Well, here we go again with the annual footy-based dust up, the annual play-off between Konami and EA’s football (or soccer if you really must) games. Last year saw a distinct change in the footy game landscape; after years of worthy attempts FIFA really done good, and a lot of people thought it may have even shaded PES 2008, if only after extra time.
This year FIFA arrived early and turned out to be another cracker, so what of PES, can it steady its wobbling crown?
I didn’t intend it to be, but as I’ve been playing FIFA 09 for a couple of weeks this is going to turn out to be one of those 'comparison' reviews – not something I've done before but then, I’ve never really considered FIFA as serious competition to PES. Well, at first glance nothing much has changed. The presentation and menus look a little more modern, but still manage to look cheap and out of date compared to FIFA’s, and there are some easy-to-use options for management, and an all-new “Become A Legend” mode, which is a real indicator that Konami are taking FIFA seriously, as it’s about as blatant a copy of the EA game’s ‘Be a Pro’ mode as they dare. The real difference is that this is a brave attempt at what can only be described as a 'FRPG' (Footy Role Playing Game); you make up your custom character, starting out as a youngster in the reserves, and play as just one player in the team, earning Exp. (experience points) in practice matches, and hopefully earning transfers to better clubs and working your way into the first team squad as a substitute, and eventually as a regular.
An entirely new ‘player cam’ puts you right down on the pitch (similar to Libero Grande all those years ago), and the camera stays aimed at the ball at all times. This takes a bit of getting used to but I found it highly immersive, admittedly after a lengthy acclimatisation period. You can also take your alter ego online - only with 3 other “real” players at present, which doesn’t compare well to FIFA’s 10 Vs.10, but this is an entirely new string to PES’s bow, and I have to say I quite like it. It also seems to suffer from less lag problems than past Pro Evos online, but it’s yet another game that suffers from the common PS3 online game problem: not enough players have headsets. Games that include all the real players’ exclamations and banter are roughly 20 zillion times more fun than games with just the sound FX for company.
New features and borrowed ideas aside, nothing much has changed, off or on the pitch. The game plays in much the same convincing way as it has for several years now. There’s a new ‘vertical’ camera (you play ‘up’ the pitch and the camera zooms in on the action as you near goal), and there are a few new animations (players plead their innocence and help some opponents to their feet), referee’s assistants are present and correct, tackling seems to be a tad more do-able and joyfully there’s noticeably less tendency for the referees to send you off for your first rash challenge. Generally, player movement is as intelligent/daft as ever at the extremes, but the slightly stilted way they perform many of their animations doesn’t compare well to the visually impressive FIFA 09, which looks slicker than a greasy weasel if you run it alongside this. The AI routines are certainly a match for FIFA but you’ll also still get the occasional player sticking to his position when he should clearly have become involved in a move or at least been attracted to the ball. You don't want every player running after the ball like a bunch of hyperactive schoolboys, but players ignoring a ball they should clearly have moved towards is a regular frustration with the game.
But let's get to the point, PES still plays a darned fine game of football, players seem to make more intelligent runs than FIFA, hold their positions better, and games seem to have just as much if not more excitement than ever before. There is still nothing quite like scoring a well-crafted PES goal, even if the freedom of movement (you still seem to be stuck with the 8 compass directions) and passing seems limited in comparison to FIFA’s. Some moves and passes still seem pre-determined, and I’d say that the AI seems to interfere a lot more in PES than in FIFA - both for the good and for the bad - and that’s the first time I can remember that being the case, but I’d still say this plays better than last year’s game. The same old problems arise with passing; namely passes that are directed to the wrong player, and ‘remembered’ button presses meaning that sometimes a player will pass when you wanted him to hold on to the ball. Free kicks, penalties and throw-ins retain the same old PES problems, and I’m fed up with hearing from guys who “can score a free kick from 25 yards every time – it just takes lots of practice”. The fact is that free kicks are still soul- destroyingly hard to master, penalties rarely seem to go where you aim them, and throw ins feel like some sort of weird, preset move where you can either throw it to your nearest player or throw it to the opposing team, there’s no finesse or dynamic movement whatsoever. It does seem easier to score from corners this year, and goalkeepers seem to make more half-saves and make more mistakes than before – all good improvements.
PES 2009 certainly moves at a decent rate, the game plays at a brisk, roughly 1.5x “real life” pace and that’s about right for a good, arcadey game of football in my opinion. As usual I dived straight into a new Master League (it’s been given a few tweaks in the transfers department, and players' loyalty and moods now affect their performance on the pitch) and I noticed that players genuinely do seem to exhibit more of their real life characteristics than before, so a small, nippy forward will actually be able to run by a big, oafish centre back now, even when his ratings are relatively low. Skillful players will also spend less time rubbing their ankles as Ronaldinho, Ronaldo et al seem to be able to dance away from AI player’s tackles more often too. You can use the D-pad and analogue stick to perform contextual tricks and feints within a players run, these can add up some remarkable looking mazey runs with timing, and lots of practice.
Cosmetically PES doesn’t fair well against FIFA, player likenesses are plastic (like bad waxworks) and rough around the edges, and the pitches, crowds and & stadiums (there are 19 this year, including Wembley) don’t look very nice either, there’s a distinctly last-gen look to the game, and it seems strange that there's no Old Trafford or Anfield despite both Man United and Liverpool being featured licenced teams. The ball movement is as good as ever though, and feels a little heavier than FIFA’s. Personally if I could have PES’s ball physics with FIFA’s movement and looks I’d be completely happy.
PES has the UEFA Champions League licence this year, but quite what that means I don’t know. As I said, Manchester United and Liverpool are licenced but Arsenal and Chelsea are ‘North London’ and ‘London FC’ respectively. Oh dear. Spanish, Italian and Dutch (FIFA doesn’t have any Dutch clubs or players) sides seem to be authentic, as are most player names, and all of the other Premier League clubs still have the PES-standard silly names. The squads seem to have been compiled some time in mid-September as whilst Robbie Keane is happily ensconced at Liverpool, poor old Dimitar Berbatov is still at Tottenham (whoops, I mean North East London) and Robinho is still a relatively penniless Real Madrid reserve.
The sound is pretty good, although some crowd reactions don't match the action. The game probably sounds its most realistic when you're playing a reserve game with no crowd, with little more than the players yelling for a pass, and screaming like babies when they get fouled. The music is ok, but the instrumental tracks that play during replays and highlights are typically PES-awful. Commentators Jon Champion and Mark Lawrenson babble away as you’d expect, but they just aren’t in the same league as FIFA's Martin Tyler and Andy Gray, so that probably loses PES another half point.
Even as a long-time PES fan it’s impossible to say that 2009’s game is as good as this year’s FIFA, after a lengthy battle I’d have to say that the EA’s Canadian team has taken the lead. PES continues to improve subtly in areas other than aesthetics, but even with the Champions League licence and a detailed new ‘Become a Legend’ mode, it just doesn't have the edge any more. Maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board both literally and figuratively, it's either that or face up to life as the second best footy game around - and I really can't see Konami settling for that.
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