“Catastrophic”. “One of the worst games in history”. The least we can say is that Internet users are not kind on social networks. Released this Thursday by Konami, “eFootball 2022”, the latest addition to the franchise previously called Pro Evolution Soccer is unanimous … against him. Completely failed graphics and many bugs are blamed on the eve of the release by the American Electronic Arts of Fifa 2022, its major competitor since 1995.
This new livery was to “mark a new era of virtual football” according to its Japanese publisher, who took a turn by distributing it in free access (“free to play”), especially on new generation consoles, and soon on smartphones. Beyond the graphics, a multitude of failures have been detected in the very animation of the game.
There is only one game mode and only nine clubs available. Players pass through during contact. During the Portuguese anthem, some have become … transparent, while others appear to be ice skating on the grass. In short, we understand the disappointment of regulars, who were quick to release their feelings on social networks. Difficult indeed to recognize the slightest resemblance with the stars of the round ball, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Raphaël Varane. Affected players will appreciate …
“It seems that Konami released the game without even making sure that even basic quality criteria were met,” said AFP Serkan Toto, of analysis firm Kantan Games in Tokyo. I tried it and it really is a parody of a soccer game. He’s so grotesque, his gameplay is so excruciatingly bad, that I think everyone at Konami knew it wouldn’t work. If you want to fight Fifa, you can’t present a product like that. It’s like offering a McDonald’s menu and trying to compete with a Michelin-starred restaurant ”.
Still according to Mr. Toto, who is no longer a joke, the choice to switch to the free model was however a good decision, because “in recent years Fifa had much more success” and Konami “needed to do something radical thing ”.
Despite a bad start (9% positive opinions on the Steam platform), eFootball could nevertheless turn into success, thinks on the contrary David Gibson, of the consulting firm Astris Advisory: “There is a lot to correct, but this ‘is repairable. But we’re going to have to make some tough decisions, ”such as“ temporarily withdrawing the game ”for“ six to twelve months ”. “We accept (the comments) that we have received and we will try to make improvements,” responded the Japanese group in a statement released Friday.
