I may have spoken too soon...

Trust me to open my big mouth.

A few days ago i waxed lyrical about the new FIFA and how unless Pro Evolution Soccer upped their game i would be jumping ship to the long running EA franchise. How on earth was i to know that the new Pro Evo, the demo for which i finally played for the first time today, would have improved quite so much?

The new passing system that i was so worried about is actually just a better implemented version of FIFA's own 360 degree passing system, allowing you to power the ball along the floor rather than any pass i attempted with FIFA 11, which was tempered by the player aids so that it only just about reached the desired player.

PES this year is as graphically stunning a football game as i have ever seen, replays of the action blur player movements so that they look even closer to the real thing and the level of fidelity in general has been greatly improved. FIFA also looks the part this year and as always has slick front end design and in game menu systems that are quick and easy to use. PES has trumped them this year though with a new approach to menu design, everything in the demo is swish and minimalistic, the Vs screen has beautifully rendered images of the two teams star player in their kit and when you delve into the game plan menu things take an even more impressive turn.

This year Konami have given the player complete control of their teams tactics. Drag and drop any player into the position you desire and that's where they'll play, admittedly you could do this last year but it took some trawling through menus to do. This year the tactics are right there up front for you to alter. drag, drop, play.

FIFA has the option to create your own team, complete with club crest, just like Pro Evo. Where the two games seem to differ this year is the level of customisation you can apply to your new club. While you can create a kit and club crest for your FIFA team, Pro Evo allows the player to create their own stadium, right dow to the cut of the grass and the cladding on the stands (which you can also choose from). While i would never want to do so you can even give your players Spartan helmets or Pumpkin heads, have them play with a wrapped sweet for a ball and surround the ground with an 8-bit style landscape.

This year will be a difficult year for anyone unsure about which side to support, it looks like i'm still one of them after all. my best advice? Play each demo to death, rent both games out if you can so you can fiddle with the editing functions that both games have on offer this year, and go with the one you had most fun with.

That's what games are all about after all...

Robinho