Online gaming, it’s big, that’s a fact. From World of Warcraft to Black Ops II, almost every title released nowadays has an online element attached to it. Whilst an online mode doesn’t necessarily suit every genre, sports titles are without a doubt a match made in heaven. It’s frustrating (not to mention baffling) then that Konami has struggled to provide a stable and engaging online experience to PES fans.
Apart from a week or so after launch, PES 6 on the Xbox 360 delivered a stable online experience, but every iteration after has been disappointing to say the least. The frustration is compounded even further when you look at how EA has succeeded in the online space with FIFA. Not only is the online play more or less stable, but they’ve introduced modes that keep people coming back for more.
At its core football is competitive and that applies double to the video game interpretation of the sport. Sure, PES has steadily improved away from the online space, delivering a varied and challenging single player experience. However, as FIFA and other games in the genre have proven, a sports title gets its legs from multiplayer. Unless you’ve constantly got friends over at your house, the aforementioned legs come from playing online against people across the world.
Before even looking at implementing decent online modes, it’s clear Konami needs to get the stability right first. Looking at our own boards and reading impressions of the online facet in PES 2013, it’s clear that the experience is incredibly inconsistent. If you’re hosting it’s okay for the most part, but the opposition player is plagued by button lag, making matches unplayable for one person. Add the occasional bout of lag and cheaters into the mix, and you have an online mode that leaves a lot to be desired.
That’s where you guys come in, we need your feedback and suggestions. We want you to comment on this post, so we can make Konami aware of what fans want from the online side of PES going forward. Let us know what you think about the online facet of PES 2013 (stability, reliability and modes) and what you would like to see Konami do with the mode in future iterations.
We know you’re unhappy about the exclusion of league mode and 2 vs 2 amongst other things, but please keep the feedback in the comments clean and don’t veer off topic. This post is all about online feedback and suggestion, you’ll have the chance to voice your opinion in regards to other aspects of the game very soon.
