Pro Evolution Soccer 2016

It’s hard to pick fault with what Konami has achieved. I think it’s still too early to say with absolute confidence that PES 2016 is the best football game ever. Historically, it’s in the weeks and months after release that a football game can really establish its place in the hearts and minds of its community. Only then can its idiosyncrasies be truly tested, and its nuances fully understood. Only then will sweet spots and exploits make themselves known. What I can say right now is this: hand on heart, I can’t remember ever being so consistently thrilled, surprised and delighted by a football...

Return of the king.

Unbiased review of this year's best soccer game: PES 2016.

The ever-impressive Atletico Madrid have just taken the lead thanks to a dipping 40-yard homing missile of a shot from Fernando Torres. There are only a few minutes left, and, despite coming under an immense amount of pressure, my players eventually manage to drag themselves across the line, sealing a famous win over their Group C rivals, London FC.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 is a strange entry in the series. The improvements are obvious and clear to see from the outset but the areas in which it has taken a step backward take a lot longer to actually uncover. You don't realise that you haven't conceded a free kick for ages until you've played more than a handful of games. You don't realise that the keepers pretty much can't save low shots until you've conceded a dozen goals in the bottom corner. This means that your time with PES this year will be spent playing for an hour or two and then putting the controller down in frustration. It's to...