Pro Evo only fitting for the reserves (Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PS2))

Member Name: davey_26

Product:	Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PS2)
Date:	24/10/09 (40 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some good gameplay, be a legend mode

Disadvantages: Looks quite shabby now, same old engine, not many licensed teams

Konami seem to be in something of the doldrums at the moment because while the Pro Evolution soccer series has always sold very well, it seems to have recently lost a lot of ground to it's main competitor Fifa and so with this fresh new stronger challenge to it's title as the best football game, Konami release Pro Evolution 2009.

Since I had not even bothered with the previous effort from Konami, it was good to see that some new variation has been included in this game. Akin to Fifa there is now a Become A Legend Mode which will allow you to create your own football from scratch, customise his looks and his ability and progressing his ability as his attributes rise over the course of seasons.

Beyond this, we have much the same setup as before with a Master League, cup modes and it's variants and exhibition. Gameplay wise, the engine seems to have remained largely untouched which means that the game largely runs smoothly, intricate passing movements are more than catered for as well as the perfect cutting edge pass and finish.

Graphics wise, Pro's strength lies in their ability to create footballers who look very much like their real life counterparts albeit in a cartoony way. The graphics are not shabby, but there is nothing particularly visually impressive about them either. The animations now seem quite dated and largely outclassed by Fifa.

Unfortunately while this is quite a strong game, serious questions have to be raised against Konami once again, because when playing this game you get the distinct feeling of deja vu, nothing seems to have moved on and this now feels like a very cynical exercise in selling this on brand reputation only.

This is very disappointing because I think it will back fire on Konami. This is brought into further context when you consider that Konami also lacks all the fully licencsed teams and players names so it disappoints on authenticity gameplay and visuals.

If Konami don't wake up and smell the coffee soon, then it's going to be a never ending chase to play catch up to Fifa.

Summary: Unfortuntely nothing new here