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(Image: KONAMI)

It's a big year for PES 2018, as Konami once again hope to close the gap, if not overtake EA Sports and FIFA 18 as the dominant footballing force once again on PS4 and Xbox One.

“PES 2018 is a title that finds the series at the very top of its game,” commented Masami Saso, President of Konami Digital Entertainment B.V.

“It is a game that builds on the foundations of the resurgent series and has taken on board requests from our growing fan base.

"It is also a game with an eye on the future. As eSports continue to develop as a worldwide force, PES 2018’s inclusion of a dedicated PES LEAGUE mode removes any barrier to entry to die-hard fans and newcomers alike.

"KONAMI is committed to breaking new ground with the PES series, and PES 2018 sees us enter the field more confident and determined to excel than ever.”

There's a lot of exciting changes planned for Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, so without further ado, here are SEVEN ways in which Konami and PES 2018 intends to not only step up their game, but take down EA Sports and FIFA once and for all.

We'll start with an obvious one and that's the news that Konami has promised to improve the gameplay once again.

Despite being pretty superb in PES 2017, Konami say they've once again "finely tuned and refined" the game to recreate the authenticity of the beautiful game, including a more realistic game speed.

They also claim that a new "Strategic Dribbling" will give the user "significantly more control in possession, with the addition of contextual shielding to protect the ball, as well as simple stick controls triggering realistic, subtle movements to wrong foot defenders."

Last year's 'Real Touch' feature is now touted as 'Real Touch+' with Konami saying they've added a "new dimension to ball control", with full body touch allowing various parts of the body to control the ball based on the unpredictability of the ball movement.

Last but by no means least, there's also been a reworking of the game's set pieces, specifically a new Free Kick and Penalty Kick system, alongside the option to choose the new one player kick off.

PES 2018 (PS4)

PES 2018 (PS4)

Another big improvement coming to PES 2018, is more realistic visuals to recreate the "authenticity of football".

Konami says that the benefits include: "true-to-life stadium lighting for day and night matches, pitch turfs and player tunnels that were recreated from more than 20,000 intricate elements of genuine data that was collected at the Camp Nou and Signal Iduna Park."

In additions, players have been motion captured in equally realistic environments, which means a complete rework of the animation system, starting with core movement such as walking, turning and body posture.

What's more, player models have been completely changed, with special attention paid to kit fitting and short size, not to mention ensuring certain players have been photo scanned to include full body tattoos.

PES 2018 has a new online mode dedicated to 2v2 and 3v3 co-op play, with support for local guests. You can play together with friends, take your team to the top or simply have some fun via one-off casual matches.

The fan favourite RANDOM SELECTION MATCH returns which will be sweet music to the ears of longtime fans of the series. Plus, Master League has been improved with pre-season tournaments, an improved transfer system and new presentation elements, including pre-match interviews and locker room scenes.

To keep the new entry in the series looking as fresh as possible, Konami has introduced a new UI for all menus and real player images for gameplan screen and myClub. Not to mention, a new in-game presentation giving the game a slick broadcast feel.

Players can now compete in PES League in new modes including myClub, RANDOM SELECTION MATCH and Online co-op. Making an already great e-Sports organisation even better.

The games PC Steam version has undergone some substantial enhancements in graphics and content, so now the game will match up to the quality standards of consoles and ensure parity across all current-gen platforms.