FIFA 19 may have the Champions League but already some critics have pointed out that the visuals aren’t too different from last year.
Step forward Konami, who have taken the last 12 months to completely revamp PES – leading to the best-looking game of the series by some margin.
A large reason for this is because the game is now current-gen only – so the developers are able to fully focus on drawing as much power from today’s consoles, rather than being hamstrung by the ageing Xbox 360 and PS3.
The result is crystal clear 4K HDR on Xbox One X and PS4 Pro – with a level of detail that remains consistent no matter what camera angle or zoom you opt for.
Should you choose to take a closer look, though, and you’ll notice just how much attention has been paid to player faces this year – resulting in an arguably more convincing interpretation than FIFA 19’s players models
See for yourself – here’s some of the French team taken from PES 2019.
Now let’s have a look at the FIFA 19 faces – using screengrabs of what little gameplay is out there.
Even though these pictures have to be taken with a pinch of salt (the footage is quite grainy) – it’s obvious EA’s game has a very different look to Konami’s.
If anything, FIFA 19 faces look slightly ‘CGI-d’ – clearly resembling the stars but all boasting a sort of unrealistic ‘shine’ to their skin tone.
They’re also not too different from the FIFA 18 player faces – take a look at FIFA 18’s Paulo Dybala below.
When we look at Pogba on PES 2018, though, it’s clear there’s been a big improvement.
PES 2019 is once again powered by the FOX Engine – which returns tweaked and improved.
There are also 11 new skills, including the cross-over turn, no-look pass, controlled chip, dipping shot and rising shot.
Players will also show Visible Fatigue, which impacts performance and behaviour.
Elsewhere, new shooting mechanics will take into account improved ball physics, player and ball position, and player skills and shot styles.
Thanks to ‘Enlighten’ software, true-to-life visual effects and 4K HDR is supported across all platforms
Real time ‘Global Illumination’ lighting and shadows results in better crowd detail, real grass textures and the return of the popular snow weather effect