Now that PES 2015 has been out for almost a month it’s time to lace up your boots, take the pitch, and get a result. In order to achieve success we’ll take a look at a few areas which can bolster your mastery of PES 2015.
 

One of the first areas that any player must conquer in order to succeed in PES 2015 is to find their comfort zone when it comes to the settings. Areas like preferred camera, assistance levels in passing/shooting, and of course difficulty level are must tweaks before you even take the field with your eleven virtual players. With the ability to customize the camera, players can choose from either a first person view (think Become a Legend's default view) or a zoomed out default view allowing you to see more of the pitch. One camera that can be breathtaking at times is “Live Broadcast,” which mimics what we see on most television screens. While the camera switches that occur near the corner flags can be a bit disorienting at first, the close-up camera really lets the work Konami did on faces in PES 2015 shine. 

Assistance levels in footy games are always an interesting debate. Some prefer to have all the control in their hands (Manual shooting + 0 bar pass assistance) while others prefer a little assistance (1-4 bars pass assistance + Basic Shooting). There is no right or wrong answer as to which is the best since it’s down to the players comfort level but assisted players still have the option with the use of the manual modifier (L2/LT). Mastering passing in PES is always tricky, but once you come to grips with it you can really open up the pitch, especially with players like Andrea Pirlo or Steven Gerrard.

Similar to assistance controls, difficulty Levels in PES can be tricky to choose at first. If you’re a PES vet and you’re up for a challenge, jump into Top Player or Superstar. You’ll most likely take a few lumps as you get a handle on the new game but you’ll ultimately be rewarded with some of the most challenging AI in the entire sports game genre. Newbies to the series should start out on Professional while they master the controls in order to not get discouraged. Professional can still provide a good challenge but the CPU isn’t as lethal as they are on the higher settings.
 

TACTICS

Legendary Nottingham Forest Manager Brian Clough once said “Players lose you games, not tactics.”. Well Mr. Clough, times are a changing. Even though Konami stripped down the tactical section from PES 2014, there are still plenty of ways to tinker with your side, none more innovative than “Fluid Formations.” With "Fluid Formations" turned on, you can set your formation and tactics advancing on goal as well as instruct your players where to be when defending your goal. This new feature mirrors the instructions doled out from modern day managers and creates chess matches all over the pitch. An additional key feature is the ability to select who you would like to go forward on set-pieces. More often than not, center backs are amongst the club’s tallest players and are often good in the air. These traits aren’t solely reserved for defending as defenders like Chelsea’s John Terry and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Godin often find themselves on the score sheet do to their prowess on set-pieces. Once your instructions have been given it’s time to take the pitch. 

DEFENDING

To put it simple, “You cannot lose if you do not concede any goals.”

While this may be a boring ideology, the importance of defense cannot be understated in PES 2015. With an attacking AI that will test your acumen, Konami has not forgotten about the lost art of defending. The key to defending in PES, just as it is in real-life, is to contain, defend in numbers, and apply appropriate pressure. Passing can be a bit too accurate at times so it’s a must to limit the opposition’s options going forward by playing the passing lanes to cut off angles. If you do this properly, you will force the CPU to play the ball backwards allowing your team to regain its shape and form a formidable wall. A combination of a quickly depleting stamina system as well as the new dribbling mechanics forces users to be cautious when it comes to pressure and making rash tackle. One mistimed tackle and the opposition can spring to life and be on your back-line in a hurry. Do not be afraid to tackle though. A well-timed tackle can mean the difference between you keeping a clean sheet or your keeper picking the ball up out of the back of the net. One last tip on defending that works in all sports is to know your opposition. With Player ID excelling in PES 2015, it’s important to know that Arjen Robben wants to cut-in on his left foot or that lunging in on players like Cristiano Ronaldo or Eden Hazard can leave you stuck in the mud. 

So you’ve picked up PES 2015 and you’ve spent some time with it. How have you been finding success with this year’s iteration?