Should You Pick Up the Euro 2016 Edition of PES 2016?

In addition to the annual FIFA titles released the same time each year, EA Sports often releases mid-season tournament edition titles, such as 2014’s FIFA World Cup Brazil game. Konami, on the other hand, has always opted to focus on their annual Pro Evolution Soccer entries, but for the first time, PES is venturing into the tournament-specific territory with PES 2016 – UEFA Euro 2016 Edition; but is it worth the price of admission?

Well, kind of. Firstly, it’s good to note that owners of PES 2016 are able to download the Euro 2016 content pack for free – so if you want to indulge in the hype of the European showpiece, that’s a no-brainer. However, as a full retail game, which is priced at around R550, which gives you the full PES 2016 experience along with the Euro 2016 expansion included on the disc, it’s a mixed bag.

Just over half the European member nations are present, and out of those, 10 are unlicensed – so you won’t get to see some of your favourite players in the game. You can choose from any of the 34 available teams, and pick a fight in an international friendly in Exhibition mode, or begin your quest for European glory in the Cup mode. While the friendly games are as straightforward as they come, Cup mode allows for a bit of customisation. Aside from allowing you to play with your friends in co-op, you can also increase the number of teams in the tournament that are user-controlled, so as to increase the number of games in action.

Things fall short in the variety of game modes on offer. Apart from the aforementioned two modes, there is nothing else to do in the new expansion. With Cup mode, all you get in terms of play time are the group stages (three matches) and four knockout fixtures, including the final. It’s also good to note that while Konami acquired the tournament license, only one stadium (Stade de France) features in the pack out of the 10 venues planned for this summer’s tournament in France.

UEFA Euro 2016 DLC’s best feature is the fact that it costs absolutely nothing for owners of Pro Evolution Soccer 2016. Otherwise, there’s not too much to be excited about. Ultimately, the retail edition is PES 2016 with a new stadium and a different coat of paint in the menus, which isn’t all a bad thing, because PES 2016 is still a great fast-paced football simulator here that produces enjoyable matches over and over, and forces you to be creative in creating goal scoring opportunities. If you have PES 2016, download the expansion for free. If you don’t own PES 2016, you can pick up the normal edition of the game for a decent price these days, instead of buying the new Euro version, and then just download the expansion for free anyway.

Check out the game in action below:

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