feel like a really have to work hard for my goals and when the goals do come I have never lost that moment of pure joy from scoring that I have lost for so long with FIFA. You never feel like the CPU is cheating its way to scoring

I often wish that if PES could benefit from the same licensing as FIFA, it would become the number 1 football game by miles.
If you all you care about is a football game that plays like a real life match, its PES 2018 all the way.

Pro evolution Soccer 2018 Is so good. Ive put 36 hours in in three days and I'm not worn out for a long time!
The gameplay is so raw, I love how free the ball physics can be, how good the keepers can move. How amazing those key moments are when everything goes right.

For the first time the PC version is super smooth, Graphics and gameplay on par with the PS4 version (Trust me I played the PS4 version one week before launch, promocopy)

And then the online... Even on PC the online is as buttery smooth as it can be. The new Netcode is really really good. The sense of playability is really high. I heard it was a hybrid of Peer to peer and server use. Which is frankly the same as what FIFA uses. From time to time you connect with a guy from a location far further away from you and things can get laggy online. Not stutter laggy, but a lot of input delay on the buttons laggy. That spoils the fun a bit but have never seen a football game that had zero lag matches.

95% of the time the matches are great and smooth online, with the new Co-op mode it has even more replayability and you can even Mash up your myclub team in a wonderful Myclub co-op mode and play with players you both achieved together. And then the magic moments happen on the pitch again......

Enjoy your football in this game!

This is a non-bias review just to point out.

Why is that? Because I’ve played Fifa games when there was no Pro Evolution.
I will admit Fifa games have the best presentation and of course the licenses that Pro Evo don’t have. Obviously Fifa have attained the licence for UEFA Champions Cup lately. I loved Fifa games from the get go because they were always fun with friends that came over to your house when there was no online play.

There are so many positive things I could point out about Fifa and Pro Evo. I have owned and played both games since the start of their rivalry. So maybe my review can be judged as non-bias and from years of experience playing both games.
The major difference I want to indicate before stating anything else is the gameplay. This is the most important aspect for any gamer I believe no matter how good graphics or presentation can be. From the get go in the early years Pro Evo has always felt a realistic game to play because when you play you can just feel the difference. If you are a long-time gamer and have played these games from the beginning then you know this, it’s natural instinct. Trust me.
I feel the differences just straight away.

For instance:
- Can you the reader feel you have less time to pass and build-up-play on the Fifa games?
- Do you feel it is more of quick counter attack gameplay in Fifa?
- Do you feel it is more of an arcade game?
- Do you feel the gameplay is always rushing you?

I sometimes feel all these things because in Pro Evo I have the time to build-up play with decent passes and crosses. Where in Fifa for more than a decade I am just playing through balls and clashing into other players with the feeling the pitch is very small with so many players on it. Feels as if there is no space for players to spread and play their game.

Which isn’t how the real football game is played and seen. There are counter attacks in football of course but when you watch a match you can see players using the width and spreading the play to find a chance and make it difficult for the opposition to close down. I’ve always felt in Fifa I am rushed off my feet. The gameplay isn’t really great in the Fifa games. I’ve played in career modes managing teams for both games before. I enjoyed playing Pro Evo for more seasons when Shevchenko was still playing. I carried him in my team until he was 36 and he was still scoring goals. The career mode was just amazing.

I know many Fifa fans will slam this review but it’s the truth. I have Fifa 18 and you won’t believe since when I have been playing Fifa. I play Pro Evo because of that amazing feeling of gameplay where every pass is meant to be and the build-up to a goal was intended. Most of the time in Fifa you are rushing about trying to score with several crosses all over the place or a bundle of players clashing into each other in one area. Just not that but defending feels more realistic and feels you meant it with your controls as in Fifa you feel you are lucky you got the tackle by chance. Just too fast paced and unrealistic at times. But like I said Fifa has it’s good points that’s why I still play that too but only for the amazing presentation. The graphics have to go to Pro Evo but only for the players because they feel more realistic than Fifa’s. Fifa’s are just faces that have been mapped by the camera and Pro Evo have drawn them and they look good. For example check out Ajax player Kasper Dolberg in Fifa and Pro Evo. You will notice the difference to the real player.

If you still don’t believe it why not play both games for more than 15 years and see how you feel. It’s not all about licenses because it’s not fun if you don’t enjoy the gameplay. I love the presentation as I stated in the Fifa games. But what’s the point of all those licences and presentation videos when the gameplay isn’t making me feel I’m playing a realistic football game. Yes the presentation makes you feel it is real but the gameplay is letting it down. However if Fifa did make the gameplay as good as Pro Evo and gave players the chance to plan an attack or defend patiently then it would be the best.

But at the moment it’s just pushing all the time to counter-attack.

HUGE improvements on graphics and gameplay and runs much smoother than all previous years!

Well done Konami, you delivered on the PC version.

Since PES is about gameplay, here are my thoughts:

PROS:

- Better player animations, the player move smoother and have good movement with the ball and it feels realistic.

- Better dribbling, it can be done now only with the directional analog which is an amazing addition.

- Better passing, player positioning and the direction they are facing is a big decider in passes success.


CONS:

- Attributes don't matter, no matter what the players passing attributes are, they can play Tiki Taka with ease, which made square (X) tackles useless, you'll never make it in time. You can see Ipswich playing Barcelona level of passes.

- In contrary to what PES is known for, this year all teams play the same. Striker 1 pass back, make a run, midfielder the lofted through ball to that same striker or wingers. Good luck catching them btw, but that isn't the problem anyway..

- Fouls, 1 per 2 games if you are lucky.. And of course 45 meters away of the goal.

- Injuries, from my over 40 hours, I don't think injuries are in the game, haven't witnessed none. You can hit an injury prone player with the boot to the face, then dislocate his shoulder and he will stand back just fine.

- Scripting, I played the American International Cup as Colombia, beat Paraguay and Chile with ease, over 4 goals each. Last group stages game was against the already out Panama, except this time they fielded: 1-Buffon, 2-Cafu, 3-R.Carlos, 4-Nesta, 5-Hierro, 6-Redondo, 7-Figo, 8-Gerrard, 9-Battistuta, 10-Zidane, 11-Romario. I lost heavily.

- Collision, your player leg can go through the ball, the opposite team player leg and then some, with neither taking the ball nor stopping it or commiting a foul.

- Player switching is a mess, and players that are not selected still have hard time reacting to the ball placement.

- Due to some point I mentioned earlier in addition to the huge space in midfield, the play in PES 2018 revolves around constant attacks from the two sides with a small percentage of the game time spent in midfield bsttles or build up.. The play is always in one of the two teams final third.

CONCLUSION:
I am a long time PES fan since ISS, I bought this year's edition on PC due to the finally on par as PS4 version where I usually buy it, and I still somewhat like the game and will be playing it, esspecially once the PTE patch is out. But it is far from being the best Footballing game experience.. It has it's pros and cons, and at this point it is really subjective to say PES has better gameplay than FIFA. Try the two demos before making a decision. Konami has a lot of job to do, and the game needs many fixes.

Bear in mind, this is an offline gameplay review, I don't play online.

Why I reccomend? Only because there is no middle ground and I personally will play the game.

I don't really get the hate for this game, gameplay wise PES 2018 destroys FIFA 18. Most of the negative reviews seem to be from butturt online players, my advice if you want to play online football get FIFA, PES has always been for the single player