I've been playing FIFA since FIFA '97, and just recently have I purchased my first Konami soccer title: ISS Pro Evolution Soccer.
For one thing, ISS does resemble the "most beautiful game" much more than FIFA, but the controls are absolutely horrendous. Sometimes, you have to hit the pass button 3 or 4 times before your guy actually passes...also, if you're making a lightning run down the screen and if computer is sprinting down the opposite direction, it'll be too late to pass (and at times, the little RADAR is useless because of the superhuman speed that sometimes possesses the ISS players) - and in real football, touching the ball and passing it off is usually just as instant as it is in FIFA - and this is where I give FIFA the big advantage in terms of realness (where you can actually pass the ball at the last sec, and keep one-touching it without having to predict how close computer will be by your 3rd touch).
ISS is a great game, but here are some more weaknesses - player control - whereas FIFA has minimized computer interference in your players, ISS seems to have the devil possessing your team - in most cases where you thru ball, your player will chase it to the ends of the earth even if you know he won't get it - you can even put the controller down and your player will still chase it. Also, in throw-ins, spotkicks, cornerkicks, goalkicks, or whenever the goalie gets the ball, you have absolutely no say in defense: sometimes, it's nice to put some pressure on the goalie so he doesn't just pass it short to waste time.
Also, if you're just making a regular pass on ISS, your player 90% of the time will just sit there and let the ball roll to him even though you see the opponent making a run for it. I think footy coaches call that laziness.
And what's the deal with the tackles? If you're simply putting your foot out to tackle, why does your player 95% always lose his footing and trip over an imaginary crack in the earth? For instance, you can make a go for a ball, or lose a ball, and after that moment, that player will be dazed for like 5 secs just wondering why he couldn't hold the ball. Does that happen in real football? Not likely.
And for God's sake, I've gotten so many redcards from a slide tackle from the FRONT! Why is the ref so generous in rewarding cards? Slide tackling is one of the most used devices in football, why has Konami turned the referee strictness on 100%?
And let's not talk about ISS commentary - even in a drawn out game, the commentator will conclude that "it's a pity there had to be a loser." FIFA easily wins in this department.
So yes, ISS LOOKS much more like the real game, but it does so at the cost of enjoyment. Whereas FIFA is fastfaced, at least the players have control over their players - and I think a video game is more about player control then resembling reality - if you want to see what real football looks like, go watch the real thing.
And then there are some minor flaws in ISS also worth mentioning: in FIFA, after you save a feature, the console will automatically load all of your settings once you start the game - on ISS you have to constantly load and load and load. And you can't even give your players a haircut (I'm kinda pissed that Jancker has hair). And how come at halftime, you can't make any changes? You have to wait during gametime to make subs, formation changes, etc.
But top marks on ISS making the AI a difficult opponent to beat. All in all, I enjoy ISS much better than FIFA, but I'm not going to make idiotic comments like "ISS is what soccer looks like, what game is FIFA playing?" You know, the only difference between those 2 games is player control and tougher AI's. Who cares if you can kill France 17-0 on World Class? What matters is player control, and ISS doesn't have much of that.
For one thing, ISS does resemble the "most beautiful game" much more than FIFA, but the controls are absolutely horrendous. Sometimes, you have to hit the pass button 3 or 4 times before your guy actually passes...also, if you're making a lightning run down the screen and if computer is sprinting down the opposite direction, it'll be too late to pass (and at times, the little RADAR is useless because of the superhuman speed that sometimes possesses the ISS players) - and in real football, touching the ball and passing it off is usually just as instant as it is in FIFA - and this is where I give FIFA the big advantage in terms of realness (where you can actually pass the ball at the last sec, and keep one-touching it without having to predict how close computer will be by your 3rd touch).
ISS is a great game, but here are some more weaknesses - player control - whereas FIFA has minimized computer interference in your players, ISS seems to have the devil possessing your team - in most cases where you thru ball, your player will chase it to the ends of the earth even if you know he won't get it - you can even put the controller down and your player will still chase it. Also, in throw-ins, spotkicks, cornerkicks, goalkicks, or whenever the goalie gets the ball, you have absolutely no say in defense: sometimes, it's nice to put some pressure on the goalie so he doesn't just pass it short to waste time.
Also, if you're just making a regular pass on ISS, your player 90% of the time will just sit there and let the ball roll to him even though you see the opponent making a run for it. I think footy coaches call that laziness.
And what's the deal with the tackles? If you're simply putting your foot out to tackle, why does your player 95% always lose his footing and trip over an imaginary crack in the earth? For instance, you can make a go for a ball, or lose a ball, and after that moment, that player will be dazed for like 5 secs just wondering why he couldn't hold the ball. Does that happen in real football? Not likely.
And for God's sake, I've gotten so many redcards from a slide tackle from the FRONT! Why is the ref so generous in rewarding cards? Slide tackling is one of the most used devices in football, why has Konami turned the referee strictness on 100%?
And let's not talk about ISS commentary - even in a drawn out game, the commentator will conclude that "it's a pity there had to be a loser." FIFA easily wins in this department.
So yes, ISS LOOKS much more like the real game, but it does so at the cost of enjoyment. Whereas FIFA is fastfaced, at least the players have control over their players - and I think a video game is more about player control then resembling reality - if you want to see what real football looks like, go watch the real thing.
And then there are some minor flaws in ISS also worth mentioning: in FIFA, after you save a feature, the console will automatically load all of your settings once you start the game - on ISS you have to constantly load and load and load. And you can't even give your players a haircut (I'm kinda pissed that Jancker has hair). And how come at halftime, you can't make any changes? You have to wait during gametime to make subs, formation changes, etc.
But top marks on ISS making the AI a difficult opponent to beat. All in all, I enjoy ISS much better than FIFA, but I'm not going to make idiotic comments like "ISS is what soccer looks like, what game is FIFA playing?" You know, the only difference between those 2 games is player control and tougher AI's. Who cares if you can kill France 17-0 on World Class? What matters is player control, and ISS doesn't have much of that.
(you know that in real football and you make an aggressive tackle, even from the front, the referee will most likely give you a red card...)...
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