Kelvin Mak: There's a lot to like in the PES 2012 demo.

The biggest flaws in last year's game, such as defenders being unrealistically faster than attackers and teammate/goalkeeper AI are fixed for the most part, but goalkeepers still have the odd moment of braincramps and butterfingers. They don't happen anywhere near enough to hamper the experience, but the flaws are there.

The player AI works as well as advertised. It's good to finally have some support, especially when I'm on the counter and see my fullbacks storming down the flanks, outnumbering the opposition. It's a glorious sight to behold. On that note, one thing the PES franchise -- even during its trainwreck years -- does really well is the feeling that a goal can come from anywhere. That feeling is still alive and well in this demo. I saw a good variety of goals, via some surprisingly clever player movements.

The game speed seemed a little quick on default, but I've found that (-1) is ideal if you don't want as much helter skelter like play. This game rewards patience and possession, that's for sure.

By and large, it's nice to have the ability to control off the ball players on set pieces, but what annoyed me is that when I switch players, the AI always follows the player I'm controlling. Normally this makes sense, but when I station two players in close vicinity, and the best bet for the AI defender is to stay somewhere between the two, it doesn't. Instead, it instantly follows the player I control (even before I move him) like it can read my mind.

I'm scoring plenty of long range screamers, more so than in the first demo when the ball felt a lot more "floaty", but it almost seems like they're a little too easy to come by now. To be fair, I haven't played on top player yet, so maybe that changes things.

Now on to presentation. Yes, the franchise is known more for what's under the hood than what meets the eye, but still, the animation and graphics are getting a little stale -- especially compared to that other game. This, of course, won't break the game, but it's still something worth pointing out.

And please, for the love of God, Konami, can you at least give us the option to skip the almost feature length promo movie upon our eigth viewing?

Jayson Young: The FIFA 12 demo sure is pretty, but I love that PES 2012 actually features intelligent AI which forces teams to build their attack gradually instead of abusing than the old turbo down the wings and crossing volley strategy that's plagued soccer games for years now.

PES 2012's AI's defending almost seems too good at times compared to the limited user control on defense. The slide tackle and standing tackle buttons are dreaded dice rolls where the player briefly loses control and sweats it out for a few seconds while the game consults Paul the Octopus on which animation to randomly pick. Konami's PES series is really starting to fall behind FIFA in the areas of defensive control and player contact. 

PES 2012's jerky, zig-zaggy running also looks years behind FIFA's movement engine, which undermines PES' life-like head shots of stars like Bayern Munich's Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger whenever the camera zooms in on replays.

This may be a year where soccer fans want to pick both Konami's and EA's games, as based on these demos, each offering is going to be a high quality title with unique strengths and weaknesses. FIFA 12 looks like it has the edge in presentation, animations and online play, while PES 2012 offers smoother passing, smarter AI and a style of play that's less about individual skill and more about team soccer.

Caley: The first thing I noticed about the PES demo was how weighty the passing game felt. I'm not sure if it's due to the physics or animations, but passing seems spot on, at least in terms of heft and weight of the ball. It seems to decelerate and roll at just the right pace.

I also loved the how reactive passing feels; rarely did I push the ball to the wrong man or feel like the AI cheaply read my pass. This ease may disappear as the difficulty is increased, but on default it was extremely responsive.

On the other hand, the responsive passing and quick pace of the game made it feel a little too "pin-bally" at times. I think a slower setting would ramp up the tactical elements of the game, and showcase what seems to be terrific AI.

Graphically, it looks a little muddy, especially on the replays. I think the player faces look good enough, but they have a little of that "dead-eye" going on. 

I'll agree with Jayson in saying that defense is hit or miss, and that the controls didn't seem as intuitive as FIFA. I'll also agree that PES 2012 is a game to keep an eye on, especially if you've stuck with FIFA out of habit.