Introducing the Asia Champions League as a playable option for its devotees, Konami’s newly-announced Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 iteration looks to slay the dragon that is FIFA 14.
Expected to release this fall, although no information regarding a release date or which consoles it will be available on has been provided, PES 2014 will introduce a wealth of new gameplay mechanics and enhancements, which should hopefully allow it to leap over its well-made predecessor.
Those new systems, which include more accurate and realistic ball technology, a motion stability system that reacts to individual plays without using predetermined animations and a brand new Heart mechanic that gives footballers mental attributes that affect their composure on the pitch, were all made possible thanks to the game’s brand new, FOX engine power. Yes, you read that right; Kojima’s engine has been altered, in order to allow it to create what is said to be the series’ most impressive and most realistic entry yet.
For more information, check out the following press release. Then, make sure to check back, as we’ll keep you updated on all Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 developments as they surface.
BACK ON THE PITCH!
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014: The Dawn of a New Era
KONAMI looks to the future as it reveals new Pro Evolution Soccer title powered by the FOX engine
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – June 4, 2013 – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., today has revealed that its upcoming Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 title will mark a new beginning for the popular series, with an all-new engine allowing for the most comprehensive advance for the Pro Evolution Soccer series since its inception. The new engine has been in development for a number of years and uses Kojima Production’s renowned FOX Engine at its core, extended and enhanced to match the bespoke and complex demands of a football title.
Based on six gameplay tenants, the new system allows every aspect of Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 to be totally reworked. Throwing off previous limitations imposed by dated animation systems and AI elements, the engine has enabled the PES Productions team to produce a game much closer to the excitement and variety of a top-level match. The central theme of fluidity is based on the constant moving of players and switching positions which mirrors the modern approach to football. Producers looked at how the matches ebb and flow, with player individuality key to a team’s success, and well-drilled tactics helping underdogs produce giant-killing feats.
Working from the ground up, the team has reworked every element of play, creating a fresh and energetic new standard for football titles. In addition to noticeably improved graphics and seamless animation, the thrust of the new engine’s power has been used to redefine the way football is played on a gaming console. 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.
The six key features of Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 include:
· TrueBall Tech: PES 2014 centers everything thing on the ball: how it moves and how players use it. First touch and sublime control is what set certain players apart from others. The ability to not only read a pass, but to be one step ahead and to know what is needed to gain yards on an encroaching defender. TrueBall Tech allows the player to trap or knock on a pass using the analogue stick with detailed barycentric physics determining the weight shift of the player and the height and speed of the pass, as to how the player’s body will automatically shape to receive it.
With TrueBall Tech, the player has total control in determining how their body is angled to receive a pass, whereas previous football titles present the user with scant options. TrueBall Tech means that it can be chested or nodded past an opponent, flicked into space or to a team mate, while closer dribbling control is a much more personal attribute in the new game.
The Pro Evolution Soccer series has long since treated the ball as an individual entity, allowing the player huge amounts of freedom to pass into space, run on to a knocked-on counter, or produced short triangular passes to make space. TrueBall Tech adds even more freedom, with full 360-degree control within several yards around the player and the ability to shield the ball from opposing players, use deft controls to wrong-foot them, and intuitive methods to master close control.
· Motion Animation Stability System (M.A.S.S.): The physical combat between players is a vital part of a match, and the new M.A.S.S. component simulate the bodily contact between multiple players within tailored animations that segue seamlessly into each other. Rather than a series of preset animations that occur under specific circumstances, M.A.S.S. reacts instantly to any situation, with the reaction of a fouled player entirely dependent on the direction and force with which they are tackled. Dependent on factors such as their size and power, players will stumble but instantly recover if clipped, barge others off the ball, and use their stature to block players from possession. Similarly, Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 now has more styles of tackle, as opposed to basic foot in or sliding types.
Tackling also becomes more integral to PES 2014’s quest for realism, with clashes of players utilising the TrueBall physics to ensure the ball reacts as it would in a real game. As players fight for a 50-50 ball, the challenge will see the ball bobbling into space, or emerging at the feet of the triumphant player
The integration of the M.A.S.S. element has also facilitated new advances in one-on-one situations. The individual battles between key players can determine the outcome of a match, so particular emphasis has been made on such battles in Pro Evolution Soccer 2014. Defenders will put greater pressure on the attacking player, by tussling for possession, standing back to restrict passing opportunities, or making the tackle. Likewise, attackers are faced with ether trying to outpace the defender while retaining possession, feinting to gain advantage, or passing, dribbling or shooting when space allows. The result allows for incredibly open games, where the attributes and skills of the players come to the fore in personal feuds all over the pitch.
· Heart: Defining what makes football so riveting is difficult. It isn’t a technical thing, but more an emotional hook. Matches can be imposing for visiting teams, as home support barracks the opposition, and acts as the infamous ‘twelfth man’ by cheering their side on. Pro Evolution Soccer 2014’s ‘Heart’ aims to recreate the effects of team support, both on an individual player basis and across the entire team.
Each player in the game now employs mental attributes in addition to playing styles and skills, and can be adversely affected when having a poor game. However, if an individual is not playing well, his team mates can rally round and will work to support him. The cauldron effect of a vibrant stadium will showcase the mood of the fans, with all-new sound effects combining with stunning AI systems to create a palpable match day atmosphere.
· PES ID: Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 set a new bar for realism, with its inclusion of the Player ID system. For the first time, players could instantly recognize a player by their faithfully recreated running and play styles. The way a player ran, moved and spread the ball about would be identical to that of their real-life counterpart, and Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 featured 50 players that utilised the system.
For Pro Evolution Soccer 2014, that number has been greatly expanded, with twice as many stars featuring customized animations and AI.
· Team Play: Via the new game’s innovative Combination Play users can set up a variety of different tactics in key areas of the pitch using three or more players. These players will make very different off-the-ball runs to exploit holes in the defence or midfield, using the flanks, curved runs, or overlapping play to make themselves available. These moves can be preset to key areas of the field, allowing users to exploit defensive weaknesses beforehand.
· The Core: The PES Productions team has undergone several years of consultation with both Pro Evolution Soccer and football fans related to key elements of the series are able to implement a wide range of additional improvements.
Visually, the game will benefit from an incredible level of acuity, from the weave of the kits, through to facial movement, and a new animation process that offers slick segues from one move to the next, with no pauses or restrictions on control. Stadia will be faithful to real-life, with the entrances to the pitches recreated, crowds that move during the course of the game.! The new Fluidity engine also allows for a new light-mapping effect, adding a natural look to the proceedings. The flow of a match has also been improved, with tactical decisions made on the fly, and the removal of cut scenes after specific events.
Free kicks and penalties have also been radically changed. Free kicks will no longer have restrictions on the position of players in relation to the ball, for instance, while decoy runs have been added and short passes easier to effect from a set piece. To counter, players can now move the position of their keeper for the kick, while the wall will react to the kick instinctively to block or deflect the ball.
Penalties now use a target guide that is changed according to the kicker’s ability and where they intend to place the ball. The goal keeper can now opt to move ahead of the kick, sensing when the penalty taker is not particularly strong.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 will also mark the first appearance of the recently-signed Asia Champions League, adding a wealth of officially licensed clubs to the competition; and the new game will also exclusively retain its use of the UEFA Champions League club competition
Further details of Pro Evolution Soccer 2014’s content – including all-new online elements – will follow, but the new game represents a quantum leap from what football fans have been used to.“Thinking outside the box for an annual series such as PES is not easy,” explained Creative Producer Kei Masuda, “but the Fox Engine has allowed us to develop such a level of freedom that we are constantly realizing ways of making PES 2014 a true representation of football. 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.”
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About Konami Group
Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties. Konami’s titles include the popular franchises METAL GEAR SOLID, Silent Hill, DanceDanceRevolution and Castlevania, among other top sellers. The latest information about Konami can be found on the Web at www.konami.com. KONAMI CORPORATION is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany. KONAMI CORPORATION is traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KNM. Details of the products published by Konami can be found at http://www.konami.com.