Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 Review (Xbox 360)

Posted by Dan Watson on 11.08.2011

Find out if this game is a goal or if it just hits the cross bar.

Title: Pro Evolution Soccer 2012
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Winning Eleven Productions
Genre: Sports
Rating: E for Everyone
Players: 1-4

Pro Evolution Soccer has been the lesser known soccer title for quite some time. Normally, when someone asks which soccer game you are playing they assume FIFA. This game is not FIFA but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, in this situation it is almost a push as to which game is better. Pro Evolution Soccer has a few things it does really well and a few not so great things that happen as well. In the end it is probably best to dissect the game and look piece by piece at each category. I must say though, after playing the game briefly, I was ready to write this game off and give it a low rating. We will cover the learning curve but please, if you have played the game briefly, give it a true chance otherwise you may miss out on something great.

Gameplay

The gameplay in this game is very tough to get into at first. The thing that makes it easier though is before you even get into a game, the game tosses you into the tutorial. This makes for an easier introduction into the game, however, it does make it tough because the tutorial starts with Penalty Kick Shots basically and really how often are you standing still taking shots.

One of my hang-ups with this game is actually something that eventually became a positive. I had a major problem with my players leaving the general area they were supposed to be in to get to a man with the ball that I was covering. Then the guy would pass up and it gave the opponent many one on one situations which were hard to defend. Where it becomes a positive is that if you learn to force your opponent into the oncoming AI support, you can pick the ball off quickly and re-gain possession.



The AI is tough in this game. On easy, I got beat six to two and four to one. Offense is tough to get a grasp over and at times controls seem as if you aren’t doing anything and the AI has taken over. Eventually, you start to get the general control of it and things work out much better. One additional tip that I would toss to you is make sure you set some of the options up for yourself. One issue I ran into on the default settings was that my controlled player would switch automatically even though I was in pursuit of the ball carrier. Do whatever makes you comfortable, but I had to switch that setting to make life a bit easier.

Outside of just general quick games, there are a few different modes. You can play in a tournament as well as online against an opponent. There is also the new Football Life Modes. One of the modes is the ability to be a manager/owner of a team. This is a lot like franchise mode in Madden, however, it feels very empty and not inspiring at all. I was disappointed with this mode and was hoping for more depth in it.

Visuals

No one can argue that the visuals in this game are great at times. Again, if you stick to the general default settings you won’t get a great feel for it. I switched my camera angle and it really worked to show off the visuals. Additionally, if you are like me and hate replays, make sure to change that setting as well otherwise you are going to watch replays after every play, even if it is just the ball rolling out of bounds. The visuals are on par for the competition in my opinion. The graphics aren’t much behind any other sports game out there but they aren’t ahead of any other title either.



Sounds

I understand that soccer isn’t popular in America. I would have liked a better soundtrack to this game that included real music. EA has a great soundtrack for each of their sports games, including FIFA, and other sports games that aren’t EA normally have really good soundtracks, this one did not in my opinion. I was disappointed and was hoping for better out of this one. It is mostly just strange music that makes you feel like you are in a rave rather than playing a soccer match. While in the actual soccer match, I was not impressed but not disappointed either. It was average and nothing really more than that.

Controls

The learning curve is tough in this game. No matter what level of difficulty you play on, the game is tough. I had trouble scoring in the game for the first few games. Once you get through a few of the games though, you start to find what works and what doesn’t. I would suggest start on easy and work your way up and play through the tutorial in order to get a better understanding of the controls. There was an addition of the ability to control the person you wish to pass the ball to, this is rather tricky and at times seems like it is more of a failed add-on than anything else.

Pros

- Fast action, especially on offense that keeps the adrenaline rushing as you play.
- After a few tweaks, the visuals are great
- Tutorial really helps new gamers



Cons
- Controls are tough to get used to
- Defense seems non-existent
- Outside of games, other modes feel lifeless and uninspiring

The 411

This is a fun game that keeps pace with its competitors. Generally the game is good, but many of its flaws really hurt the game. I felt that many of the issues could have been fixed and would have made this a much better game. Maybe next year this game will finally be the top game in the genre of Soccer games.

Graphics	6.5	Good graphics especially after some tweaks to default settings
Gameplay	6.5	Defense being so sad hurts the overall rating
Sound	6.0	I was really disappointed with this soundtrack and general sounds
Lasting Appeal	6.5	If you like soccer and can see past the flaws you will play this game a lot
Fun Factor	7.0	Fun game that is fast paced and high scoring
Overall	6.5   [ Average ]