eFootball PES 2021 Season Update (Xbox One) Review

Konami have openly declared that eFootball PES 2021 Season Update is pretty much what it says on the tin, and that they are hard at work on a brand spanking new title for the next release. Developing for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series is taking up the studio's resources, so much so that they didn't really have time to put into this year's iteration of PES. The transparency is key here, as this is a reskin of last year's sublime eFootball PES 2020, right down to the presentation including menus, graphics, commentary and cinematics. Positively, the gameplay is also the same as well, meaning that passes feel great to make and shots still feel as sumptuous to make. This gratification from a sports game is what makes PES very special, as it doesn't just look incredible with all the detailed and realistic counterparts on field but replicates the passage of play for football so fluidly.

Authenticity of presentation is something that FIFA often dominates on. The long and storied history of FIFA having fully licensed leagues, competitions, teams and players is something that is well known. eFootball PES 2021 Season Update on the other hand still retains a large number of licensed teams as well as their updated kits and sponsors. Furthermore, the free DLC update to PES 2020 which included the international tournament, Euro 2020, has been included in PES 2021, which means that a number of European football teams also have their real squads, kits and emblems. Club teams on the other hand have been a bit hit and miss, with AC Milan and Inter Milan licenses being removed and made exclusive to FIFA, including the San Siro stadium. While one hand takes, the other one gives, and that is because Roma, like Juventus, have now become exclusive to PES 2021. This is perhaps not as exciting as the Milan clubs but at least there is a silver lining to losing both AC and Inter. Finally, team squads are not yet quite up to date, but with the transfer window still open at the time of writing it is hard to expect this to be in line with all the permutations that are happening.