All of those are very high end changes in the game that don’t really affect gameplay like some of the other changes which include improved AI and a lot of engine tweaks for the game. The major new expansion this year is Teammate Control. This is something beyond things like a one-two pass or pass and move. This actually gives you full control over a second player on the field with the right stick on both offense and defense. You can send other players in to attack the ball and you can get your other player set to running where you want to put the ball. This definitely gives some added depth to the gameplay.
While it might sound intimidating at first glance, this is soccer we are talking about and as a video game it has a history of ever-increasingly more complex and involved control systems. This really does feel intuitive though. The left stick controls your main player while the right stick then becomes the control stick for your secondary player. I did not have a problem grasping the control scheme nor did I have problems controlling the second player. I guess it’s all those years of dual-stick shooters that have conditions my thought processes to do two different things with the sticks. Sure, some players might have some problems getting used to it but they should be able to manage, especially PES players of years past.
The game offers two versions of Teammate control as well, manual and assisted. As you might gather from the names they offer differing levels of difficulty and help from the game itself. For those who want total control head for the manual Teammate control and you should be pretty happy.
Another set of improvements in this year pertain to the refereeing itself. They have worked to get "advantage" into the game and have implemented it with this year’s iteration. Referees should now let play continue if there is a potential advantage for the team against which an offense was committed. This is generally a few seconds to see if they get the upper hand in regards to the current gameplay. After such time a referee may call backthe play and show a yellow/red card to the offender. It’s interesting to say the least because it happens so often in real professional play that it to have been absent from the game series for so long seems almost... wrong.
Several other tweaks have been made to the game as well in regards to running, dribbling and realism. Additionally the goalies have been worked on as has general player AI. In regards to controls they have done a lot of work on creating some new controls or revamping some old ones. Speed burst skills when near an opponent are all updated along with the ability to choose the penatly taker or control the goalkeeper on a penalty kick. Also, some advanced defense move controls have been worked on like adding or removing players to a wall, delays and off the ball controls which work with teammate control.
