Any time you mention a video game relating to “the beautiful game” there are just two that would immediately bounce off your head; PES and FIFA. And because the competition might seem like a two-horse race, both franchises have claimed their fair share of loyal fans over the years, making it a rivalry as old as father time with players from each side always debating on which title is superior to the other.

And with much already known about this year’s instalments for both, don’t expect for there to be any calm on social media about the two. The Septemberly battle has PES, that has now changed its name to eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer, armed in a bid to take on EA’s FIFA 20.

Licensing Rights

While we may still argue that PES has a headstart when it comes to gameplay and graphics, it might be almost clear that FIFA has dominated when it comes to earning global acclaim proved by yearly sales. This is considering the licensing finesse that FIFA brags of to this date especially after they grabbed coveted exclusive rights to UEFA Champions League. The struggle that PES has had over a long time compared to FIFA can then be concluded as a result of lack in official licensing.

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It’s purely evident that last year’s instalment PES 2019 failed when they lost UEFA’s licensing to FIFA 19. And clearly, FIFA made sure to rub it in Konami’s face with almost perfect graphics for the league, especially in the finals matches. What made it even worse was that beyond the UEFA, FIFA 19 wasn’t as exceptional, making little to no improvement from the previous editions.

But speaking of this year, all news covering the upcoming PES 2020 can almost get you to think that Konami is out for blood against their life-long rivals. Not only have they secured partnerships with the top sides in Europe but they’ve also ensured that the CR7-led Juventus FC won’t be named Juventus in FIFA 20, which is a huge blow to EA Sports when you consider that it is the best club in the Italian Football league, Serie A and a big contender for the Champions League.

All Ronaldo fanboys will be raging over this and finally, FIFA will have the bitter taste that PES has been fighting to get rid of for years now.

Other than licensing, the playing community around FIFA were really vocal about the lack of upgrades in FIFA 19. with a number of them even threatening to stop paying any attention to future editions of the title published by EA Sports.

Gameplay

And even though we have received numerous details about how they intend to bring significant developments to the title, one can judge from the reveal and gameplay trailer that the developers have not really listened as it looks almost entirely the same as what we have been playing for the past three years. Yes, EA Sports has a chance of redemption if the demo that is yet to be released says completely otherwise.

But on the other side, eFootball PES 2020 is leaving nothing to chance with its own demo. Having already been released and tested out, the gameplay shows some distinguishable improvement as the ball dynamics and the general flow of play brings players to a whole new level of realism.

Just like in real life as a player traps the ball when first playing the game, the same happens with the simulator. Making a through or direct pass to a teammate plays a paramount role on how that will turn out to the team’s attack. Passing to a much-skilled player, however, helps as he could in turn easily make an instant attack past the defender using a clever signature flick of the ball.

Graphics

If you have had the chance of playing the two games in previous editions, then you will clearly be drawn away from FIFA’s half-baked player models. PES 2020‘s demo shows significant graphic improvements from clear tattoo patterns for individual players to trademark running styles to the wild hairstyles. It’s all pretty much as authentic as it can be with this one.

The demo clearly shows you that Konami spent its good time to ensure the players look and act like their real-life counterparts and not like the Create-a-Wrestler models from WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw 2006.

And while we may admit that the demo is still not perfect with the lack of commentary and an AI that’s about as intelligent as an internet troll, the official release has been promised to include all this.

But does PES 2020 stand any chance against FIFA 20? If we talk sales, not even close but in terms of gameplay and graphics, it is safe to conclude that it is miles ahead of what EA Sports are working on. But let’s wait for the FIFA 20‘s demo and then we can do some more judging.