Football Grudge Match: FIFA 13 (PS3) Vs PES 2013 (PS3)

FIFA 13 (PS3)
Developer: EA Canada
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: Simulation \ Sports
Platforms: PC, PS3, X360
Release Date: 28th Sep, 2012

It's that time of the year again. No, no, not Ganesh Chaturthi. The time of year when EA and Konamibring their latest offerings to the table, and online forums everywhere explode into fanboy mayhem. It's safe to say that most gamers are either FIFA or PES fans — never both. As much as it shames me to admit it, I've switched loyalties several times since the first football title I played (FIFA `99). I moved toKonami in 2004, when I couldn't put up with FIFA's tripe any longer, and spent a long few years salivating at the prospect of a new Master League offering. Unfortunately, Konami got complacent about PES's cult status, triggering a severe lack of innovation, which allowed FIFA to catch up, draw level, and even pull miles ahead by 2012. The boys from Japan have been eating EA's dust for some time now, but with each passing year, there's new hope that PES might rise from the ashes. The demos for PES 2013 and FIFA 13 are out. Going by the box art, it's Ronaldo vs Messi. Let's end the history lesson and see how they stack up against each other, based on the demos that I played.
 

Round I: Presentation

Let's get the trivial bits out of the way first. As usual, in terms of licences, menus and in-game music, it's the same old story. FIFA's interface is slicker and superior in every single way, while PES still looks and feels like it's a decade old. The team management screens in the latter are as cumbersome as ever — but hey, I guess some things never change. While the roster of teams available in PES (including Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Barcelona) is more impressive than FIFA's demo offering, it's rather apparent that Konami is overcompensating for the dismal lack of licenced teams in the finished product.

FIFA Wins!
Score: PES - 0, FIFA - 1
 

Round II: Graphics

While there are moments when PES looks downright fantastic, on several other occasions you feel like you're playing PES 2009 instead, with the same old tired animations and character models. On the other hand, FIFA manages to look good throughout, and even though some player models look nothing like their real-life counterparts, the visuals consistently seem brighter and more vibrant than PES. FIFA also features subtle touches, such as animated substitutes warming up and technical staff on the touchlines, to make things more realistic. The PES demo also seemed to suffer from dismal framerates during replays, and was incredibly sluggish in transitioning through cutscenes, but hopefully this is limited to the demo.

FIFA Wins!
Score: PES - 0, FIFA - 2
 

FIFA 13 manages to look good throughout. Click on image for full-size version.
 

Round III: Control System

FIFA 12 completely revamped and revolutionized the defensive side of the game, throwing "tactical defending" into the mix — which, when you think about it, was more or less the way defending worked until FIFA 2002. This year, EA has added a subtle First Touch control that adds greater realism to the way players react to fast or acutely angled passes. It's nothing revolutionary, but it's a nice move. Konami, on the other hand, has levelled the playing field with its own defence mechanism, and this is where PES scores its first one-up over FIFA. The former's control system is far more intuitive and well thought out, relying on the <X> button to close down attackers, a double-tap to make a tackle, and a combination with <R1> to lunge in. It works beautifully and is honestly more "tactical" than FIFA's system. PES also has its own first touch mechanism which, with <R2> pressed at exactly the right moment, allows players to trap the ball on a chaar anna and get that extra half-yard to unleash a lethal shot. The new Full Control dribbling system is also far superior to FIFA's almost useless Precision Dribbling, which remains virtually unchanged in the demo.

PES Wins!
Score: PES - 1, FIFA - 2
 

Round IV: Physics And Realism

FIFA's Impact engine was responsible for some of the most comical YouTube videos I saw last year, but aside from the few times when it spectacularly failed, it nevertheless produced the most realistic player interactions I've ever seen. EA would have us believe that the engine has been refined, but in general FIFA plays and feels almost exactly like its predecessor. PES still has some catching up to do on this front, with passes and ball interactions looking extremely jarring and unrealistic. Nothing's really changed in terms of physics here. Almost all the animations in PES 2013 are more or less the same as last year, and that's possibly the biggest problem Konami has to deal with. In short, PES feels almost arcadish when stacked up against FIFA, which faithfully reproduces the beautiful game.

FIFA Wins!
Score: PES - 1, FIFA - 3
 

Sadly, almost all the animations in PES 2013 are practically the same as last year. Click on image for full-size version.
 

Round V: Artificial Intelligence

In case you're wondering, I'm not talking about the opposition here. The actions of your teammates are just as important to making an enjoyable football simulator. PES, unlike FIFA, doesn't allow the player to trigger runs around him, relying entirely on the predictive AI. While it works well for the most part, there seems to be a tendency for the AI to be overly aggressive, sometimes leaving the fullback positions exposed. It's believed that this was done deliberately to make for more exciting, end-to-end action. Fortunately, PES's AI has been refined to a great degree, and in the few hours that I spent with the game, I didn't find my teammates doing anything stupid around me. FIFA too has brought its own enhanced artificial intelligence into the fray, and the players are more proactive this time around, without being reliant on the player's <L1> run triggers. At the end of the day, there's no clear winner in this case. The brains behind both games are pretty well-matched.

It's A Tie!
Final Score: PES - 1.5, FIFA - 3.5
 

The Winner: FIFA 13!

There it is, folks. The result we were all expecting — although it isn't necessarily as clear-cut. While FIFA's overall refinement and consistency makes it the more complete and polished product, PES has better mechanics and intuitive controls under the hood. That's not to say FIFA's control system is at all bad, but indicates that Konami could have a winner on its hands if its physics and visuals are entirely revamped. For this year, while it's FIFA all the way, EA would do well to take a look in the rear-view mirror. Check out the gallery below for more screenshots.