First it’s worth mentioning this review has a number of advantages over those which were out for the time of this game's European release. Pro Evolution Soccer has received two very important patches since then; we are now on version 1.2 of the game, so your wait hasn’t been entirely in vain. These patches, as we shall see, do significantly improve the game's performance.
Soccer is increasingly making its impact felt in the US, partly helped by the arrival of one of the sport's biggest stars, David Beckham, to the LA Galaxy. Hopefully this will lead to increased sales of this game, as for any soccer fan, this is not to be missed. For those new to soccer games, there are two main competing franchises, Pro Evolution and FIFA. Pro Evolution has generally yielded superior gameplay, while FIFA holds the official licenses. It is for this reason that the Pro Evolution series is generally seen as a cut above FIFA.
For those experienced with the series, the game itself is the Pro Evolution which we all know and love. It plays very similar to its previous incarnations, but don’t worry, that’s a good thing. Those who are veterans to the series will have no trouble just jumping straight in, as for those who are new, the controls are easy enough to grasp in little time. A range of difficulty settings mean you should have no problems finding your feet. There are several new features that have been implemented; perhaps the biggest is the ability to copy many of your favorite players and to take a dive. This ability however, is only used very rarely, the reason for this is that you are more likely to be punished and shown a yellow card.
The Master League mode is back and works a treat. This alone can keep you gripped for many hours and, features that ‘gotta play just one more game’ mentality. There is also a variety of other tournaments and trophies to battle out for and to win. This game shouldn’t become as easy as it did in previous Pro Evolution titles, as in this one the teams you play will change their tactics and strategies, to best counter your style of play. No longer can you find a formation that works and just rely on it throughout the whole season.
Get up already!
Multi-player is where this game really shines. Offline at least. Four-player Pro Evolution games have for a long time been a staple of many a gamer's multi-player script. And it's just as much fun as before, yelling at your two opposition players, as well as your team-mate, and acting like a child whenever a goal is scored. Online however, is a bit of a different story. Before the recent updates, lag was a significant issue online, with the ball randomly jumping around. Additionally if you want to play this game online then do not by this second hand. You have to enter a code to register, however the code only works once, and you are in a sticky situation if your code has already been used.
The graphics for this game are a mixed bag. The menus, players and stadiums all look good; suitably next gen. However their attempt to animate the crowd, while a commendable objective, did not go according to plan. They all move etc, but don’t actually look that good; what’s more they contribute to some significant slowdown. Or at least it was significant before the patches, occurring in single player; more frequently during multiplayer. Especially when you were in the box the frame rate would really suffer. The developers could have help this, by removing stadium effects, commentary etc, but they shouldn’t need to. The replays were, and to a lesser extent still are, just unwatchable, some of the worst frame-rate issues seen in a game, regardless to say I skip them every time. The patches have really helped on this; slow down in-game is almost non-existent...pity the same can’t be said for the replays.
Nice stadium, just wish there were a few more.
Also it’s a shame the patches could do nothing about the game's music. This has never been one of its strong points, but this year is particularly bad. It’s just a relief they only play the music while you’re at the menus and not actually during the game. The commentary, on the other hand, is well done, improved from previous versions in the quantity and quality of what is said.
There are a few extra little niggles, the lack of stadiums as well as some extra unlockables wouldn’t have gone amiss, neither would extra licensed teams. PES does give you the option of installing a few gigabytes of data on your hard drive; this is recommended. It improves loading times and generally offers a smoother experience. Despite the issues raised, this game still provides a great game of soccer. No matter if you're new to the sport or experienced, there is a lot of fun to be had.
Final Score - 80%
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