TEST
This is the most anticipated video game duel at each season. FIFA against PES. We are of course talking about football games. For 25 years, the two franchises have been getting the hang of it, with a clear advantage for FIFA, whose last version has passed 1.3 million copies in France, making it the best-selling cultural product in Europe. France (sales of PES, they are kept secret). eFootball PES 2020 - this is the new name of PES, intends this year to confirm its return in form, facing a FIFA 20 which promises to renew the experience of pixelated football. So which one is the best? Europe 1 has tested both games *.
In the field, advantage PES
Let's start with a response from Normand: it all depends on what you are looking for in a football game! FIFA and PES both have strengths and weaknesses. Where some will prefer the realistic simulation of EA Sports, others will rather be interested in turning to the game of Konami, always a little more "arcade".
Specifically, if you are interested in playing with friends and other players online, we recommend instead PES 2020. Mainly because the matches are more pleasant. The gameplay, ie the mechanics of the game, are more accessible and dynamic on PES than on FIFA. With PES, we have fun in the first game, it's going fast, it's offensive, we can easily score on big shots from far ... We just have to understand the passing game, a little technical, but otherwise it's really a pleasure to play PES 2020.
Attention, that does not mean that we do not have fun on FIFA 20. Simply, the game of EA Sports is much more realistic. Shots require more precision, players are heavier, controls are more random, defense is more tactical. Even if, paradoxically, the fastest players are still privileged against defenders barely more mobile than studs. Aside from this recurring, annoying stumbling block, FIFA 20 requires patience. Regulars of the license will need only a few matches to find their feelings. Novices, on the other hand, will need to train.
A much richer FIFA than PES
Still, FIFA 20 has strong arguments to keep the hand on the market of football games. First, licenses. PES and FIFA fight each year for the right to use the official licenses of championships and clubs. And this little game, there is no picture. On FIFA, you have all the major championships and especially the official dressing of the Champions League. Only absence of mark: Juventus Turin, which has signed an exclusive contract with PES. In FIFA, the club is called "Piemonte Calcio" and the jersey is not the real one.
But that does not compensate for the many fake teams that still stain the PES catalog. This year, still no Real Madrid, replaced by the fake "Madrid Chamartin B". Even worse, the absence of the Bundesliga, the German league, is very problematic. Note that it is still possible to "patch" PES 2020 through the hard work of players who hack a replacement to install (on PS4 and PC) to recreate the real missing teams and their match outfits.
FIFA goes down the street
FIFA 20 also keeps a head start in the content and game modes. We find globally the same on PES and FIFA: coaching career, career player, MyClub and his counterpart Ultimate Team. But all these game modes are much richer on FIFA, with interesting cutscenes, interactions with other players or the coach, training, more financial management ... Beside, the career mode of PES is more of a sequence of matches than a true story.
But where FIFA hits hard this year is with its brand new adventure mode, titled Volta, a story written in the middle ... street football! You play as a totally customizable player that you have to take from the neighborhood to the top, traveling from Tokyo to Rio through New York and Paris. On the program: matches in 3v3, 4v4 or 5v5 where the technique takes precedence over the physical.
This will remind some FIFA Street, a spin-off from FIFA. Less versed in humiliation, this Volta mode is more sober. Again, it takes time to master perfectly the casters, small bridges and other sombreros. With Volta mode, FIFA 20 really renews the experience of classic football games. If only by the opportunity offered to play a player and evolve in mixed teams. One way for the license to capture the era of time and open up to another audience.
* Tests done on PS4
Our opinion :
Fans of football games are still well served this year. Overall, FIFA 20 is our favorite thanks to its extremely detailed content and exciting Volta mode. The simulation of EA Sports once again offers the most complete gaming experience possible. However, do not forget eFootball PES 2020. Very pleasant once the game started, it is probably the best option if you are just looking for a game to challenge your friends.