I'm indifferent to this years PES.
Its still the more enjoyable football sim out there.The variety of goals is so much more varied compared to Fifa. And,when you're not going against the AI,the game hits its strength against a fellow competitors,on or offline.
I find ML to be quite shallow this year though.The presentation is dated and bland.Lacking any sense of that quirky Asian novel interface and the offline AI is inconstant.
The scripting,which has been prominent in both PES and Fifa,is back in all its infuriating glory.
AI players seemingly never tire. Ridiculous pressing.Poor teams and players seemingly look and play better than anyone of the top class teams you pick.
Dont get me wrong I like competition and not every top team is going to have a easy ride against weaker opponents but there's literally no balance here.
Plus,doesnt help that your players play with a disadvantage. For whatever reason my players feel slow in comparison to the lively,creative AI.
Oh,and Messi is verging on useless against the AI,mores so on Super-star and Legend difficulty.He's easily muscled off the ball.
On the pitch the gameplay looks great,though the generic stadiums are also starting to look their age as are the players with no proper identity.
I got the game at a good price (£20),and this was a few months back.And all things considered it's probably worth it.
Be interesting to read other peoples views regarding the AI and what difficulty level people play against when they're offline,more so on ML as I find exhibition mode to be alot more enjoyable whatever its difficulty.Odd I know.