Konami Digital Entertainment announced today that they will unleash their eagerly-awaited PES 2012 title on October 14th for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. According to the company, PES2012 is the most ambitious and advanced football experience ever. Well, it could be if it wasn’t Fifa around but still. Let’s hope that Konami has improved the game’s mechanics and that it will be able to compete against its rival.
As the press release reads, PES 2012 goes further in giving the user total control than any other football title, offering AI innovations and gameplay additions that cover every aspect of real football. Central to PES 2012 is the all-new Active AI system which ensures that teammates work to close down space, defend zonally and hold their line to minimise attacking options. As such, as players defend, their colleagues will look to hold the defensive line and mark oncoming offensive support. Conversely, when attacking, the player will see that their teammates will make dummy runs, draw defenders, and work to give the player more options in attack.
Furthermore, the emphasis on the team as a unit is demonstrated with PES 2012’s ground-breaking Teammate Control system – a truly unique addition which allows the user to control two players at once, prompting runs or drawing defenders with one, while the other holds the ball up. Teammate Control works in two ways; with users pressing the right analogue stick in the direction of the player they wish to control. Support play is offered in Assisted mode wherein users prompt a second player to make a timed run to cut inside or receive a ball, while total control is afforded by the fully Manual mode which gives the user complete freedom of movement of the second player.
Elsewhere, PES 2012 is equally full of new additions. Animation has been enhanced, while the overall presentation has also been refined. Managers can now be seen wandering the touchline, while the general atmosphere of a big-match day has been faithfully recreated. In terms of gameplay, shooting movement and reactions are much improved, control is no longer totally lost when losing possession of the ball, a return to the classic ‘behind player’ penalty system, and one-on-one situations offer greater control as defenders press and jostle to win the ball, and attackers use upper body feints and movements to bypass and wrong-foot their man.
PES 2012 also continues KONAMI’s close relationship with UEFA that sees the PES series as the exclusive home of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup video game licences. Attention to detail within these key tournaments has been extended to the match officials, and PES 2012 will see referees and their assistants now sporting the official UEFA Champions League uniforms.
Jon Murphy, European PES Team Leader for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH said:
“PES 2012 is a massive advance for the football genre, truly the most ambitious and advanced football game ever. The additions we have made in terms of Teammate Control, Active AI and Off the Ball Control and elevate the level of play to new heights. No other game allows users so much control over their team, and PES 2012 ensures that the days of gaps in defence and shouting at teammates to make a run are long gone. This is a very exciting time to be a PES fan, and we are delighted that we can set a firm date for football fans to mark in their calendars.”
PES 2012 will be released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC on October 14th. Dates for the other formats will be announced shortly.
John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved – and still does – the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the “The Evolution of PC graphics cards.”
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