Pro Evolution Soccer 2014
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 (PES 2014) is an association football simulation video game developed and published by Konami.[1] Released on September 19, 2013, in Europe and September 24, 2013, in North America, it became available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo 3DS platforms.[2] The title marked a significant evolution in the series by incorporating the proprietary Fox Engine, which enhanced visual fidelity, ball physics, and player interactions for a more immersive experience.[3] Development of PES 2014 began with its official announcement on March 10, 2013, under the guidance of producer Kei Masuda at Konami's PES Productions studio.[4] The game introduced several innovative features, including TrueBall Tech for precise analogue-stick-based ball control with barycentric physics, PES ID for individualized player animations and mannerisms.[5] These elements aimed to prioritize the ball's role in gameplay, creating dynamic offensive and defensive scenarios that mirrored real-world football.[6] Despite featuring official licenses for teams like Manchester United, FC Barcelona, and Brazil's national squad, many clubs and leagues used generic names due to licensing limitations compared to rival series.[7] PES 2014 received generally positive critical reception, earning Metacritic scores of 78/100 for PlayStation 3 and 80/100 for Xbox 360, with praise centered on its responsive controls, realistic animations, and tactical depth.[2] Reviewers highlighted the Fox Engine's impact on gameplay fluidity, describing it as a return to form for the series after previous installments' criticisms.[8] However, common detractors included underdeveloped game modes like Master League, limited online functionality, and the ongoing issue of incomplete licensing, which affected immersion for some players.[9] The game also saw post-launch support through downloadable content, such as the World Challenge Edition, expanding international tournament options.[10]Gameplay
Ball Physics and Controls
The ball physics in Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 (PES 2014) represent a foundational overhaul, emphasizing realistic simulation of movement and interactions to enhance the on-pitch experience. Developed using the Fox Engine, the game's physics are built around six core elements that prioritize the ball's behavior and player controls: TrueBall Tech, FullControl Player (via the expanded PES ID system), ProActive Intelligent Passing, Fluid Dribble, Motion Animation Stability System (M.A.S.S.), and the Heart system.[3] These elements collectively ensure that ball trajectory, weight distribution, and player responses feel authentic, with the ball's movement influenced by factors such as player stature, speed, height, and the ball's inherent weight. For instance, taller players generate more powerful headers with adjusted spin, while shorter, quicker players produce sharper ground passes that account for their lower center of gravity.[5] This barycentric physics model allows the ball to deform slightly on impact and bounce naturally based on surface and velocity, creating varied outcomes like unpredictable deflections during challenges.[6] Central to the control scheme is TrueBall Tech, which expands ball handling to a full 360-degree range, enabling players to trap, flick, or redirect passes using the analog stick without predefined animations. This system introduces contextual variations in passing, shooting, and dribbling, where inputs adapt to the player's position, momentum, and opponent proximity—for example, a pressured receiver might involuntarily knock the ball wide for a realistic fumble, while an open attacker can execute precise volleys.[3] Complementing this, ProActive Intelligent Passing refines decision-making by offering situation-specific options, such as lofted through-balls that curve based on the passer's strength or weighted chips that drop sharply under gravity's influence. Fluid Dribble further enhances close-quarters control, allowing seamless direction changes with minimal input lag, where the ball adheres more closely to the player's foot during sprints but rolls away under heavy tackles. These mechanics prioritize skill-based execution over scripted events, rewarding precise analog inputs for nuanced ball retention.[11] The expanded Player ID system applies individualized movement styles not just to star players but to entire squads, influencing how teams approach ball possession and transitions. Introduced with 50 players in the prior installment, PES 2014 doubles this to over 100, capturing unique traits like a midfielder's tendency for short, accurate layoffs or a forward's explosive acceleration when chasing loose balls.[3] This extends to authentic decision-making, where squad-wide IDs dictate preferred passing lanes and pressing intensity, making team play feel organic rather than uniform. Integrating with M.A.S.S., player interactions dynamically respond to physical attributes: a robust defender might shoulder-charge to dispossess based on superior weight and speed, while the Heart system—which tracks motivation and morale—affects player performance, causing variations in reactions and control based on emotional state during the match.[6] Confidence levels also modulate performance, with in-form players executing firmer traps and out-of-form ones prone to heavier touches that expose the ball.[12] Notably, PES 2014 omits dynamic weather effects like rain, which were present in earlier entries, to focus resources on core physics refinement amid the engine rebuild. Implementing rain would have required extensive adjustments to ball trajectory, player traction, and pitch deformation, but these were deprioritized to ensure stability in the new simulation framework.[13] Overall, these systems deliver a responsive control model that emphasizes tactical depth through realistic physics, distinguishing skilled play from rote button-mashing.Player Systems and Tactics
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 introduces the Combination Plan, a tactical framework that enables users to customize team instructions by coordinating strategies among three or more players in specific pitch areas, facilitating fluid formations and varied pressing styles to adapt to match dynamics.[14] This system supports pre-planned plays designed to exploit weaknesses in the opposition's defense, such as overlapping runs or midfield overloads, thereby adding layers of strategic depth to gameplay.[15] By integrating these customizable tactics, the game emphasizes proactive team setup over reactive adjustments, allowing managers to dictate the flow of matches through intelligent positioning and movement patterns.[16] Individual player performance is governed by detailed statistics that simulate real-world variability, including form, which measures a player's consistency and ability to sustain high-level output over multiple games; injury proneness, rated on a scale that determines susceptibility to physical setbacks during play; and morale, a mental attribute influencing decision-making and effort levels, often visualized through heart icons that shift based on recent results and usage.[17] These elements collectively affect on-pitch execution, with low morale potentially leading to reduced passing accuracy or hesitation in challenges, while strong form enhances attributes like speed and shooting precision.[18] Such stats ensure that player management requires ongoing attention, as fluctuating conditions can alter team cohesion and match outcomes without direct intervention. In Master League mode, squad management expands on these stats through dedicated training regimens that target skill development and attribute growth, such as drills focused on stamina or tactical awareness to elevate player potential over seasons.[19] Complementing this, transfer negotiations provide tools for scouting and acquiring talent, involving budget considerations, player demands, and contract bids to assemble a competitive roster aligned with tactical visions.[20] These features promote long-term planning, where balancing training loads prevents fatigue or injuries while strategic signings reinforce formations like those enabled by the Combination Plan. Artificial intelligence enhancements contribute significantly to tactical realism, with teammates exhibiting improved off-ball movement that includes dynamic runs—such as curved paths to the flanks or overlaps—to create scoring opportunities based on the active player's position and the overall strategy.[5] Opponent AI similarly benefits from refined defensive positioning, where players maintain compact lines, track runners more effectively, and adjust to pressing instructions, resulting in more authentic counter-attacking responses and reduced exploitable gaps.[21] The Combination Plan integrates with these AI behaviors, allowing users to preset teammate actions for seamless execution during transitions, which heightens the emphasis on collective strategy over individual heroics.[22]Modes and Licensed Content
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 offers a variety of gameplay modes designed to cater to different player preferences, from single matches to in-depth career simulations. The core modes include Exhibition, which allows for customizable single matches between any two teams, often featuring licensed competitions like the UEFA Champions League; League mode, simulating domestic league play across various divisions; Cup mode, recreating tournament formats such as national cups or continental championships; Master League, a comprehensive career mode where players manage a club through transfers, tactics, and competitions over multiple seasons; and Become a Legend, a player career mode focusing on individual progression from youth to stardom, now expanded to include goalkeepers.[23][24] New additions enhance quick play options and skill development, such as Ranking Match and Free Match variations under the Match category for competitive online leaderboards and casual games, alongside Team Play for cooperative multiplayer lobbies. Training modes introduce structured drills like Performance Training for basic tutorials and Free Training for practicing set pieces, including free kicks, penalties, and corner kicks, to improve player familiarity with the game's controls. These modes integrate tactical systems to add strategic depth, allowing formations and player instructions to influence outcomes in all formats.[23][25] The game's authenticity is bolstered by official licenses for major competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Super Cup, AFC Champions League, and Copa Libertadores, enabling accurate representation of tournament structures, logos, and atmospheres. The Argentine Primera División is fully licensed with 20 teams, such as River Plate and Boca Juniors, featuring official kits, rosters, and names. Other leagues like the Italian Serie A, French Ligue 1, Dutch Eredivisie, Spanish Liga BBVA, Portuguese Primeira Liga, and Brazilian Série A include licensed player likenesses via the Player ID system, though some suffer from partial licensing with fake league names or logos.[26][27][28] Team licensing varies, with full kits and players for select clubs in supported leagues, but most Premier League teams use generic placeholders (e.g., "North London" for Arsenal), while Manchester United is fully licensed with its real name and kits. The English Premier League lacks full licensing overall. Stadium licensing is limited, including venues like Old Trafford, Allianz Arena, and San Siro, but excludes all La Liga stadiums due to exclusive agreements with competitors. These licensing choices prioritize key European and South American elements while highlighting ongoing challenges in securing comprehensive global rights.[29][30][31]Development
Announcement and Production Team
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 was officially announced by Konami on March 10, 2013, during a company press event, marking the beginning of a renewed push for the series amid competition from rival football simulations. The game was led by creative producer Kei Masuda, who emphasized a shift toward ball-centric gameplay to enhance realism and player control, introducing features like TrueBall Tech that allowed for more dynamic interactions between players and the ball.[32][5] Development was handled primarily by the PES Productions team at Konami's Tokyo studio, with close collaboration from Kojima Productions to adapt the Fox Engine for football simulation, enabling smoother animations and physics.[5][32] The production timeline spanned over the approximately one-year development cycle, starting shortly after the release of Pro Evolution Soccer 2013, with a strong emphasis on prioritizing photorealistic elements and fluid mechanics over the iterative updates of prior entries.[33] Key goals included addressing player feedback and critical shortcomings from PES 2013, such as inconsistent AI behaviors and dated physics, by overhauling these systems to create more immersive and responsive matches.[34] This approach aimed to restore the series' reputation for tactical depth and authenticity.[35] The adoption of the Fox Engine facilitated these ambitions, influencing the overall release scheduling to align with major industry events.[32]Game Engine and Technical Features
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 marked the debut of the Fox Engine in the series, a cross-platform game engine developed by Kojima Productions and adapted by Konami for sports simulation to deliver enhanced realism in player movements and environmental interactions.[5] The engine's implementation focused on seamless animations and dynamic physics, enabling more fluid on-pitch action compared to previous iterations.[6] The game integrated Havok Physics, Animation, and Cloth technologies to simulate realistic collisions, player interactions, and fabric movements, providing intricate details such as natural body responses during tackles and ball contacts—though this was excluded from the PlayStation 2 version due to hardware limitations.[36] These features contributed to a more immersive simulation of football dynamics, with barycentric physics handling weight distribution for accurate ball trapping and passing.[37] Graphically, the Fox Engine introduced advancements including improved lighting effects for more lifelike stadium atmospheres, enhanced crowd animations that reacted dynamically to match events, and higher-fidelity player models with detailed facial expressions and textures.[22] Audio enhancements featured commentary by Jon Champion and Jim Beglin, offering reactive and context-aware narration, alongside dynamic stadium sounds that amplified crowd cheers and ambient noise for greater immersion.[38] Platform optimizations allowed the Fox Engine to scale across hardware: full capabilities on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for advanced visuals and physics, a modified version on PSP for portable play, while the PS2 edition relied on a legacy engine to maintain compatibility without the new technical features. This approach ensured broad accessibility while prioritizing next-generation fidelity on primary consoles.[39]Release
Global Release Dates and Platforms
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 was developed and released for a range of platforms, including Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, and Nintendo 3DS, allowing accessibility across both current-generation and legacy hardware.[40][41] The game launched in Europe on September 19, 2013, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, and Nintendo 3DS, followed by the United Kingdom on September 20, 2013, for the same platforms, marking an early availability for the region's players on supported current-generation consoles and PC. The PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions followed on November 8, 2013, in Europe and the UK.[42] In North America, the release occurred on September 24, 2013, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, and Nintendo 3DS, with the PSP version releasing later on March 10, 2014.[43] The standard edition in Japan became available on November 14, 2013, consistent with Konami's typical scheduling for the domestic market.[44] This installment held historical significance as the final Pro Evolution Soccer title released for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable in Europe.[45] Furthermore, the PlayStation 2 version represented the last game ever released for the console in the region, capping over a decade of support for Sony's best-selling system.[46]| Region | Release Date | Platforms Supported |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | September 19, 2013 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC, 3DS); November 8, 2013 (PS2, PSP) | PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, PC, 3DS |
| United Kingdom | September 20, 2013 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC, 3DS); November 8, 2013 (PS2, PSP) | PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, PC, 3DS |
| North America | September 24, 2013 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC, 3DS); March 10, 2014 (PSP) | PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PSP, 3DS |
| Japan | November 14, 2013 | PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, PC, 3DS |