PES 2014 Ready To Kick Off New Season On September 24

The status of soccer (or football, depending on where you’re reading this) as the world’s most popular sport means that it can support two video game franchises. The “FIFA” and “Pro Evolution Soccer” series have been battling it out for years, and this fall, they’re going head to head on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 beginning on the very same day.

Konami announced this week that “PES 2014” will launch on September 24 in North and South America, the same date that EA Sports’ “FIFA 14” was already scheduled to arrive. This isn’t unusual, as the two games also hit stores at the same time last year.

“PES” is bringing something new to the battle this season in the form of its own version of the Fox Engine. Created by Kojima Productions for cross-platform game development, the engine is being credited for amping up the game’s graphical fluidity and improving things like collision detection and other in-game mechanics.

Other gameplay improvements include the M.A.S.S. system for player animations (especially when simulating… um, I mean, actually getting fouled), Combination Play elements that affect how three or more players work together in certain areas of the pitch, and a “Heart” factor that measures each player’s mental makeup. As usual, “PES” carries the prestigious UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League licenses, while adding the AFC Champions League for the first time.

So as Black Sheep once famously said, the choice is yours: you can get with “PES,” or you can get with “FIFA.” Or you can just buy them both on the last Tuesday in September.