PES 2014 "is a new beginning"

Konami has officially announced PES 2014.

Yes, we know it’s not the first time that Konami has embarked on a new beginning” for the series but this time that claim really does seem on the money.

Interestingly, the press release makes no mention of next-gen machines, instead naming the launch formats as Xbox 360, PS3, PC and PSP. Presumably these will be added to.

Built using the Fox Engine, the team on Tokyo have supposedly been working on this iteration for four years and has re-worked every single element.

The central theme of fluidity is based on the constant moving of players and switching positions which characterises the modern approach to football,” the press release reads. PES Productions have looked at how matches ebb and flow, with player individuality key to a team’s success, and well-drilled tactics helping underdogs produce giant-killing feats.

Gone are the limitations imposed by dated animation systems and AI elements, and instead PES 2014 boasts a central core that perfectly mimics the skill and awareness that elevates the world’s greatest players above their peers.”

TrueBall Tech promises to completely overhaul everything about the ball’s behaviour and how the players relate to this. Players will also be able to control the shape of a player’s body when preparing to receive the ball.

The Motion Animation Stability System (M.A.S.S.) brings player’s body mass into play resulting in not only more tactical and physical one-on-one encounters as well as more unpredictable consequences for the ball in such situations.

Away teams will come under greater psychological pressure than home teams while the flow of a match will also have an impact on a team’s mental performance. Indeed, a moment of brilliance can generate an immediate uplift for both the player in question and his team mates.

Twice as many players are now included in Konami’s PES ID system, which offers an ultra realistic creation of their playing styles and movements. Free kicks and penalties have also been overhauled.

Thinking outside the box on an annual series such as PES is not easy but the Fox Engine has allowed us to develop such a level of freedom that we are constantly realising ways of making PES 2014 a true representation of football,” creative producer Kei Masuda stated.

From the moment football fans pick up the controller and experiment with the close control, player movement and get to know how teams work and move, we are confident that they will see a game no longer limited by technology, but capable of growing with them and constantly surprising with the breath-taking quality they have to come to expect from the real thing.

All the materials we’re releasing are taken from current platforms and fully in-game, which is at about 70 per cent completion. We want fans to get a true feeling of the actual product they’ll be playing on the consoles most own this year, not some marketing dream. Our new engine and systems are dedicated to the current generation of platforms, which will continue to be dominant in the market, but are fully scalable for future versions.”