Pro Evolution Soccer 2019: Rounding Up Top Reviews, Scores and Gameplay Videos

The time of year is approaching for fans of football video games to make a decision on where their allegiance lies for the upcoming season. The Pro Evolution Soccer series, for so long, has been one of the go-to titles.

With the latest edition of the game—Pro Evolution Soccer 2019—set to be released on August 28 in the United Kingdom, the demo is out and the reviews are starting to filter through.

Here is a look at what some of the most respected assessors around have to say about Konami's latest version of the longstanding game and the latest clips of how the game will be presented.

Mixed Opinions on PES 2019

Here's a reminder of the announcement trailer for PES 2019:

Bleacher Report assessed the gameplay from the PES 2019 demo and provided clips of what gamers can expect:

Benjamin Griffin from IGN has offered one of the most comprehensive reviews of PES 2019, highlighting both the positive and negative aspects of the game. Overall, he gives the game 8.2 out of 10, which is a downgrade from the 9.2 Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 received from IGN a year ago.

"You shouldn't buy PES 2019 for its new modes—there aren't any of note," Griffin noted in his verdict. "Nor should you buy it for major changes to existing modes—the ones made are minor. If you do opt in this year, it should be for the focus on player individuality that sets this iteration apart from all previous years."

Master League, the game's longstanding campaign mode, is described as "disappointingly safe." In terms of gameplay, Griffin is impressed with the attacking patterns, although he expresses concerns about defending. "Jostling often results in a foul, and sliding seemingly inevitably leads to card," he noted.

Richard Wakeling reviewed PES 2019 for Gamespot and said a final verdict will not be given until the online portion of the game is assessed.

Still, in comparison to EA Sports' FIFA series, he describes PES as "the scrappy underdog just hoping for a surprise upset, even when it's fielding the likes of London Blue and PV White Red." Wakeling also commented on Master League, saying "disappointingly...almost remains untouched."

The disparity between player values on the game and in real life are noted, with players such as Aymeric Laporte at Manchester City said to be available for around £12 million; the Premier League champions paid £57 million to bring him to the Etihad Stadium in January.

Eurogamer also reviewed the upcoming release and put forward a scathing assessment on social media:

Wesley Yin-Poole did comment on the calibre of gameplay in his review, noting it is "sublime as ever" and "PES 2019's football has soul" in comparison to it's main rival FIFA.

However, Yin-Poole takes issue with the presentation of the game, describing the text font as "an abomination" and the text work as "amateurish." He provided further assessments on Twitter:

FourFourTwo reporter Tom Wiggins followed a similar pattern in his review of the game, saying "familiar issues stop it gaining ground on [its] big-name rival." He gave PES 2019 an overall rating over three-and-a-half stars out of five.