With every game I play I hate it more. The core of this game is rotten. Computer controls practically everything you do. Players too often acting like dummies, always running momentarily away from the ball only for you to regain control and then play catch up, same old ♥♥♥♥. It all feels so generic and stale, less options and less control than ever before - bottleneck RNG ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ - looks great though and feels good. Pity the play is so atrocious. I don't feel in control at all, and little variety in shots now too - defending is a sham ... how many times do you make a successful tackle only for your player to run away from the ball or it to bounce favourably (100%) back to them and they get the ball again. At crucial times players just stop making runs ... Jesus even thinking about it makes me hate it more - I feel like such a dirty ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ puppet when playing.

Apparently though kids and stupid people love it, just with FIFA. Seriously, why do so few people see that the gameplay is seriously ♥♥♥♥♥♥ when you ramp up the difficulty or play online? (Nvm, I just answered that with my previous sentence).

Doesn't anyone practice what variety the game holds? I.e shots, passes etc etc?

Try the game on easy and take 1000s of shot from all angles and trust me with a few hours you'll see the extreme limitations in variety as you hit the ball over and over from range no matter what power you put on the ball, or what direction or combination of directions you apply.

Then when the difficulty goes up the AI then controls more of your outcomes so you will see much less variety and even more generic misses/nonsense. My problem is that if you can't score them on easy then that’s that - it can't be done, so don't even bother trying on harder because you've even less variety - yes I've scored some top corner screamers but tbh they all look the same and get old quite quickly and soon you begin to want more, more scope, more depth, more variety and it's simply no longer there and the long range variety of shot is particuarly redundant now i.e practically non-existent.
So give it a go - shoot from all angles using all kinds of run ups and button/direction combinations and you'll soon notice what I've mentioned. Explore the variety in your own time (on an easy level) and you'll soon realize how little is on offer - it's the illusion that there is more here when there isn't, same goes for passing too. The illusion is hidden under the slick look of some of the passing and the added intricacy that was lacking in previous titles but other than that there are far less shooting and passing options, just the way they are knitted together seems slicker and therefore better but that's a thin veil disguising the shallow husk that lies beneath!

It's such an inconsistent mess suffering from severe personality disorder. I mean, on easy its one game, on hard it’s another and online its another - well I've played them all and can safely say they're all ♥♥♥♥♥! Same limitations in every mode. The AI isn't challenging, it just momentarily 'allows' you to do things, then decides when to switch that off (players start behaving like bananas, no support, cursor change suddenly stops changing to who you want/need etc etc etc)

Compared to PES 2015, 2013, 2008, 2006, ISS Pro Evo II and ISS (was almost going to include 2017, which isn't a bad effort), PES 2018 is a dire omni-shambles.

Where’s the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ fun Konami? Don’t you know that you are supposed to reward players with success if they guess right and make a successful tackle (i.e. be smart, make the right decisions and use your brain etc?) This stuff actually means something.

How often I make a successful tackle/press only for the ball to land back instantly to an AI player, then worse still make a second successfully guessed/timed tackle only for the same thing to happen (I mean come the ♥♥♥♥ on!!!) and then if I am quick enough AGAIN (rarely happens) to guess again for a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ third time!!! (which is taking the absolute ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ piss) the same thing just happens AGAIN, like a complete"♥♥♥♥ YOU!" from the AI - so what is the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ point? Now I'm not denying this didn't happen in other games in the series but ♥♥♥♥ me sideways it was never this bad. Now, it’s like a switch gets flicked and you don’t get the ball until that switch has been flicked back, so you may as well drop the pad on the ground (and ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ stomp on it!), or (like the rest of me) wait until the computer has finished wiping its ♥♥♥♥ over your face (and clumsily around your nose and mouth) because really your actions are doing nothing more than entertaining the crowd - so essentially throughout PES 2018 the AI is controlling you AND IT!!! So you have to ask yourself, where the ♥♥♥♥ does 'Controlling Reality' fit into all this? Jesus ... my head hurts.
So while that innate switch is flicked you can try your little heart out to catch up with AI players who have the ball and you can guess right and even cut them off (because you've been smart about it) only to see your player stop momentarily (or run slightly in the opposite direction - love that!) so AI can go ahead and do what it was going to do before you rudely interrupted it with your nonsense. De'ja vu? Whats better still it doesn't even need to make sense - animations don't need to match AI doesn't give a ♥♥♥♥, remember 'Control Reality'? Now we're beginning to understand what Konami meant.

There is no balance here, yes you can turn the difficulty down but that just means the AI does it less, but it’s still there, it’s what governs the interactivity of the game. This not controlling reality by a long shot and neither is it fun – what has happened to Konami? I am happy for the AI to beat me, but do it fairly, but please stop taking control of my ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ players whenever you want and and essentially deciding when I can and cannot play! That's just cheap shoddy programming, and a jaded attempt to maintain balance online.

I retract my review verdict; it's now 4/10.




....but forget all that.

One word.. Muller

With every game I play I hate it more. The core of this game is rotten. Computer controls practically everything you do. Players too often acting like dummies, always running momentarily away from the ball only for you to regain control and then play catch up, same old shit. It all feels so generic and stale, less options and less control than ever before - bottleneck RNG shitball - looks great though and feels good. Pity the play is so atrocious. I don't feel in control at all, and little variety in shots now too - defending is a sham ... how many times do you make a successful tackle only for your player to run away from the ball or it to bounce favourably (100%) back to them and they get the ball again. At crucial times players just stop making runs ... Jesus even thinking about it makes me hate it more - I feel like such a dirty fucking puppet when playing. Apparently though kids and stupid people love it, just with FIFA. Seriously, why do so few people see that the gameplay is seriously fucked when you ramp up the difficulty or play online? (Nvm, I just answered that with my previous sentence). Doesn't anyone practice what variety the game holds? I.e shots, passes etc etc? Try the game on easy and take 1000s of shot from all angles and trust me with a few hours you'll see the extreme limitations in variety as you hit the ball over and over from range no matter what power you put on the ball, or what direction or combination of directions you apply. Then when the difficulty goes up the AI then controls more of your outcomes so you will see much less variety and even more generic misses/nonsense. My problem is that if you can't score them on easy then that’s that - it can't be done, so don't even bother trying on harder because you've even less variety - yes I've scored some top corner screamers but tbh they all look the same and get old quite quickly and soon you begin to want more, more scope, more depth, more variety and it's simply no longer there and the long range variety of shot is particuarly redundant now i.e practically non-existent. So give it a go - shoot from all angles using all kinds of run ups and button/direction combinations and you'll soon notice what I've mentioned. Explore the variety in your own time (on an easy level) and you'll soon realize how little is on offer - it's the illusion that there is more here when there isn't, same goes for passing too. The illusion is hidden under the slick look of some of the passing and the added intricacy that was lacking in previous titles but other than that there are far less shooting and passing options, just the way they are knitted together seems slicker and therefore better but that's a thin veil disguising the shallow husk that lies beneath! It's such an inconsistent mess suffering from severe personality disorder. I mean, on easy its one game, on hard it’s another and online its another - well I've played them all and can safely say they're all shite! Same limitations in every mode. The AI isn't challenging, it just momentarily 'allows' you to do things, then decides when to switch that off (players start behaving like bananas, no support, cursor change suddenly stops changing to who you want/need etc etc etc) Compared to PES 2015, 2013, 2008, 2006, ISS Pro Evo II and ISS (was almost going to include 2017, which isn't a bad effort), PES 2018 is a dire omni-shambles. Where’s the fucking fun Konami? Don’t you know that you are supposed to reward players with success if they guess right and make a successful tackle (i.e. be smart, make the right decisions and use your brain etc?) This stuff actually means something. How often I make a successful tackle/press only for the ball to land back instantly to an AI player, then worse still make a second successfully guessed/timed tackle only for the same thing to happen (I mean come the fuck on!!!) and then if I am quick enough AGAIN (rarely happens) to guess again for a fucking third time!!! (which is taking the absolute fucking piss) the same thing just happens AGAIN, like a complete"FUCK YOU!" from the AI - so what is the fucking point? Now I'm not denying this didn't happen in other games in the series but fuck me sideways it was never this bad. Now, it’s like a switch gets flicked and you don’t get the ball until that switch has been flicked back, so you may as well drop the pad on the ground (and fucking stomp on it!), or (like the rest of me) wait until the computer has finished wiping its dick over your face (and clumsily around your nose and mouth) because really your actions are doing nothing more than entertaining the crowd - so essentially throughout PES 2018 the AI is controlling you AND IT!!! So you have to ask yourself, where the fuck does 'Controlling Reality' fit into all this? Jesus ... my head hurts. So while that innate switch is flicked you can try your little heart out to catch up with AI players who have the ball and you can guess right and even cut them off (because you've been smart about it) only to see your player stop momentarily (or run slightly in the opposite direction - love that!) so AI can go ahead and do what it was going to do before you rudely interrupted it with your nonsense. De'ja vu? Whats better still it doesn't even need to make sense - animations don't need to match AI doesn't give a fuck, remember 'Control Reality'? Now we're beginning to understand what Konami meant. There is no balance here, yes you can turn the difficulty down but that just means the AI does it less, but it’s still there, it’s what governs the interactivity of the game. This not controlling reality by a long shot and neither is it fun – what has happened to Konami? I am happy for the AI to beat me, but do it fairly, but please stop taking control of my fucking players whenever you want and and essentially deciding when I can and cannot play! That's just cheap shoddy programming, and a jaded attempt to maintain balance online. I retract my review verdict; it's now 4/10. ....but forget all that. One word.. Muller