'Career Mode' (FIFA) and 'Master League' (PES) have seen only minimal changes and those largely regard license integration and minor tweaks to systems that were already in place. Neither game has done much for their traditional modesįans have lamented the lack of effort being put into the long-running traditional modes in many sports games, and that's definitely held true of both soccer offerings here. It's the alternative in the minds of many and has to find a way overcome its initial drawbacks. Those factors - and they're not the only ones - say a lot about the standing 'PES' has from a perception standpoint.
The first thing that is generally suggested when beginning to play 'PES' is to change the control scheme from the default to its second option which replicates the one used in 'FIFA.' On the PS4 (but not possible on Xbox One) files need to be sought out and loaded into the game to fill some of the licensing gaps.
Beginners will find comfort in its 'Skill Games' and 'Story Mode'. Head-to-head play is strong with both the online and offline modes, and those looking for a deeper experience will find it with 'Ultimate Team' and 'Career Mode'.
There are numerous directions someone can go based on individual interests, personal skill level and knowledge of the sport.
Within the sports gaming genre only the 'NBA 2K' series packs in more content than 'FIFA' and the series has consistently executed all its features exceedingly well. MORE: 'NBA 2K19' and 'NBA Live 19' Review FIFA 19 has the greater widespread appeal Tactically the two differ somewhat but there is no going wrong with either one of them. No matter which game is on hand playing, it will prove fun and satisfying. There is some concern that fouls aren't being called enough however, though that may go back many years to the animation system that creates some collisions that look really wicked and are ignored by the officials. The ball also feels unpredictable in all the right ways. Player awareness has improved dramatically and there is more creativity from the CPU while also occurring organically for the user in their play. 'FIFA' however, seems to have made a bigger single-year leap in its gameplay. Fouls are more commonly called, the ball feels live, goalkeepers perform better, player skill differentiation has increased and fatigue plays a bigger role both visually and under-the-hood. Once again 'PES' has managed still to improve with incredibly smooth, free-flowing gameplay, and has seemed to reduce some areas of past frustration. In recent years 'PES' has been seen as having an edge on the pitch by those who have heavily sampled both series, which helps to compensate for deficiencies it has elsewhere. PES 2019 competes and arguably wins on the pitchīoth games provide terrific gameplay experiences and really the "better" one will simply come down to personal preference. 'FIFA 19' utilizes those licenses well throughout its various modes. The contrast when going from unlicensed and generic teams, stadiums, and crowds in 'PES' to the licensed fully-represented authentic representations in 'FIFA' is startling. This year the series made a big splash by adding exclusive rights to UEFA Champions League and Europa League.ĮA Sports made the wise decision to introduce 'FIFA 19' by opening up the game with a Champions League experience that accentuates its impressive presentation and atmosphere. 'FIFA 19' has a stranglehold on critical official licenses, like that for the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, and Major League Soccer. It has become a broken record of sorts when reviewing these two games annually, but licensing is an important factor and one in which saw the gap widen between the two even further this year.