advertisement

GC 2008: Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 Hands-On

By Guy Cocker, GameSpot UKPosted Aug 20, 2008 2:23 am PT

Konami's next iteration of Pro Evolution is nearly here, and we polished our boots for a first play.

While it's still the best-playing football game on the market, there's no doubt that last year's Pro Evolution Soccer disappointed many fans of the series. Unimpressive visuals, annoying gameplay tweaks, and a myriad of bugs (particularly on the PlayStation 3) saw the game slip dangerously close to relegation. However, Konami has gone on record saying that this year's iteration will fix the problems with last year's game, taking more advantage of current-generation technology while restoring the gameplay to its former glory. We got a chance to play the game for the first time to see if its promises look set to be delivered upon with the 2009 version.

First impressions of the game are good. Konami has upped the ante and created a menu system that's easy to navigate and makes better use of imagery and animations. The same awful J-pop music remains, but at least some effort has been made to improve the visual presentation. On the pitch, the player likenesses are now even better, particularly with star players such as Cristiano Ronaldo. That said, the game is still some way off the visual fidelity of FIFA, so we'll have to see how much more it can be polished in the run-up to release.

The noticeable changes to Pro Evolution 2009 come in the form of feature enhancements and new gameplay modes. In the former category, there will be an expanded player-editor mode in which you'll be able to add logos to kits by importing them from an external device. The PC and PlayStation 3 versions will offer USB data drive support, but it remains to be seen how this will work on the Xbox 360. The thorny issue of licensing remains in Pro Evolution 2009, and with EA eating up all the official data through its exclusive deal with FIFA, there's no end in sight for the made-up teams in Konami's game. Two teams from the English Premiership will feature official names and sponsors, but we couldn't get Konami to tell us who they are. However, Konami did tease us with the news that a major European competition will be officially licensed in the finished game. We're not allowed to announce which competition, because of an embargo, but we expect that fans will be pretty excited by the news.

The big new gameplay mode for Pro Evolution 2009 is Become a Legend mode, in which you'll pick an individual attacking player and take him through a professional football career. If you perform well as part of a team, you'll attract offers from other clubs, but if you lose the ball and fail to set up goals, you'll receive a low mark at the end of the game. Cynics might suggest that this closely resembles FIFA's Be a Pro mode, but Konami assures us that the Pro Evolution equivalent has been around for some time in the Japanese Winning Eleven series. Unlike in FIFA, though, you can't call for the ball when you want it, which makes the mode more challenging than we initially expected. If you're playing for a lowly club, you're limited by your teammates, while your lack of tactical input means that you'll end up sitting on the bench for some games.

The gameplay is where it's at, and Konami says that it's using Pro Evolution Soccer 5 as its benchmark in this regard. Pro Evolution 2009 certainly feels slower paced than last year's effort, with more on-the-ball control than ever before. Konami claims to have made the ball even more physically independent, meaning that it will even react to certain grass types and wet conditions. While we didn't get to play a game in the rain, we did notice some of the new individual tricks from certain skillful players. As in last year's game, certain top-flight players will be able to pull off moves all their own, and they move from tricks to standard animations very smoothly.

Konami boasted about its Teamvision AI system last year, but it really seems to be coming through in the 2009 iteration. We were impressed with how reserved your teammates are about passing the ball if you're not in a strong position, which encourages you to make more-intelligent runs. Some elements of the game seem slightly dated. For instance, your salary in the Become a Legend mode is paid in "P" points, though overall the new mode should be a welcome challenge for those bored by the master league.

Speaking of which, the master league has also been updated to more closely follow modern business dealings. If your players want to leave your club, they'll perform poorly on the pitch. The multiplayer elements have also been improved. You can now have a total of four players online, in standard ranked and unranked matches, and in the Become a Legend mode. Konami is aware that players didn't think the multiplayer element of Pro Evolution Soccer 08 was up to scratch, so it has promised more-advanced features, such as the ability to upload replays from within the Become a Legend mode.

We managed to coax more good news out of Konami: There will be a demo of the game for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the week of release. Make sure you stay tuned to GameSpot for all the information as we get it.

78 Comments

  • SPA2TACU5

    Posted Aug 7, 2009 4:04 am PT

    *PES2010

  • SPA2TACU5

    Posted Aug 7, 2009 4:01 am PT

    PES5 -which I still play- is THE ONLY decent football game out there.
    Hopefully PES2009 will be better than PES5, but so far Konami hasn't been able to improve it's game. Neither has EA.

    Not saying PES5 is perfect, cause it's far from. But all the other games make me wonder if the makers have ever really played football themselves.

  • BOSNIANMAN21

    Posted Oct 20, 2008 7:06 pm PT

    its hard to make a football game with the proper clubs when ea sports likes to monopolize everything... its hard to get licenses when ea sports buys them all and make lame games like madden n fifa... on bought those games gameplay suckss.. its polished with graphics but player run like robots.. and the game play suckss.. thats why i play pes 08 and next 09.. yes last pes 08 sucked and it had lots of bugs like slowin down n graphic wasn't good but u know what the game play is still realistic.. and the ball is free and goal keepers are free.. not like fifa try scoring a goal on pro out side the box.. u cant cuz ball goes over the goal or its never strong enough.. try tricking the goal keeper u cant cuz he is glued to the ball. goal keeper never comes out of little box when need it... see all thiss makess the gamee.. " the game play if ever played futbal in real life and if ever watch games futbal games it will never be like fifa cuz ball is not glued to players its free... then everything else comes like graphics n names of the playerss by the way if ur smart enough u can up date all the players names its takes 10 min.. if u actually watch futball.. i still play pes 08 n im gonna play it till 09 comes out.. if u hate the games soo muchhh just go play fifaa n have fun with those zoombiess running around... cuz im gonna enjoy playin PES 08 AND 09 SOOOOOOON

  • quagor

    Posted Oct 20, 2008 9:49 am PT

    The last time i played pes was on the ps2 with pes2. That was the first time i played it and definitely the last. how can you make a football game without the proper football clubs?!

  • Paulio77

    Posted Oct 15, 2008 4:49 am PT

    Played fifa 09........... Erm yeh.... never again.
    PES 08 was awful in lots of ways especially online. Playing the pes 09 demo has however given me renewed hope. It feels more authentic, realistic and has impressed me a lot. Hope the game lives up to what the demo promises.

  • DAKYON

    Posted Oct 14, 2008 10:57 am PT

    i don't get it why PES fans say " PES rules " when they know 08 was a disaster , don't get me wrong I'M A PES FAN BUT EVEN I ADMIT THAT PES 08 SUCKS AND THAT 09 LOOKS ALMOST THE SAME, they might improve some stuff but i can tell its gonna be dissapointed too...... its funny, when i bought PES 08 i was soo excited and then when i played ,,, S@#$%t i almost cry , so dissapointed that I turn on my ps2 and play PES 07, PES 07 for me its way better than 08 in all areas ( gameplay, soundstrack, even online ) ( and we are talking about a ps2 game @_____@ )

    I have been a fan of PES since the begining but now i think i will try out fifa , i'm not saying fifa its better cuz i haven't play it but at least in the review looks good.

    so yeah SORRY fans but PES 08 was no a good game, even i admit it, so why you can't ?

  • Bregor

    Posted Oct 12, 2008 7:47 am PT

    You misunderstood the sentence ze im. They are saying that in Fifa you can, but in PES you can't. It's fine to prefer Fifa but it's a preference, chill out.

  • ryans84

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 10:04 pm PT

    Whats the deal with FIFA? When you kick a ball so hard 5m from the goalie, he catches it?

  • ze_im

    Posted Oct 5, 2008 10:26 am PT

    "Unlike in FIFA, though, you can't call for the ball when you want it, which makes the mode more challenging than we initially expected."
    says who? do you ever played FIFA09 demo? You could always call for the ball using the pass button in the be a pro mode.. and you could also ask your nearest teammate to go get the ball using the same button whenever your opponent have the ball.. there also be a pro summary after the match where its state how many time you call for the ball and get the ball..

    "Konami claims to have made the ball even more physically independent, meaning that it will even react to certain grass types and wet conditions."
    FIFA have this in their game from long before. lol..

  • ze_im posted Oct 4, 2008 7:49 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    ze_im

    Posted Oct 4, 2008 7:49 am PT (hide)

    I hate PES!
    played PES08..
    stupid refree always like to play with whistle, players move simultaneously together like robots, and worst of all there is no arsenal!
    FIFA is the BEST!

  • Kermyt

    Posted Oct 2, 2008 3:19 am PT

    seabassman = 'a' hole.

    Soccer as you call is outside of Europe is probably the biggest sport in the world. I quickly draw upon your major sports im USA: Basketball, Baseball, American Football.

    1) Basketball, whilst it is an energetic sport essentially it is netball but with movement

    2) Baseball, not energetic in any way. We call it rounders and played it whilst at school.

    3) American Football (i like this game and will not abuse it too much). However 'Football' derives from the foot being used to touch/control the ball. 95% of American Football is played with the hands. Your Superbowl Winners are portayed as World Champions in a game where only one country takes part.

    4) As for NASCAR, well i can't stand watching F1 so i'll leave that there.

    Whilst Football (Yes the real version) is not every ones cup of tea. Its still the fastest growing sport in USA. Won't be long now before it is the number 1 sport in America.

    Born in Britain and shared with the world. FOOTBALL.

    ps: the term soccer comes from As'soc'iation Football.

    rambling now......

    So back to the game

    PRO EVO 2009

    Not making the mistake of last year, gonna wait and see what the general public make of it after 1 maybe 2 months of release.

  • joolsonline

    Posted Sep 29, 2008 6:11 am PT

    shake n bake

  • souljahofman

    Posted Sep 29, 2008 4:58 am PT

    seebassman is a probably a stupid 30 year old, still livin' in his mothers basement and works at the local electronics store. and by the way nascar isnt a sport, its just a waste of time. sports involve physical activity, not sittin' on your ass for 6 hours goin' in circles in the worst lookin cars ever.

  • jcoe85

    Posted Sep 26, 2008 3:42 pm PT

    Let me guess seabassman your a fat, uneducated, ignorant yank who only likes Nascar and your own family, know what I mean?

  • joolsonline

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 5:54 am PT

    For the first time i'm going to try pro-evo. I enjoyed Fifa 2003 and Fifa 2006 but having played my friends fifa 2008 and the 2009 demo, theres something missing. Fifa 2006 was a bit more physical, player sprite contact was introduced which PES has always seemed to have. But the new Fifa seems so uninvolving. I like the learning curve of the PES demos I have played, so I will try the PES 2009 demo and will probably switch alligiances!

  • Barret1966

    Posted Sep 23, 2008 2:27 pm PT

    em well there hasn't bn a decent pro evo since 5 at it looks like they finaly noticed. What i hope is that they bring bak the master league save files u can use in multiplayer they had in 5. it was always fun to ply ur m8s with ur own ML team with the same stats they had on ur ML file. god knows y they removed that feature.

  • torbonator

    Posted Sep 20, 2008 6:11 am PT

    I am a pes guy, and was did like pro evo 08, even if the frame rate isn't very good and only about 3 players look like they should. The only thing that annoyed me was the fact that online play was cack, i'm glad to hear that it is being updated. But i'm disappointed that they have slowed down the game play, i love fast football games

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 Quick Links

Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | Downloads | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum

advertisement
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 Boxshot Enlarge the boxshot
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009

Game Stats

Full Game Details »Close
Also on

Games you may like…

Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.

See More Similar Games
advertisement