"PES 2019" Review

With FIFA World Cup 2018 still fresh in mind, it's time to get started on the new soccer season. "PES 2019" is there to take your newfound soccer enthusiasm in stride, deke a defender and launch a back-of-the-goal screamer that brings the crowd to its feet.

Impeccable controls, stunningly realistic charactetr models, precision onfield tactical reactions and countless authentic chants, crowd reactions and stadium quirks make up components to a robust soccer casserole that manages to be as accessible as it is intricate.

Even having lost the UEFA license to rival FIFA, "PES" still maintains the crown as the go-to game for the most realistic soccer experience.

Konami's dev team has long since wrestled away the crown from EA's "FIFA" as the superior choice for serious fans, the latest entry continues to hold the banner proudly despite several imitative advances from the competition.

Like its cover athlete, Brazilian and Barca attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho, "PES 2019" favors high risk/high reward style strategy, while subtly punishing those who prefer to park the bus and pray for a counterattack opportunity.

With elegant and lively through balls, conniving first touches and devastating precision in free kick set plays, the game that unfolds on the virtual pitch feels like an elevated, slightly stylized and idealized version of what you see on TV.

With a revamped franchise mode that takes cues from the dry but influential "Football Manager" franchise, the front office becomes as lively a strategic outlet for your soccer passions as the onfield action.

A host of other improvements, including an upgraded multiplayer suite and an exhaustive slate of customization options, makes the game more of a long-term investment than you'd expect out of an annual release. "PES 2019" is built to last, never mind that you'll almost certainly be tempted to trade it in for "PES 2020" a year from now.
Publisher provided review code.