I’ve come to a big decision. I’ve looked deep into my heart, and there discovered… no, not an empty village with tumbleweed blowing through it and the sound of an eerily clanging church bell. What I discovered was that if I win a Treble in my Master League career on PES2013, it’ll effectively be Game Over. (Even if I don’t win a Treble, I’ll take a week’s break.)
This is what I want. I genuinely do want to stop playing PES2013 quite soon now. I’ve realised over the past few weeks that I’m enjoying the game so much only because there is this end in sight. If some evil genie were to appear and tell me I’d have to play PES2013 all the way to the end of August, I truly believe I would burst into tears.
Not because it’s a bad game. It’s definitely not that. I’m just full up, is all. Blame it on PES2012. Blame it on PES2013′s tropical player growth and relatively shallow difficulty curve. Blame it on a lot of distractions elsewhere in my life. Blame it on the boogie. It’s just how things are.
So that’s the ultimate cutoff, then. A Treble: League, Cup, Champions League.
It might just happen this season. I’ve got a great chance.
The prospect of the end of PES2013 seems to have inspired me to play a heck of a lot. I’ve had a couple of multi-hour sessions over the weekend. Early mornings and late nights. Here’s the table with just a handful of matches left in season 8:
I cannot shake off Man City. PES has always has done this. Rubberband AI, it’s called. If you’re ahead, the chasing pack will stay on your shoulder. If you’re behind, the AI leaders will almost always be catchable.
There are certain things PES does that reminds us we’re playing a game. Things that are designed to give players a certain kind of experience. The phenomenon known as ‘scripting’ is the most obvious example of this. I deplore scripting, but I’m strangely at peace with other things PES does that reminds us it’s only a game. Rubberband AI in ML league tables is one of those things.
I’m in the final of the FA Cup. I had a tough semi-final against Nitsaloskis—they’re the basement club, barely two wins all season last time I looked down there (I just don’t ever look down there, as a rule).
Yes, you can guess what I’m about to say. Poor, lowly Nitsaloskis gave me my toughest match of the season so far.
They were at my throat for virtually the entire match. After 85 minutes it was 2-2, and extra time beckoned. I snatched a delicious scrambled winner from a corner, and went through. So sweet.
But if I thought that was a tough tie, it was nothing compared to Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final.
I’ve played the first leg only at the time of writing, and it ended 1-1. I swear, in all my years of football gaming, this was the single toughest match I have ever played.
I made the mistake of scoring early. Oh dear.
Messi was inhuman, unplayable, unstoppable. On the stroke of half-time I went down to 10 men trying to break his legs. (The culprit being Youth promotee Veron, this time, not the indefatigable Coynborough.)
Every Barca attack was some insane sychronised ballet of one-touch flicks and stepovers and tricks and pirouettes and God knows what else. I adopted a ‘none shall pass’ strategy where I tried to staunch the flow before it got too close to my box.
The second leg is my next match. I’ve got that precious away goal. I’ll be going for the clean sheet, needless to say.
Oh, and after that, the FA Cup final against Liverpool.
If I can shake off the accursed Man City, the league will be mine. The game will see to it that it goes to the last day, of course.
The Treble is very much on. Wednesday’s post might be the last PES2013-themed one for a while.
Chris—I’ve used two DMFs all the time since early on with PES2012. I just carried it on with PES2013, and it’s still effective. I’ve mentioned my dual-DMFs setup many times on the posts… which I know nobody really reads, but it’s good for me to write them
John—this is my season 8 too, which is now over (details tomorrow). I think playing 8 seasons on the back of PES2012′s 18 seasons has tipped me over the edge at least temporarily. I love cheesecake and will always love cheesecake. I can eat pretty much a whole plate-sized cheesecake over the course of a day. Offer me some cheesecake the next day and I’ll pass on it. I know it’s customary to use girlfriend/supermodel metaphors when it comes to PES, but on this occasion I’m being different and using cheesecake.
Uncle Turf—my Lurling never really scaled the heights for me. He was always just a competent deputy who came in when Coynborough or Jacomorac (my two first-choice DMFs) were suspended or injured, which was fairly often. Not bad, but not outstanding.
Got a replay of the Niellendner distance goal? As much of a collector’s item as the fabled rare Trevor Brooking header.
not-Greg – I remember discussing your DM’s early after release; I’m hurt you don’t remember
I was referring more to taking off one of my strikers and effectively playing with 3 dm’s (one classed as a CM) for the really tricky games.
NG – just been setting up some HDRI render studios in Cinema 4D, and to test lighting etc i knocked up a few little gfx, thought id share in case you find some use for them
http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=bf348e377d70ddda12e6b4d34472d597
NG – I think we all know you are a two-DMF man. And you also know we all hang on every word of your blog to the point where some of us have taken to daubing a few of our favourite N-G quotes on our walls.
The CMF sat snuggly in front of the DMFs is however all mine.. oh, and Chris’.
Chris—ah, the 4-5-1 with three triangular-arranged DMFs/CMF. I’ve tried it once or twice but can’t get enough attacking play going for my liking, and in PES often attack is the only form of defence.
Paul—thank you, and I’ve downloaded for safekeeping. Maybe they’ll be used sooner rather than later, who knows?
John—I’m a sceptic about the 4-5-1 in real life as well as PES. I think it sucks a lot of the life out of the (real-life) game, especially when both sides play with it. I can’t play for long with it in PES.
Just back from my fracture appointment at the hospital, no surgery needed thankfully but could be up to 6 weeks before i start getting any kind of range of movement back in the finger, so resuming my PES sessions may be a while off yet
Also Playstation are streaming a live web cast on 20th Feb which is strongly tipped to be the announcement and unveiling of the PS4 !!!
I must be getting old because I feel more fearful of the PS4 than excited. Meanwhile I often look longingly at my trusty old PS2.
Paul—are you off work with the finger (missus)?
You can probably add another few weeks to the 6 before you’re back playing comfortably. Like I’ve said before, this is really a positive as it means when you come back to the game it’ll be like being born again with a brand new PES game, and your PES year will almost certainly last until September. And in the meantime, Football Manager…
I heard about the possible PS4 announcement, and feel quite excited. It’ll be a current-spec high-end PC in console form. I’ve started thinking about my console addiction and wondering if it’s really necessary for the future. With PCs-in-a-box and HDMI connection…
John—I definitely am getting old, and I’m wondering if I need a PS4. I want one (I tend to want anything new and gadgety), but do I need one to play the games I want to play on it? I’m toying with the idea of transforming myself into a PC gamer. I.e., a PC just for gaming, plugged into the telly. Maxed out everything.
Has no-one ever considered my 3 at the back? I’ve won successive trebles using the offloading full backs tactic (they always seem to sell well) and I think particularly in 2013 the opposition crosses don’t hurt as much. As long as you have an LMF/RMF to give you some width it gives you an extra man in midfield or up front.
ML2 Season2 I’m still getting royally screwed by the AI. Now on 7-8-8. Every time I win one I get turned over by a straight from kick off or an insane dribble next game. Just got to accept it’s not my time and build up the team.
Uncle Turf—I’m sorry, but I have never considered your 3 at the back… It’s too exotic for my taste, and so much of my game is focused on wingplay with attacking, overlapping full-backs.
The only time I’ll go three-at-the-back is when down to 10 men, and only then when I haven’t got a recognised defender on the bench, or want to to chase the game. It does seem to work well, I have to say.
John – My favourite NG quote to daub on the wall of sunderland is…”boots”
Werd Llitrah—you’ve take me grossly out of context there. Only the surrounding instances of ‘boots’ gave ‘boots’ its radical dialectical meaning…
LIke a footballer might take up golf, I see myself reverting to PC/Mac gaming as the years pass. The PS4 will surely be all about bigger and better everything and online gaming functionality. I’m not that bothered with that.
I quite fancy getting on this mod-ed old PES bandwagon but I have no idea how it all works. It’s either that or I retire my thumbs in favour of the easy click of footy management sims – one day.
John—if you’re comfortable navigating around folders on your system and moving files between them, you’d be able to take up modding and patching and all that malarkey after a short period of trial and error. I don’t know if Mac gaming will ever be on a par with the PC, but there’s always dual-booting. I do prefer the dedicated PC-in-a-box solution with HDMI though, which would fit in next to the telly roughly where the console is right now…