

What will take you a bit longer to get used to is PES 2011's new “total control” which means an “enhanced 360-degree passing ratio”. You get a nice side on view, a la Sky Sports' football coverage for kick off, and the pitch looks decidedly skew-whiff for corners and goal-kicks, but you'll soon get used to this. The first change you will notice is that the camera angles used for the default setting are a bit weird. And, whisper this quietly, not the poor PES variations of the last couple of years, but the brilliant PES of 20. Once you've settled into it though (and cranked the match speed up to +1), you will begin to appreciate the differences and realise that the familiar PES is lurking there, underneath. The first few matches you play will lead you into believing that you've wandered out of Konami's game and into another - it really does appear that different.

And PES 2011 doesn't disappoint when it comes to gameplay. Sure, these are nice touches, but when you're playing your mates, or some random kid halfway across the world via the online option, all you really care about is that the game plays out in a realistic manner. The reason that FIFA is now seen as the top title is that EA started to focus on gameplay rather than just having all the official kits and the best animations. We'll start with gameplay because this is undoubtedly the most crucial aspect of a football sim.
