Another new feature in eFootball PES 2020 is “Matchday,” a mode that lets players choose their favorite team and synchronize games to the schedule from professional leagues. This is similar to FIFA’s Match Day Live, which is also designed to make the game feel more in-line with what’s happening out in the real world. For instance, if Manchester United and Arsenal are playing each other one week and you play with either team and win, your points will be added to the total from PES 2020 online community, particularly those who are fans of the same club as you.

The goal with Matchday is for you to help your favorite team win as much as possible in PES 2020, so that it can be at the top of the standings and, of course, give you bragging rights over your friends.

“Edgarito” in “Become a Legend.”

My favorite mode in PES 2020, though, is “Become a Legend.” It’s not new to this year’s game, but it’s still a perfect way to pass the time and enjoy playing with and against teams you wouldn’t choose on a regular basis. Become a Legend, in case you haven’t played it before, lets you create your own player and pretend to live the career of a footballer. The player I created isn’t very good (yet), and the team I ended up on is one of Italy’s worst (Cagliari), but that’s why I like it: because it makes you have to keep playing to make him and your team better, since in the early years of your career you’re far from being a star.

I do wish Become a Legend was as realistic and cinematic as FIFA’s “The Journey” mode, since it would make it more fun to have a story that forces you to make every-day life decisions. That said, you do see Ronaldo make a cameo sporadically, even if you can’t have your made-up player interact with him.

All in all, I have to give it to Konami for not giving up on Pro Evolution Soccer after the disappointment of losing the Champions League rights in 2018. The company could’ve easily let the game go in a downward spiral back then but, instead, it has kept working to make the game better for fans who have loved it despite its shortcomings over the years. eFootball PES 2020, isn’t perfect by any means, but at the very least, it’s a sign that the franchise is alive and well. Now we wait to see if FIFA 20 is really as great as it promising to be.

For starters, Konami has finally listened to players’ feedback and redesigned its entire menu system, making it more modern and easier to browse. If you’ve been playing PES for a while, you know how tedious and cumbersome the menus have been. Konami says it has enhanced its lighting engine, too, which will make stadiums, fans and players seem more realistic than ever before. The company says it spent a lot of time getting 3D scans of players, so that physical attributes like tattoos, hair and body movements better match those of players in the real world.

With additional animations, attack players can now push off defenders, while the grass on the field can appear longer or shorter depending on the stadium you play in. There are also new cameras that bring a broadcast feel to matches, which is part of Konami’s effort to “beautify” the game.

Here at E3 2019, I got to play a couple of matches in eFootball PES 2020 and instantly realized how much the graphics have improved compared to PES 2019. I would go as far as to say they’re on par with those from FIFA 20, which is usually the gold standard for soccer (er, football) games. Stadium’s like FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou just pop, thanks to visual that make it hard to figure it out if you’re looking at a video game render or a TV broadcast.

As far as gameplay goes, it didn’t take me long to notice the improved passing, shooting and one-touch controls, which Konami says now take into account more of the physics of the ball. And if you’re a defender, you’ll get new ways to go after attackers, including additional slide tackle animations, more ways to head the ball and, wait for it, an option to commit an intentional foul. The latter is going to come in handy when your only option is to foul an attacking player, but just be ready for a yellow or red card from the referee, since you’ll be taking one for the team.

While I only played kick-off, Konami does have an all-new mode called “Matchday,” which will link the game to the schedule from professional leagues and let you play with your favorite team during rivalries and other big matches. If you play with FC Barcelona and win, for instance, those points will be added to to the total from the online community who are also fans of the same time. The goal is to win as much as possible and help your favorite team be at the top of the standings.

eFootball PES 2020 seems like a fresh start for Konami, and that’s a great sign for fans of the franchise. The game will be arriving on September 10th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam, with pre-orders available now. If you get the Standard Edition, you’ll get Lionel Messi on the cover, while the Legends Edition (which is digital only) features Brazilian icon Ronaldinho, who’s going to be a playable character in the game.