EFootball: PES 2020 - Kicking With The Stars

2023 Author: Sheila Hailey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 04:29

Besides Pro Evolution Soccer, FIFA is currently the only serious soccer simulation on PC and consoles. EA Sports has been sending virtual kickers to the field since 1993, back then with fantasy names, today with a thick license package and thus with numerous original players with faces, team names, jerseys and more. Many consider themselves the best FIFA players in their area. But championships are won not only in practice, but also on the tactical board.

In any case, heavy guns were already being fired up in Manchester: Former Irish international Denis Irwin and United crowd favorite Park Ji Sung laced up their soccer shoes again and kicked off a round with the journalists and YouTubers who had traveled there. My very personal conclusion: after months of abstinence from sports, every sprint hurts, no matter how short, but the stand-up football and the distribution of the balls still worked properly. During the warm-up program including technical training, the coaches praised me for my dribble skills. In the end, I still don't end up at the front. Maybe I should go to the gym again!

The art of the offensive

Between presentation and training games, however, I tried eFootball: PES 2020 for over an hour. As a connoisseur of the series, I went through all the ups and downs of Pro Evolution Soccer and was therefore all the more excited to see how Konami would like to face the overpowering FIFA competition this year. In any case, technically, PES 2020 is no match. Apart from the somewhat stiff facial expressions of the kickers, PES 2020 presents itself excellently.

On the offensive, I continue to enjoy the multitude of options. After my colleague Park Ji Sung had already turned me around on the real lawn more than once, I appreciate the finesse dribbling all the more and let the competition with the right analog stick effortlessly get out. At the same time I like the redesigned short pass game and the refined ball assumptions.

For example, I watch how manu striker Rashford cleverly detaches himself from his opponent and how a chance works out after a steep pass. The running paths seem very authentic to me, and wingers and defenders in particular are often ideal for passing.

Unsporting progress?

In view of the large number of attack options, the defensive only watches in between. If I get the right timing for deep passes, the defenders have no chance. I therefore prefer to cover space: I use a button to attack computer players while I try to block pass routes.

In an emergency, I resort to tactical and therefore deliberate fouls. This function caused a sensation in advance. But Brand Manager Lennart Bobzien promises in the interview that the fouls will be possible, but will not be overpowering. So I can't just interrupt an opponent's attack by pulling a player down on the other end of the field. OK then!

Nevertheless, I am excited to see how this option is accepted in multiplayer mode. Konami is currently still covering the scope of the online functions. The renaming of the series to eFootball: PES 2020 clearly shows where the future of the series appears to be. But as the coaches said during journalist training: Football connects people. Let's hope that eFootball: PES 2020 doesn't fail the community. In any case, in terms of quality, Konami's football simulation can easily keep up with FIFA this year.

Do you want to try eFootball: PES 2020 yourself? No problem! On July 30, 2019, Konami will release a playable demo with 14 clubs - including Manchester United - and the game modes free play and co-op as well as the editor for Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC.