Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 Review – David Beckham Edition

What’s up everybody? Fred Rubchinsky of TSC here to review Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 Legend Edition on the Xbox One from Konami. PES 2019 is also available on PS4 and PC. Full disclosure, we were provided a game code by the publisher for the purpose of this review. PES is Konami’s annual soccer release and continues to give EA Sports’ FIFA franchise some stiff competition. So, how does it stack up? Let’s dive in. The first thing new and old PES gamers will notice is the still outdated menus straight out of PS2. Fear not though, as there are plenty of fun options to make up for it. Want to play a quick game?

You can do so in an exhibition, start a league season, and compete in a tournament. Want to test your metal against gamers all across the world? Hop online for a ranked match-up, unranked match-up, or team up in the three-on-three mode back from last year’s game. You can also play locally with friends and/or with or against the computer. The cornerstones of PES are also back. MyClub, which is Konami’s version of EA’s Ultimate Team, features new playable legends including David Beckham and Diego Maradona as part of the Legend Edition. Legend Edition also gives you 1,000 MyClub points, a premium agent to negotiate high-quality players for 30 weeks, three extra player contract renewals for 30 weeks each, and a selection of other legends.

Much like Ultimate Team, you have the opportunity to build a dream squad by completing a series of offline and online challenges. Not my favorite type of mode, whether it’s Konami or EA, honestly, but I like the options of hiring scouts, managers, and juggling loans, which you could do so in Master League as well, offline. Master League allows you to manage and build the next football dynasty as a manager. Unfortunately, much like my club, it mostly remains unchanged from last year. Not that’s necessarily a bad thing as the manager customization still had way more editing options than this year’s Madden when it came to customizing my head coach.

However, I’m not sure why Konami couldn’t just create an option in a PES app that allows your face to be scanned like NBA Live and much like other sports games on the market. It’s the little things sometimes. The same can be said for Become a Legend mode. It’s a fun mode to play as an existing talent or you can create your own player from scratch, but a face scan option would be nice. Again, the menus are not the most user-friendly and can be a bit tedious to navigate sometimes, but the good news is it’s all worth it once you get to the gameplay itself. And this, my friends, is where PES, in my humble opinion, has greatly shined in comparison to FIFA, let alone other sports games in recent years.

The sights, the sounds, and the overall presentation of each match gets you primed for the exciting, yet tactical action on the field of play. That’s not to say you can’t just pick this game up and play, depending on your difficulty level, especially if you’re new to the series, but I’d recommend the ridiculous amount of helpful tutorials if you’re used to playing FIFA. This year’s PES contains a greater emphasis on defense, cardio management, and makes your life way easier with the quick substitutions. I’m not going to lie, I had a harder time scoring goals in PES 19 than I did in previous versions, but hey, it makes that elusive goal or two or three or four all that more satisfying when you finally get the job done.

And already they’re looking to run away with it. Really outwitted one-on-one. Once more, he gets the better of the keeper. Just be sure to manage your stamina because the days of endlessly sprinting up and down the field without consequences are gone. Good thing those quick substitutions are right on the edge of your screen because they sure come in handy. Now, here are the biggest turn-offs for potentially new and returning PES players. The lack of team and league licenses has always been an issue for some gamers, but never more than this year with the loss of the UEFA Champions League rights to FIFA. While I’ve personally enjoyed the series despite the lack of licenses, I can understand why some would like to play as every team and every league.

If you can get over that elephant in the room, I mean in the Xbox One, I think you have a heck of a time playing PES 2019. Moris! And that is quite wonderful. Oh, THAT IS A GEM. THERE IS THE BREAKTHROUGH. GRAPHICALLY, I give Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 an 8.5. PES continues to be one of the nicer looking games on Xbox One and in my opinion gives you a more realistic football match presentation compared to recent FIFA games. My only real presentation issue with PES this year, once again, is the commentary, which is either inaudibly non-existent or containing no substance whatsoever. Good thing there’s the sounds of the crowd going wild for each score, save, and yes, even questionable fouls.

Gameplay, I give PES 2019 a 9. I just love the feel of PES games and this one is no different. The improved defense makes the game all that more challenging and truly rewarding. In PES, defense wins championships and a great defense can create a great offense, and a great time had by all. Well, except for your opponent. Content, I give PES a nine. I wish Konami would have added some additional features to PES to make the mode stand out from last year, but there’s still plenty to do. You can easily sink hours upon hours of gameplay into PES as you hone your skills and learn new tricks along the way.

Overall, TSC Gaming gives PES 2019 on the Xbox One a nine out of 10. PES 2019 is indeed a great game with some more than doable improvements to user friendliness, commentary, and existing modes. This franchise could and should reach another level. We’ll be waiting, Konami. If you enjoyed this review, please click the like button. Please share this with all your friends. Please subscribe and enable notifications for more sports game reviews. If you’d like to purchase this game, just click the Amazon link in the description. Full disclosure, we get a small commission with your purchase. And until next time, everybody, as always, enjoy the games.