Me like Pro Evo 5. (Pro Evolution Soccer 5 (PS2))

Member Name: eggerman

Product:	Pro Evolution Soccer 5 (PS2)
Date:	23/04/06 (667 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice gameplay, various options add to longevity

Disadvantages: Dodgy commentary, pathetic crowd

Professional Evolution Soccer 5 producer Shingo Takatsuka puts in a lovely left-footed corner, and is headed past the keeper by Konami to win the Great Football Game trophy.

Pro Evo 5 somehow manages to bring life into the tiresome football genre. I am a huge fan of everything football related, and understand how hard it must be to outdo today's games, but the football format seemed to have been worked to death. Competition between FIFA and Pro Evo became predictable, but it did force the makers to do the best they could, and here it worked.
Having only played one FIFA game, I choose not to compare the two because its just not right.

GAMEPLAY:
Similar to that of Pro Evo 4 and many other current football games, but a little more refined. Players now have unexpected abilities, and I like the idea of being able to keep the ball in play as it reaches the line, even if you do lose possession afterwards. Also, as Pro Evo was one of the first games to master the technique of player confrontation (one-on-ones etc) then it is a nice touch to add the extra footwork skills, dummies, stepovers and such. Also I think the set difficulties are perfect.
You may get frustrated but the final score line is very similar to what you would expect should the teams play each other today. My only complaint is the referee. Not only can you get booked for a simple shoulder barge, but the offside rule is never missed, and the late flagging (although realistic) is very annoying.
Also, Master League mode (although it will hog your memory card)enhances your playing experience and opens up a whole club management system which is scarily addictive.

GRAPHICS:
Pro Evo has never been praised for its realistic graphics, but you certainly cannot fault it. Almost all of the players look very similar facially as they do in real life. The points that need touching up are the crowd (very 2D and lifeless) and the captains hands as they cant quite grasp whatever cup you win because of their varying size. Not perfect, but definitely not a problem.

SOUND:
The traditional Pro Evo music is its usual standard. Monotonous and a little cheesey, but again it can be overlooked. The crowd noises in the game are rather effective, but the commentary leaves a lot to be desired. Trevor Brooking and Peter Brackley contradict each other, and lose the mark completely when you go more than 5 goals ahead. Where's Peter Drury when you need him?

CONFIGURATION:
The buttons are the same as any other football game today, but that's a good thing, as there is no need to change it. Plus the added skills and moves you can learn from reading the manual come in very handy and make you look very professional when you play.

LIFESPAN:
As with all football games, there is no beginning and end. You pick up and play when you want to, and use the options and difficulties to challenge yourself. Also, the player development system shows you how each person progresses as they play, and this affects their future in your first team lineup.

OVERALL:
This game does more than enough. The sound lets it down the most, but you can laugh at it and move on. The lengths you can now go to with creating your own teams are phenomenal. I spent hours making my own players, flags, kits etc and the novelty never wears off as you can practically draw the images you want on them. If you can put up with Trevor and Peter's incessant ranting then its well worth a go.

Summary: Play it with you iPod on