Pro Evolution Soccer 2017

There are four big gameplay innovations coming to PES 2017.

Firstly you've got the goalies. In previous PES games they've been quite the source of negativity, but in PES 2017 it's a very different story. Suddenly they feel like the players they're meant to represent. Tottenham's Lloris is capable of acrobatic feats, while Bayern Munich's Neuer is all hands and feet as you'd expect.

Then you've got the changes coming to each team overall. Konami has successfully managed to move the game away from the arcadey style it's known for, making ball physics and player touch to slow the game down and make it feel like you're playing as the team whose badge is on the shirt (or the PES variation of anyway). Statistical attributes and position now really play their part.

PES 2017 will also offer kit editing too, so you can put the right badge on the right kit.
Thirdly, Konami has worked hard to bring all the tactical maneuvers into the game for PES 2017. Under the setting "Advanced Instructions", you can assign the four D-pad buttons to two attacking and two defending strategies from a lengthy checklist.

Those include Barcelona's Tika-Taka possession techniques and Jürgen Klopp's Gegenpressing in defence.

Finally, there's the AI. The official term is "Adaptive AI" and it makes a subtle but impressive difference to the gameplay. If you overuse a player or goal route too much, the AI team will shift to compensate, forcing you to change your tactics.

Of course, as you'd expect from a new year of PES, there's been advancements in graphics too both in-game and in terms of the UI. There's much better facial likenesses and animations, night-time effects are significantly boosted and the crowd finally looks alive and reactive.

As you might expect the graphics are set to be improved; stadia, fans, players and the hallowed turf are all being upgraded thanks to further incorporation of the Fox Engine.

According to Konami: "Nothing has been left untouched, from player models, lighting, crowds, pitch and stadiums totally revamped. Never has a game looked so real."

This will also benefit the Natural Player Movement, as the devs add hundreds of animations to bring the players to life and give each one its own personality.
Oh yeah, and Jim Beglin is returning too. We love him, but we know, he's not everyone's cup of tea. Still, the commentary in Pro Evolution Soccer has steadily been improving over the years, so hopefully we see an improvement again.