Title: Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
Platform: Multi
Platform Reviewed: 360
Developer:
Konami
Publisher:
Konami
MSRP:$59.99 £49.99 €57.35
Writer: Gordon
'vivalahazy' Hay
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 Review
Can PES regain its form and return to the top of the league?
Pro Evolution Soccer was seen as the football game for true fans, with better realism and a better game engine. Well, that was the case a few years ago but since the jump to the current gen platforms PES has struggled, since PES6 it has failed to improve on the things we once loved about the beautiful game and its main rival FIFA has stolen a massive march on it.
There were high expectations for the new PES as there had been interviews where 'Seabass' Takatsuka had admitted that the game needed to be rebuilt and we were all anxious to see what had been created. Sadly though the game does not live up to the expectations that its predecessors once set, though the game is an improvement over the last two instalments.
The game itself is presented very well, everything you expect from the PES series is there from the Exhibition matches to the Master League and once again the game has the UEFA Champions League license so you can play all your club exhibition matches with the Champions League visuals which makes all the difference.
Since the next gen jump PES visuals have been commented on time and again with most people saying they lag well behind the other games out there. This year they are leaps and bounds ahead. This is best looking soccer game out there, all the major players in the world are the spitting image of their real life counter parts and the licensed teams strips are spot on. Also, the presentation of the game is much improved, as I said earlier on if you play a Champions League exhibition match you're are treated to the full entrance that you’d expect from the games you see on a Tuesday and Wednesday night, theme music and hand shakes are all included.
The gameplay itself has improved over 2009, like FIFA the game has introduced full 360 control and it works better here than in FIFA. Overall however game play still lacks. The passing movement seems jumpy at times and it doesn’t seem to flow as well as it should. A lot of times I would pass and the player wouldn’t take it in his stride. Now I would expect this from playing as a lower rated player but this was happening with most, if not all the players.
One of the major things for this year was Teamvision 2.0 which would offer better player movement in your own team and better defensive play from the other. Takatsuka said in an interview with GamesTM that rather than make the better players worse he would improve the defensive players. From playing I can’t see any example of this working, if you go any fast paced player, and I mean not just your Ronaldos, you will waltz by the defence whether its down the wing or through the middle and it’s the same when you’re defending, the attackers just brush by you. It seems like the game could do with a FIFA style jostling system to make the games more balanced. Scoring a goal though in PES still remains once of the best things in gaming. No matter what kind of goal you score it just feels more real than FIFA and with shooting “improved” from last year balls will be hitting the net from all lengths. I say “improved” though because practically every shot is perfect. In last year's game there was few times I scored from outside the box but this year most of my goals are Steven Gerrard trademark screamers.
The Master League has also had an improvement and has seen the Champions League and Europa League placed in the fixture calendar which adds a little bit of realism to your season. Player interaction is much improved in the new version too and it seems to have borrowed a few tricks from the Football Manager season. If you sign a big name player and don’t play him all the time he’ll waste no time in letting you know he’s not happy and in the team view you’ll see a little angry face icon beside his name. This is easily sorted though by just playing him for a couple of games and he’ll soon return to being as happy as a soccer player could be. Transfers are different too now as you send your negotiator to speak to a team before you’re allowed to make a bid which isgood in the way that it stops you from buying all the best players straight away and gives you a reason to play for a few seasons at least.
Of course though PES still has the problems it has always had, it still lacks full Spanish and English league licenses and unless you will to go into the edit mode and spend a good few hours in there you still be playing again the likes of North London and Man Blue during the season. Now this wasn’t an issue when FIFA was miles behind but now that it’s in the position it’s in you just can’t help but feel that it’s tacky and cheap. Don’t get me wrong - there are dedicated fans out here who’ll put save files out there for you to download and it can be easily added to the PS3 version but the 360 owners will have to look at an Xplorer HDD dock which can be temperamental and tricky to use.
Even though the game itself has improved over its effort from last year it’s still behind the main competition in all areas apart from visuals which is ironic to say the least considering what people used to say about the PES vs FIFA war. Saying that though PES 2010 is not a bad game, it’s enjoyable and fun to play with your friends as its end to end action for the full 90 mins and most games will end up being high scoring. Decent, just no longer at the top of the table.
Score: 3 out of 5
The Good- Player visuals are unmatched.
- Really enjoyable when playing with friends.
The Bad- The play just doesn't flow.
- Too easy to run through the opposition defense.
- Teamvision 2.0 adds nothing
The Ugly- The lack of license is starting to look tacky.
