Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 Critic Reviews

Tweaked in all the right places, 2013 is the finest PES of the PS3 generation, delightfully recreating the ebb and flow of the modern game.

PES is back with the best episode of the HD era. It's still one step behind FIFA when we talk about technical aspects, but it brings back that little 'something' we loved on PS2 that made it special. The new additions to the control system and the detail put into every match to make them different are some of the key elements we feel are worth mentioning. PES 2013 is finally able to fight the supremacy FIFA has this generation.

PES 2013 has made huge strides forward in how it plays over last year's game.

Wake up, everyone! With PES 2013, Konami has finally pulled off the excellent game it's been threatening to release for the last couple of years. On the scale of dramatic football comebacks it's not quite up there with That Night in Barcelona (© Clive Tyldesley) or The Miracle of Istanbul, but it surely comes close.

Konami's back in the game, and they are fielding all their starters.

PES 2013 gives fans what they want. More control over the ball, more autonomy in the pass and shot, and more power and more characterization in well-known defensive players.

In the great football war, Pro Evo may come up short to rival FIFA when it comes to an across-the-board feature set, but I think the gameplay is better in Konami's title. With this iteration Konami is inching the franchise forward by both refining its product while not being afraid to try new things.

The PES game we've been waiting for since 2007.

You will need training. You need skills and lightning fast reactions. But in return you'll get magical moments that only Pro Evolution Soccer can deliver – even though the engine and overall presentation need an overhaul.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 is the best game so far in Konami's soccer franchise. Despite some graphical shortcomings and missing licenses, PES 2013 captures the heart and soul of football and delivers a great gameplay experience.

It offers a unique and challenging take on the beautiful game that's distinctly different from its competition. After years of heartache for PES fans, it's great to see Konami's footy game finally beginning to step out from EA's gargantuan shadow.

With good new gameplay features, goalkeeper adjustments and a more tactical gameplay: PES is finally back!

It's on the pitch that really matters and PES 2013 delivers an exciting, fluid game of football that finally takes it to the next level.

A great soccer game, even though keepers still insist on doing strange things and your fellow players obviously don't know what offside means. On top of that, the graphics are mediocre at best and PES still hasn't gotten all the proper licensing. These complaints don't do much in comparison with the fun you'll have playing this game, though.

Pro Evolution Soccer goes deeper than ever. Thanks to some well thought out additions, the gameplay can be altered more to the players wishes. Newcomers might have some trouble climbing the metaphorical ladder in the arena's (which are still devoid of any atmosphere), but PES-purists can go nuts. Is PES 2013 the ultimate soccer game? It's not, as long as its budget doesn't get a decent boost. It, for instance, lacks licenses and other decorations, but impresses with attractive, unpredictable and assertive soccer.

In FIFA you can just as well give up when you're two goals behind. 0-2 means nothing in PES. In the majority of the games we played, Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 offered more spectacle than FIFA 13. Which could be a big advantage for PES.

When the whistle blows and the action is go, PES 2013 is easily a match for FIFA, coming closer than ever to wining back its crown.

While familiar faults persist, PES 2013 marks the biggest step forward for the series on PS3. FIFA 13's liquid animations and peerless physics system still give it the trophy-hoisting edge, but now PES' unique strengths are refined enough to make it a genuinely worthwhile alternative.

PES 2013 fixes many problems of the previous game, but Konami's football needs a new engine to compete with FIFA 13. An old animation system and a lazy physics are problems that all the good ideas in this edition of the game couldn't overwhelm. PES 2013 is the best old-school football game to date.

Better than ever on the pitch with a lot of new controls, better AI and more freedom of movement. But a lot in this year's PES feels forgotten by Konami and some functions are even missing completely.