I admit, I missed the release of PES 2013 in 2012, as I was completely captivated by the new FIFA and its ultimate team. I discovered this game relatively recently, but I found myself completely captivated by the process and the master league.
Compared to its predecessors (PES 11 and 12), the game has made a quantum leap in animation and graphics. Denisov looks exactly like Denisov, and Ronaldo looks like Ronaldo, and not like a nurse in the capital's morgue) Players on the field make realistic tackles, argue with the referee and celebrate goals. In Pro Evolution Soccer 2013, all athletes behave quite realistically. And not only in attack - everything was always fine here - but also in defense. AI-controlled defenders are now more active: they make timely tackles, go for interceptions, and even clear balls from an empty goal. Goalkeepers have also become wiser: they pull the ball out from the very corner, trying not to hit it straight in front of them.
It is worth noting that the Japanese have significantly slowed down the rhythm and speed of the game. Together with the new dribbling and ball receiving systems, PES has a natural football viscosity. If back in PES 11 virtual matches were similar to successive cavalry attacks, then in this game the teams behave on the field much calmer and more carefully: the players try to cherish the ball and play out attacks until the right chance.
For complete control over what is happening on the field in PES 2013, the Japanese have built in a completely manual control system. If you hold down one of the left shift keys, a characteristic arrow will appear in front of your player - the direction for future action. In the new game, you can pass or shoot in any direction, without the help of the computer.
Traditionally, with licenses everything is far from ideal. There are championships in Italy, Spain, France, Holland and even Brazil (apparently Neymar’s PR took its toll then), but there is still no fully licensed English Premier League (hello North London, Man Blue and so on) and the Russian championship. Many national teams are also not fully licensed. Fans, as usual, will either have to delve into the game's resources, or wait for add-ons and amateur modifications that will fix everything and bring it into line with reality.
Nevertheless, it is worth noting that PES 13 deserves our attention and adequately represented then and still represents (taking into account the unforgettable PesEdit) an excellent football series from KONAMI.