FIFA 20 and eFootball PES 2020 are the new football games released by EA Sports and Konami, respectively, available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Rival in history, both games feature graphic and gameplay improvements in the 2020 editions, with new game modes, menus, and features. Each franchise has its strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to know all the advantages and disadvantages of the series. In the following comparison, Techidence reviewed FIFA 20 and PES 2020 to help you choose the best football simulator of the year.
Gameplay
As tradition dictates, the two games have different foci in their gameplay. FIFA maintains a more arcade footprint on the rhythm of matches and build-up of plays, with faster players on the field. PES 2020, on the other hand, seeks more realism, with cadenced plays and heavier players who value possession of the ball.
After much controversy in FIFA 19, FIFA 20 has brought improvements to reassure its fan base, who did not like the excess of effect shots from the last edition – this has resulted in very elastic scores. eFootball, meanwhile, has maintained the constant escalation of quality seen in recent years and is moving closer and closer to a perfect simulation, with new ways of dominating the ball and improved physics.
For those looking for faster and more casual fun, FIFA 20 is a better choice, as it’s easy and quick to learn the controls. PES 2020, on the other hand, is a more technical and deeper game, with greater complexity in creating moves. For its touches and rhythm better calibrated, PES 2020 is the game with the best gameplay this year.
Graphics
Year on year, the two franchises seek to make small visual changes to give athletes and stadiums even more detail, with new lighting effects and improved motion capture to make the moves more credible. Still, it is clear that the FIFA series has not made much progress since FIFA 14, the first game released for the current generation of consoles.
PES 2020, on the other hand, has seen further progress in face-mapping technology, which creates more realistic faces. The Konami series also better replicates the atmosphere of the stadiums and features a slightly more beautiful pitch than the EA game. Overall, Konami’s game is more like a true football broadcast on television, including a new camera angle that simulates television aesthetics.
Modes
Once again, it’s in terms of game modes that FIFA 20 gives a ball to its direct competitor. Although P.E.S. 2020 has improved a bit compared to its predecessor, with a new interface to the Master League and an initial menu with clearer options and easier to find, much of its content was requited without major changes. MyClub, for example, is virtually identical to the previous year, and inferior to FIFA Ultimate Team in every respect imaginable.
The biggest asset of FIFA 20 is the new game mode Volta. Although it’s not as much fun and deep as the late FIFA Street franchise, street football helps to bring more variety to the package, which also suffers from its stagnant career mode. Still, thanks to a better online structure, a more exciting division system, and much more content, FIFA 20 is being washed away in terms of modes.
Content
The higher the official licensing of leagues around the planet, the more complete and full of options a football simulator will be. Here the judgment is very complicated, as FIFA 20 and PES 2020 have wagered on completely different approaches. The Konami series has invested everything in national football, while the EA franchise remains vibrant in foreign leagues.
If what matters most to you is playing with the Brazilian teams, PES 2020 is undoubtedly the best game, as it brings together all the A and B series teams in their proper uniforms – most of them with correct casts. There are several Brazilian stadiums to use, from Maracanã to Morumbi, but the game leaves something to be desired in European leagues, with few LaLiga or Premier League teams.
FIFA 20 does exactly the opposite, disappointing for the lack of national content, but compensating with hundreds of official teams from around the world, in addition to the official UEFA Champions League license, the world’s premier football tournament
Conclusion
As the end of the current generation of consoles approaches, both FIFA 20 and PES 2020 show relative stagnation. Close to reaching the maximum hardware power of the current consoles, both games are very beautiful and polished, perfect to please football fans.
PES 2020 is more recommended for players who want to play the Brasileirão and enjoy the best Master League mode in the series, while FIFA 20 pleases its loyal players with ample supply of official leagues and game modes. Still, in terms of graphics and gameplay, Konami took the lead in the ranking of the best football games of 2020.
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