Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 PC Review
Posted by Chris Evans on 11.07.2008
Chris Evans takes Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 through its paces on the pitch.
The battle between Pro Evolution Soccer and FIFA is a yearly tradition; it also seems to be a yearly tradition for people who review either of these games to compare them against each other. I myself haven’t played FIFA 09, I have however been playing Pro Evolution Soccer 2009. So this is just a review of Pro Evo, nothing more and nothing less.
The basics of Pro Evo are simple; you chose a team and play a game of football. There are a handful of new features in this edition of Pro Evo, namely they are the new fully licensed UEFA Champions League mode and the Become a Legend mode.
There have been a few control changes, if you are using a 360 controller the tricks have been moved to the left stick but aside from that the game plays just like ever. This is a good undoubtedly as really, what innovations in controls can there be in a football game? There isn’t anything really.
Playing a match is just like in previous versions; you move the players around the pitch and try to score a goal. The usual problems that appear in any footy game appear, passes go to the wrong player, shots go wildly off target even though you think you are lined up properly and the ever classic issue of the AI selecting the wrong player when you are on defensive duties.
As ever with the Pro Evo games not all of the clubs and players are licensed, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone anymore and with the extremely versatile editor in the game you can easily edit in everything that you want.
There is a general feeling of drabness that is now starting to feel present in the Pro Evo games, while graphics shouldn’t be considered everything in a game, they are starting to become a bit outdated. At times the player animations feel stilted and the matches just don’t look quite as good as they could. I couldn’t find an option to get the game playing at my native resolution of 1280*1024, that isn’t something that should be happening any more on big PC releases.
The presentation issues spread beyond just the graphics, the commentary is as mind-numbingly crap as ever. I know that football commentary in general isn’t the best and it is never going to be good in a game, but this is just poor. Often times the commentary just doesn’t flow with the game itself. Added to this the crowd chants are repetitive and boring, they lack the passion of what you would expect to hear at the stands of any professional game.
Enough of the bad stuff, the Become a Legend mode is the heart of this game. You are able to create a player from scratch and take him through the seasons playing for numerous clubs as well as you country of choice. It works, and it works so very well. It took me a while to find the right difficulty mode (I think that the difficulty levels are a bit different to different editions) but once I did it was great.
You start off your career with a one off match between two random teams and your performance here determines where you go next. You will get offers from a variety of clubs in the league of your choice (you can mix and match what clubs are in what leagues) and you must accept on of these offers.
Once you decide who to play for you must fight your way into the first team. This process requires you to start playing for the second string team in training, you are assigned to a position that matches your choices at the beginning of your career. You can be a striker, winger or midfielder, however defenders are sadly, out of the question.
Good performances for the second string will see you playing with the first string in training, show off your potential here and you will make the bench for the first team. Again after a run of good performances as a sub you will be thrown in the deep end to start a match. From there the world is your oyster, one day the national team may pick you, and at certain points in the season other clubs may try to sign you.
This game mode really does work well, investing your time and effort into shaping how you play the game is great, this is something which will get you playing and keep you playing for quite a while. The third person camera mode works well, it keeps track of your player well and allows you to feel that much more involved in being your player.
The Champions League mode is another solid addition to the franchise; it is nice to play in a fully licensed mode in Pro Evo for once I must say. All the clubs from this years’ UEFA Champions League are fully playable and this all goes down in the proper way. The groups and knockout stages are all present and correct, and you even get the full on Champions League introduction with the flags and all the extras. You even get an official Champions League scoreboard!
These two features keep the game feeling somewhat fresh and up to date, however the game is in dire need of a new cutting edge graphics engine for next years release. There is plenty to sink your teeth into, there are plenty of game modes and I am sure Master League will suck many people in as it always does.
At its heart Pro Evo 2009 is a fun game for footy enthusiasts and something that the majority of people will be able to just pick up and have a laugh with, especially on the consoles. The gameplay is still the strong suit of the series and is the only thing that keeps it from slipping into the ‘average game’ rating. Expect better next year.
Graphics
6.5
They really are starting to feel tired now. When they are good they are good, otherwise they are pretty poor.
Gameplay
8.0
Gameplay is great as ever with the PES series. Everything from running with the ball to getting a hard tackle in feels good.
Sound
6.0
Background menu music is alright, but the crowd chants and commentary leave a lot to be desired. Not awful though.
Lasting Appeal
8.0
There is a hell of a lot of stuff to do in this game, be it multiplayer, Master League or Become a Legend you can spend ages on this game.
