PES 2016 gets its header on straight in September
No more going up for a header and hoping for the best: when Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 releases on September 15 in the US and September 18 in the UK, you'll finally get to exert your aerial strength. Once you're up in the air, you'll be able to use the left stick to jockey for position, or to jostle your opponents away from theirs.
Konami revealed a ton of details about its 20th anniversary soccer sim today, including some fairly fundamental gameplay tweaks beyond pumped-up air control. Your AI teammates will finally work up the confidence to go on runs automatically, depending on which tactic you've selected, and you'll see improved collisions when they inevitably get taken down. Or if things go well, you'll even be able to control your own goal celebrations (y'know, like in FIFA).
A new dynamic wide camera angle also promises to deliver a better view of the pitch, with a wider angle that intelligently tilts and pans to follow the ball. Also of note is the fully revamped Master League mode, giving players a more user friendly and aesthetically pleasing way to try their hand at the managerial side of PES.
Also of note for PES fans whose favorite clubs may not be represented: the PlayStation versions will let you import images for use in edit mode, allowing you to replicate non-licensed kits or, better yet, draw your own with crayons.
Pre-ordering PES 2016 (which is coming to PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, by the way) will get you a bunch of bonuses for myClub mode, including a free player loan for cover athlete Neymar Jr. and three player contracts.
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I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.