Pro Evolution Soccer 2016

Leagues and cups

At E3 2015, it was announced that Konami had extended their license for the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup until 2018. At Gamescom 2015, it was announced that Konami had acquired the exclusive license for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2016; however, it was not going to be a part of the game from the beginning, and was eventually released in an update on 24 March 2016. Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 includes Ligue 1, La Liga, AFC Champions League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Super Cup, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana (2014 and 2015 seasons), Recopa Sudamericana, an unlicensed Serie A with 19 licensed teams, an unlicensed Premier League, with only Manchester United licensed, 3 teams from Bundesliga (Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach) but still not a stand-in for the league, an unlicensed Football League Championship, an unlicensed Serie B, an unlicensed Portuguese League (only Benfica, Sporting CP and Porto were licensed), Ligue 2, Liga Adelante, an unlicensed Brazilian League, an unlicensed Chilean League (with only the teams competing in Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana licensed), Eredivisie, an unlicensed Argentine League (with only the teams competing in Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana licensed) and 4 teams from Brazilian Second Division (Vitória, Bahia, Botafogo and Criciúma).

Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 myClub

Known as Winning Eleven 2016 myClub in Japan. As well as a mode inside the game, the myClub mode (an online mode in which the player assembles their own "dream team" from the game's database in the form of trading cards, akin to the FIFA series Ultimate Team mode) is also available as a stand-alone, free-to-play game, having been released on December 8, 2015 for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, and later released on February 3, 2016 for Steam. One new feature of myClub is the acquisition of "myClub Legends", classic players to bolster the team's ranks, such as Roberto Baggio, Roberto Carlos, Filippo Inzaghi, Luís Figo or Oliver Kahn.

Stadiums

There are 24 stadiums in the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game, but only 16 in the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. Officially licensed stadiums include the San Siro, St. Jakob-Park, Old Trafford, Allianz Arena, Juventus Stadium, Estadio Mineirao, Arena Corinthians, Estadio Beira-Rio, Estádio do Morumbi, Estádio Urbano Caldeira, and Saitama Stadium 2002. The remaining are unlicensed. The Estadio do Maracana (only for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One) and Stade de France were released later as free downloadable content.

Commentary

Pro Evolution Soccer 2016's Commentary, although praised for its brilliance was heavily criticized for its incessant repetitions. Peter Drury and Jim Beglin provided as English commentary, with Drury replacing Jon Champion as the main commentator. In the Japanese version, Jon Kabira and Tsuyoshi Kitazawa returned again as commentary.

Data Pack 1

Data Pack 1 was released on 29 October 2015. The update added 8 new teams, new boot styles, new jerseys for some teams, 70 new and updated player likenesses, updated player rosters (covering transfers made up to 30 August), and some changes to gameplay.

Data Pack 2

Data Pack 2 was released on 3 December 2015. The update added 51 new player likenesses, updated player rosters (covering transfers made up to 19 October), eight new boot styles, two new ball designs, and new entrance sequences for Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana matches. The Estadio do Maracana stadium was made available exclusively for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Data Pack 3

Data Pack 3 was released on 24 March 2016. The update was related to UEFA Euro 2016 and the content included the official kits and player likenesses for 15 officially licensed teams participating in the tournament. The remaining 9 teams wear generic uniforms. It also included the Stade de France, the venue of the tournament final. Konami issued a physical and digital standalone re-release of Pro Evolution Soccer 2016, including the Euro 2016 content, for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 on 21 April 2016 in Europe and Japan. This is also the first UEFA European Championship videogame made by Konami; the previous videogames were made by Gremlin Interactive and EA Sports.

Data Pack 4

Data Pack 4 was released on 9 June 2016, and is the final update for Pro Evolution Soccer 2016. The data pack includes official UEFA Euro 2016 kits for the national teams of Croatia, England, France, Portugal and Turkey. It also adds new official kits for Brazil, the Netherlands, CD Lugo, Santos, Flamengo, and Torino. The data pack also features two new Adidas boots - Adidas: X 16+ PURECHAOS, and the ACE 16+ PURECONTROL.

Reception

Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 received very positive reviews, IGN scored it 9.5 out of 10, stating that "PES 2016 might well be the best football game ever made", with the reviewer going on to say "I can’t remember ever being so consistently thrilled, surprised and delighted by a football game before." They praised the physicality, and the responsive, dynamic gameplay, but criticized the uneven, repetitive commentary. GameSpot scored it 9 out of 10, referring to it as a "Return of the king". They said "almost everything in PES 2016 feels fantastic," and praised "how it wonderfully converges" the physics and AI, introducing a new dynamic physics engine with a new collision system and improved AI which includes dozens of smart individual decisions and where "players work together as a unit." They also praised the "outstanding" animations and the enhanced fluidity and control, but criticized the UI, character models, and referee lenience to some fouls. They concluded that it "represents the best game in the series since the PlayStation 2 era."

Metro scored it 9 out of 10, stating that "Pro Evolution Soccer is finally back to its best, in what is undoubtedly one of the greatest sports games of all-time." Game Informer gave the latest iteration 9 out of 10, saying that "PES 2016 represents the sport in beautiful fashion." They stated, "The off-the-ball movement to create give-and-gos are generated naturally, players find good spaces in the box and go for runs, and defenders jostle dribblers and cut out passes", adding that it is "also a much more physical game, with opposing players nipping at your feet, barging you off the ball, and getting stuck in". They concluded, "It ushers in a new era for the franchise that needs to be experienced."