Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS2))

Member Name: adamp111

Product:	Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS2)
Date:	12/05/09 (4 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent gameplay, solid multiplayer mode.

Disadvantages: Poor singleplayer and career modes, lack of licenses.

Attempting to answer the most long running of all football game questions is no easy task, and it is a task that is getting more and more difficult. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 is an improvement on 2007, but is still hindered by the flaws that have plagued the series from start to finish.

To start on a positive note, the game play is excellent, and in my opinion is the one key area in which it completely outshines the FIFA series. Dribbling is accurate, but not unrealistically so, passing is precise, but not unrealistically so, and shooting is good, but not unrealistically so. The realism of the game play is Pro Evolution Soccer's strongest feature, and since we buy football games to play, this is a reason to buy the game in itself.

Reasons not to buy the game aren't exactly scarce either; the single player season mode is awful when compared with FIFA; partly because Pro Evo don't have the proper licenses for all the clubs, and partly because it's not as well thought out and not as tried and tested as the management aspect of FIFA. Similarly, cup modes and training modes are much more confusing and much less diverse than their FIFA counterparts.

In sum, the game play is excellent, and if all you want out of a football game is good game play for multi-player entertainment, then Pro Evo is a good choice. However, if you're likely to spend most of your time wanting to have a career on the game and playing solo, then Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 is not for you.

Summary: An excellent party game with a good multiplayer mode, but with a poor singleplayer element.