RetroWars VII: FIFA vs PES

[Neon Ignition]

VERSUS





FIFA vs PES

Two long running and popular football franchises annually went head to head and whilst it's no secret that FIFA remains the king of sales figures there have been times in the past where the two have hotly contested each other in terms of quality as far as fans are concerned.

In each RetroWar we'll pit two titans of rivalry against one another as many school kids would do back in the day, weighing up the strengths and weaknesses of each side, arguing in favour of your childhood 'top dog' and sharing your modern day hindsight view on who truly was the greatest.

FIFA

Currently on its 27th mainline entry and 74th FIFA branded game in total, the franchises dominance in market place is beyond question. The success and power of EA behind it has meant at some times it's also had the licensing power that rivals have failed to enjoy but with that success has also come bouts of complacency. When fans pay out in full every year for what is largely the same game they already own it's been an easy road for EA at times especially since the era of MTX arrived.

PES

Only two years younger than FIFA as a series and arguably just one if basing it on the original ISS game launched by Konami back in 1995, this long standing rival nuzzled in close to FIFA for a long time and in stretches has also enjoyed bursts in popularity to challenge its rival thanks to its underlying gameplay even when it has sometimes lacked the licensing advantages EA could afford. The latest entry pushed to focus more on the niche esports angle following a sharp drop in sales for the previous entry.



THE DEBATE
Two long standing rival teams. EA vs Konami, FIFA vs PES.

-Which is the better in the current iterations?
-Which has enjoyed the highest peak?
-Which is overall the better franchise?


Defend Your Favourite - Defeat Your Rival

[DeathAdder]

I preferred PES / ISS in the PS1 and PS2 days, then preferred FIFA on PS3.

But now I can't be bothered with either.

[Leon Retro]

I've always disliked FIFA games, but really enjoyed most PES games. FIFA, even recent versions, always feel clunky to me. PES always feels more responsive and nicer to play, even if the presentation isn't as impressive as what you get with FIFA. I can understand why FIFA is more popular, but despite all the bells & whistles, it's not my cup of tea.

[Team Andromeda]

Back inthe day on the PS2. I much rathered play This Is Football 2003/4/5

Out of Fifa and Pro mind Pro was the best in the PS/PS2 era. These days its Fifa mind, but my fav football of the 32-Bit was Olympic Soccer; The closest any developer ever got to a 3D Sensible Soccer game

[tokyochojin]

I preferred PES / ISS in the PS1 and PS2 days, then preferred FIFA on PS3.

But now I can't be bothered with either.

Same, I find Sensible Soccer infinitely more fun a "game" than either of these any more. Possibly due to falling out of love with football in general mind.

In the noughties though, it's not even a debate that PES was the better title.

[QualityChimp]

Excellent choice of gifs.

I really don't like football, but everybody else seems to, so I've had a little experience.

I prefer Pro-Evo for two reasons:

1.) Smiley faces - helped clueless cretins like me to see who was worth putting in the team


2.) The way this commentator says "Nigeria" was comedy gold and ensured they always got picked.


I guess I agree with Frankie Boyle that football could be replaced with a man shaking some keys going "Shiny, shiny!"

->Open Spoiler<-

[Neon Ignition]

My fonsest memory of FIFA remains the installment that was made for the 3DO. I'm not a football fan in the slightest so I got a lot from how that installment was so brain dead you coudl easily win matches by over 30 goals When it comes to PES my biggest experience comes from ISS64

[Leon Retro]

ISS64

I remember really liking the ISS games on the 64 -- must have played them a crazy amount between 96-2000.

[samanosuke]

Aren’t the N64 games not actually ISS (aka Winning Eleven aka PES) but Perfect Striker?

[Leon Retro]

Aren’t the N64 games not actually ISS (aka Winning Eleven aka PES) but Perfect Striker?

No, the Perfect Striker games are J.League versions of Jikkyo World Soccer(International Superstar Soccer). The series started around the same time as the first ISS/Jikkyo World Soccer N64 game and ended with Perfect Striker 5 on the PS2 in 2002

[samanosuke]

No, the Perfect Striker games are J.League versions of Jikkyo World Soccer(International Superstar Soccer). The series started around the same time as the first ISS/Jikkyo World Soccer N64 game and ended with Perfect Striker 5 on the PS2 in 2002

Well that got me really confused as I know PES is Winning Eleven, and before it was renamed to PES, the series was ISS Pro/ISS Pro Evo (and before that, Goal Storm, apparently, which I’ve never heard of). Therefore I figured ISS, ISS Deluxe and all that came before Pro/Pro Evo we’re also Winning Eleven games. Not the case.

So if I have this right, ISS64 is from the ISS series, but not the PES/Winning Eleven series. Likewise the PES series (and the ISS Pro/Pro Evo titles before it) are not from the ISS series in spite of the earlier games using the ISS moniker and despite Winning Eleven 5 (aka the original PES, although not quite as that was the updated WE5: FE) referencing “ISS” on the gold coin the ref flips at the start of a match. Funny the things one remembers!

[Leon Retro]

Well that got me really confused

It's even more complicated than I thought it was.

[tokyochojin]

Jesus.....whatnow...