Sheer PS2 Evolution (Pro Evolution Soccer (PS2))

Member Name: Jack Boat

Product:	Pro Evolution Soccer (PS2)
Date:	11/01/02 (469 review reads)
Rating:

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Way back when the universe was created a lot of irrelevant matter was created: Quills, Cassette tapes and the Sega Saturn are examples of this. However in all this insignificant matter there was some of it that was at least slightly useful: the wheel, fire and water being examples of this. Its also seems that two games in particular also date from this era of the worlds creation – FIFA and ISS. These two franchises have been at each others throats for the entire lifetime of the PlayStation and even into the Dark ages of the SNES. ISS was, and still is, the serious choice. For fans who wanted to score in the first five minutes then watch their mate’s futile attempts and breaking the 5-4-1 formation then maybe sneaking a counter attack goal late in the game just to rub it in. FIFA, meanwhile, has become the land of 40yard headed supergoals, Blackburn trouncing Man Utd 7-0 and beating 9 players followed by a rainbow flick over the keepers head – with Steve Bruce. Of course there have been other games come along over the years but none have ever challenged these two super weights. FIFA vs. ISS. EA vs. Konami. Arcade vs. Simulation. Good vs Evil?

For the latest Christmas reincarnation Konami’s ISS has been overhauled in every department. The most noticeable is the new format, the almighty PS2, and the change of name to Pro Evolution Soccer. Don’t let the name fool you into thinking that this is not the well known ISS – it is, just not by name. Konami have released an ISS game on the PS2 at the launch of the console over a whole year ago but it was not the true ISS as it was developed by KCEO and not the tactical wonders of KCET. I have nothing against the other PS2 ISS – up until recently it was undoubtedly the best football game available on the console. Returning to form is the “traditional” ISS we all know and love – or is it?

GRAPHICS

The menus for PES are exactly what we have come
to expect from the series – functional but nothing special. Whereas the FIFA menus are usually all flash looking and have music supplied by “proper” bands, the greater of the football games relies on exactly that – football. Menus in PES do the job they are there for: to be easy to use and get to grips with. However, the best graphical moments of the game are, yes you guessed, in game. After the original loading has taken place you are treated to all the pre-match rituals which are always going on in international matches. Players line up in amazing fashion and then have a team photograph accompanied by a TV programme line up – this is where the infamous Terry Butcher is introduced (more about him later). As the game kicks off you’ll notice the way players move and react to tackles and other knocks are all accurate. Attempt a long shot that rises into a defenders upper body and he’ll spin round just as a real player would (no blood though). As a result of the FIFPro licence the game can include real player names and, wait for it, player likenesses. This means that the likes of Beckham, Gerrard, Zidane and Davids can all be recreated in full PES digital glory. The scary thing is that you can actually pick these players out from a crowd they are that good. The only graphical in game place that graphics could be slightly improved is the look of the crowd and stewards. These are looking slightly like the good ol’ “cut out” that have plagued games for years now. However you won’t really notice this once a game is going. To top it all off the fans still do the one thing that only happens in ISS games – wave huge national flags behind the goals...

SOUND

OH. MY. GOD. If there is one definite thing that could be improved about the undoubted best football ever then sound is that factor. The crowd sounds do the job as they react to incidents in the game (goals, bookings, close chances)
but the commentary is where it all goes horribly wrong. Only Mr PES himself knows how Clive James keeps employment and any sort of association with a game of this stature – the phrase “talent less Muppet” springs to mind. The actual phrases are annoying enough but to make it even worse the timing of the commentary is often very late especially it seems after things like chances on goal. The sound effects however do begin to redeem some of this bad doing and the noise of a ball smacking the post is a brilliant – except when it’s you hitting the post when you’re desperately seeking a goal in the 93rd minute to earn the draw! Overall the effects and crowd noises do exactly what they need to for the games purposes. However the commentary is the big falling point and this has always been the case with the ISS games. FIFA has always had real player names and good solid commentary while ISS fans are relegated to second grade commentators and dodgy names. The problem with the commentary can be redeemed a little by the player names option in the game but this simply nudges the standard towards average. The best bet for this is to turn commentary off completely and either: listen to just the sounds effects, listen to music or the radio or (and the funniest) you and/or your mates can do your own commentary to the game – kind of like FanZone on Sky Sports Extra football.

LIFESPAN

This is probably one of the areas that PES shows its class in most. Being a true ISS game there are no “score every time,” style cheats and the like that appear in nearly every FIFA ever created. I have been playing this game religiously for just over a month now and have never been involved in two games the same. Some games you’ll score first and coast to an easy victory, other games you’ll be surprised to go one down and have to play 2-3-5 in a desperate attempt to score those vital 2 goals to get you a much needed wi
n. The actual matches have great variation in them – as do the teams and skill levels featured in the game. Still find skill level 5 no challenge at all? Try skill level 5, Wales, without key players, playing against France with all players present, totally fit and wanting a good victory. If you can do that it must be nearly time for next year’s instalment to be due out – inevitably with new features and the like. In short: this game will last a very long time.

GAMEPLAY

If you’ve read this review down to here rather than just skim reading sections you want to read you’ll know what sort of things I’m going to say here. The game play of PES is absolutely first class, amazing, formidable, excellent, staggering (insert superlatives here). Do you want to know why this game is so good? Well, firstly there’s the tactical influence on the game. It exists this dominantly on no other game ever created. If three players are put in centre midfield they play there rather than drifting around wherever they fancy. The tactical game brings with it an edge to the game to make you think on your feet – and you will be on your feet I guarantee. I’m not sure how PES develops that feeling of excitement that other football games simply don’t. Its on a par with needing to beat a bot to that last kill in TimeSplitters, previously unexplored areas in Resident Evil – PES manages to recreate this kind of suspense every minute of every game. The actual controls and everything work but can be slightly frustrating in that actions such as pass and shoot are not carried out till the player next touches the ball – but then even the best players in the world can’t shoot mid-stride. The wonderful thing about this game is that an expert may come a cropper when faced with a novice who has only grasped basic controls and tactics. It has been known to start with 5-4-1 with a lightening fast striker and simply
play big boot style counter attack for 90mins. This adds to the game where no game is ever won before 90mins have been played. Even against the computer you may triumph 3-0 away in Argentina then only just scrape a 1-1 draw against the footballing force of Morocco. The ball physics are exactly as you would expect. It has a beautiful way of not bouncing in obscene ways but simply moving at different paces and heights to keep (polygonal) players on their (polygonal) toes. The intelligence level of the players is impressive as players make decisions such as pass back to the keeper or “Row Z”.

ORIGINALITY

Originality? In a football game? Well actually, how many football games can you think off that go the way of tactical simulation over the FIFA arcade game? It’s not really that many once you get thinking. So football games are not an original idea at all, they’ve been around ever since the human population upgraded from Subbuteo. That does not mean the game is innovative at all though. Football has been done to death by developers. So surely PES scores lowly in this category? Hmmm well, you see the PES approach to football, whilst not being a first, is reasonably untried. How does this affect the score? It maybe ups it to average I think...

These factors, along with the general presentation of the game, make a very impressive football game and a worthy addition to anyone’s collection – football fan or not. PES will appeal to football fans and football virgins alike, but to get the most out of the “total football” side of the game you really need to be a football fan in order to be able to apply tactics and other necessary information. Walk into you local Game or Electronics Boutique and you’ll see Resident Evil, Gran Turismo 3 and Tony Hawks 3 taking the limelight. Pro Evolution Soccer won’t jump out with fancy advertising and high profile release. However you play it and try and sa
y it isn’t a good game – go on I dare you. Oh and when you get to the shop with 40 of yer English pounds in your pocket and can’t find it, it’s the one with all the journalism quotes on the front. “Undoubtedly the best footy game ever” yes it is. “It’s by far the greatest game the world has ever seen” Yeah this sounds like the level of praise I’m looking for.

For those of you who scroll down these reviews looking for a final score look here instead: Buy It Now!

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