I recently made the mistake of believing that the FIFA v Pro Evo debate was a thing of the past.
Last week I found myself perched at the bar in my local, pint in hand, chatting to a mate. The latest FIFA 16 advert appeared on one of the televisions, sparking conversation about the new game.
Admittedly, I’m not the sort of bloke that sits in his underpants playing on his PlayStation or Xbox until the small hours of the morning, but my colours were nailed to the FIFA mast long ago.
Confident that my friend shared the same computer game allegiances, I recalled the days of old – when people used to say Pro Evo was the better game and genuinely meant it.
“Does anyone still play that any more?” I naively asked my drinking partner.
Slamming his pint down on the bar with enough force to make the barmaid look up, my mate glared at me as if I’d just spat at his nan.
“How can you say that? Have you even played PES?” he blazed, eyes bulging.
It turns out that I was wrong. Pro Evo loyalists are still very much with us. They’re even our friends.
Retreating for a game of darts, my friend mellowed slightly. In between throws, he put forward a strong case as to why Pro Evo was still superior to FIFA. I was told that the new versions of the game boasted better graphics and their players looked more realistic. To illustrate this, he even went to the trouble of showing me a comparison of a couple of players on his phone – as if he’d prepared for the debate before he even set foot in the pub.
Apparently, FIFA is a “lazy” version of Pro Evo, which is a “more sophisticated” game that demands more and more from its players.
“They’ve got the Champions League licence, too,” he added.
He must’ve been banging on for a solid half hour. By the time he’d finished, I felt as if I’d been subjected to some weird North Korean-style propaganda.
I silently disagreed with each and everyone of his points.
Personally, I don’t give a sh*t if Pro Evo is harder to play. I like football and I want a simple game that I can play without having to invest too much of my time. I don’t want to lock myself in a darkened room for hours like a disgruntled teenager,  mastering how to play the perfectly weighted through-ball. Simplicity is key and I, like many, just want to bang in a couple of goals when I’m playing against the lads, and then take the p*ss out of them when I win.
Graphics-wise, maybe he has got a slight point (look at the Neymar picture above)Â – but who really cares? Having played FIFA games in my youth where players looked like the lovechild of Red Dwarf’s Kryten and a sloth, the latest offering is more than adequate.
And finally, so what if Pro Evo has the Champions League licence? It still doesn’t have the rights to use the names of many of the world’s top teams. I’m sure there’s no Arsenal fan out there that would want to try and win the Champions League with ‘North London’. Maybe it’s a small detail, but it strips away something from the game that somehow makes it seem that bit more real.
In writing this, I am braced for the backlash of any Pro Evo playing readers. Just like any of football’s greatest rivalries, you’ll never change my allegiances in the same way that I’ll never change yours.
