FIFA or PES? PS3 or Xbox 360?

These are two vital (well not life or death, but close!) questions as we approach the autumn, and the annual releases of the latest in the FIFA and PES series' - FIFA 12 and PES 2012 repectively.  Fans of either will know - but for those who don't, FIFA 2012 is due for release 30th September 2011 and PES 2012 on a date to be confirmed in October 2011.

Before I continue, I better tell you not to expect me to preview either game.  That is not my job - particularly as there are many other people in the world employed to do so.  Google it, and also check out the vids by clicking on the links below:


http://youtu.be/Tk5gGjikJto

http://youtu.be/jsuyHyDhDaE

Moving on, and I'll be honest here - I have not actively played either FIFA or PES in the last three years at least - this may be because I've never owned an Xbox - and I first owned a PS3 in 2010!  I think that me getting together with my good lady at the start of 2008 was a contributory factor to my reduction in gameplaying (good impressions and all that!), and extended due to my addiction to Football Manager.

While I'm being honest I'll go even further and admit that I've never bought a FIFA game ever (the two copies in my possession technically belong to my brother).  Don't start thinking I'm a thief however, because I'm not - it's just that I've never been interested in FIFA, as I've been a ISS/PES guy since day one.

If you don't know what ISS is, it was the name of PES before PES was called PES. ISS stood for International Superstar Soccer and ISS was the 'western' name for Konami's 'Winning Eleven' series which despite the obvious lack of licences allowing competition, player and team names to be used (which has been improved nowadays), was miles better gameplay-wise than FIFA was back in the day.  Despite this FIFA was and is the biggest seller - a main reason for that I suspect to be the licences allowing real team, player and competition names to be used, and it's 'bigger-named' commentators.  I suppose if you were a football gamer you were either a FIFA guy or a PES guy (or girl - equal ops and all that!). I was a ISS/PES guy.  Check out my ISS/PES back catalogue in the pics below compared to 'my' FIFA collection.

Anyway, when the next Xbox 360 came out in 2006 and the PS3 in 2007 - I wasn't interested.  I was playing my part in some legendary battles on Pro Evolution Soccer 6 with my mates on the PS2.  What didn't help was hearing stories that FIFA was still poor, and the PES games on the next gen consoles were plagued with problems - I was best out of it I reckoned, rather than break my heart trying to flog a dead horse.

By all accounts PES has never really reached the gamplay levels of the pre-PS3 versions, although over the last couple of years I have heard about massive improvements in FIFA's gameplay, which has made me intrigued.  The only thing is that I have not had enough time to dedicate to learning the game (remembering I have never really played it) before I could bust some heads online.

However I'm gearing up for a gameplaying future (sorry babe!), and am looking to reach the levels I was at in my prime. Although I have a PS3, I haven't really embraced it, so my question for the gaming/football massive is...

FIFA or PES? which game is better - which should I invest my hard-earned in this Autumn?

PES or Xbox 360?  Which is better? Should I trade in my PS3 for an Xbox 360?

I'm looking for your views people, because I'm looking to join some online leagues - with a view to placing some results/banter here on 4menonabench.blogspot.com.  So add your usernames etc and I'll add ya, maybe set up a 4menonabench league or something like that.

By the way, have Sony sorted themselves out after being hacked into?