eFootball 2022 Pro Devolution Soccer
After six months of the launch, which was nothing more than an unplayable demo with bugs, eFootball 2022 is moving towards good direction even small ones, thanks to the much-anticipated 1.0 update. The most notable thing is that the bugs have largely gone, but what’s left is a squishy shell of an football game with no the depth, mode, and any reason to keep playing it regularly. In reality, it’s difficult to recommend eFootball even though it’s completely free to play.
It’s a little sad actually. The game that was thought to be the top of its kind in the glorious times of Pro Evolution Soccer has devolved into this shambling imitation. It’s like those horrible season of the pandemic when football took place in stadiums that were empty. Sure, football was played, but it was not the same event with fans. It’s a similar situation could be afoot for eFootball from earlier rather than later if drastic changes aren’t implemented in the near future.
Overall, the presentation of the field is pretty decent the player models are generally accurate , and the stadiums although limited in size appear real. This is a huge improvement from the hilarious and often scary faces that were pulled in the first access version. This can’t be stated for the atmosphere inside the stadiums, which usually does not work, and isn’t helped by a stale commentary. Additionally, there are the menus and UI that, though more colorful than what we’re used to seeing from Konami’s football matches, aren’t as easy and intuitive to navigate.
There is an increase in the flow of game.
Having had to play a lot of eFootball’s earlier versions, it may just be Stockholm syndrome at this point, but there does seem to be a freer flow to general play as players feel a lot less stiff to manoeuvre. They are also more reactive, no longer ignoring balls outside of their immediate radius, although controlling them neatly can often be a bridge too far. There is an increased sense of control in attack and defence, too – eFootball no longer feels like it’s simply happening to you.
Defence isn’t completely refined, but better shoulder tackles and manual tackles certainly help you take on adversaries with greater ease. AI Defenders are known to get out of their positions without warning they allow for lengthy through balls that lead to goals occurring all the time. It’s not certain if this’s due to an issue and/or not. However, it’s it’s something which clearly requires attention in any way.
The ability to press together as a team and exert pressure on the ball adds a dimension of tactical modern game play to eFootball that is desperately needed. The practice of requesting pressure from teammates and then stealing the ball high in the air has resulted in scoring chances frequently. It’s evident that this, along with several other game-related features were intended to be included in eFootball since the beginning, but they were released as an not-finished state. The additions to the game don’t resolve the issues that the initial release faced, however.The additions to the software don’t fix the issues that the initial release encountered, however.
“Stunning kicks” are a new quirk that allow you to hold down the right trigger and apply extra power to passes and shots. Although these do occasionally result in a spectacular goal, you are far more likely to get the ball pinched from your toes as your player takes half a century to wind his leg up. If you do get a shot away, though, there’s a decent chance of it going in as goalkeepers seem more balanced now, no longer reacting like Daredevil hearing a brick smash through a window.
Sometimes, there are some flowing moves that are worth watching, but they are not often and with a satisfying pass being a scarce commodity. Certain passes are focused and passed through the lens of a needle. On the other hand, others will slowly glide across the floor with a grudging glance towards an opponent – but without being confident about the differences. The only true consistency in the game is its inconsistentness. At one point, you’ll be sliding through a defensive line and throwing one into the upper corner, but the next time you’ll attempt to pass the ball, only to realize that your player has a turn circle that’s more at home in Euro Truck Simulator.
Another way to prove this is the referees who were in a tragic way during the first release. They now appear to be able to distinguish between a clean and foul tackle, they still like to give out red and yellow card for the smallest of offence. Maybe I’m being rude however, the overall AI appears to be pretty naive as well for officials as well as players from the opposition – which means that playing with the machine can be boring, regardless of what difficulty level you pick. They play according to predefined patterns that are easy to master and play at a speed I could maintain in real-life and haven’t played an eleven-a-side match for more than 10 years. This predictability has led to me scoring identical carbon copies of the same goal three times at kick-off at least once.In an 1.0 release, there’s an unsettling lack of options to play with the available.
Playing online adds to the excitement, providing welcome spontaneity to proceedings. Your options in where to do this are limited, though, as are most of eFootball’s modes. For a 1.0 release there’s still a baffling lack of ways to play available, with a long list of omissions that you’d expect as minimum:
- There aren’t any lobby sites online where you can play against a fellow player.
- You are able toplay with your friends offline, but you’re limited to just nine licensed teams that you can choose from.
- The online cooperative isn’t available.
- There’s no editing option where you can alter players and teams (a common feature in previous Pro Evolution Soccers and eFootballs).
- Also, there’s not a Master League. This is an PES fan-favorite career mode in which several (including myself) have always found pleasure – and it would have been welcomed here even if it meant playing an ineffective AI for a long time.
It’s a bit regrettable that this information is available, particularly considering that it’s been six months since its release and two years since the first development in eFootball 2022.
One of the modes which isentered the scene with the launch of Update 1.0 has been Dream Team, eFootball’s take on FIFA Ultimate Team in which you can use both the currency that you earn in the game and real money to create your own ultimate team of players. They also help you improve your ranking on the internet. The process is carried out in Seasons which are two-month long events which require you to be promoted to the top level possible through the 10 divisions online with higher rewards as the higher you go on the process. Season 1 – which is aptly named: New Gameplay Method team building and licenses is now live with special players that are available in loot boxes for example, Pep Guardiola and Guti.
Microtransaction Reaction
Although there is a clear need for a game with no cost to play to make money however, it’s always disappointing be able to do this through the pay-to-win method. It’s true that after one or two hours of play and no money invested, I’ve created a team that is competitive however the threat of microtransactions is still present over eFootball. There are special player cards that are available as random-chance packs for approximately $1/PS0.79 per. There’s only a limit to how long Konami is able to afford to hand away free currency to help pay the players for ongoing maintenance and patch updates in the end, for instance. It’s not necessarily fair to slam Konami in the present, since they certainly don’t look to be as shady as FIFA’s, however, it’s something to be on the lookout for.
It’s true that eFootball has fully-fledged modes to get it beyond the point that it’s a demonstration however it’s missing so many things you’d think of from an 1.0 version of an app. It’s more like something that’s very far from being ready to be released.
Verdict
eFootball 2022 has been unsatisfactory in many ways that it’s difficult to imagine any quick solution coming. It’s still missing many of the core features that any game of sports worth its salt should have and with microtransactions integrated into the foundation of the game’s only fully fleshed out version the game is unable to keep you interested for long periods of time. This is the only aspect that a good free-to-play game must do. The action on the field is certainly upgraded, but it’s not anywhere near the quality of the Pro Evolution Soccer predecessors and isn’t enough to make it always thrilling, or, more importantly entertaining. It’s no longer a laughing matter because of its humorous visual bugs being fixed and now it’s sort of sad.
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