The Wii version of PES 2010 is a fun and solid soccer game.
- Lots of modes to keep you busy for a while
- Slower paced, slightly more strategic gameplay than FIFA
- Great customization options
Negative
- Steep learning curve for newcomers
- Plenty of unlicensed English teams, and total absence of the Bundesliga
The last Pro Evolution Soccer I played was on the PC and to be fair I didn't like it that much. When it comes to soccer I'd prefer the FIFA franchise, but if it's not next-gen it's another story. It's understandable that the creators give their best for next-gen, but it is unacceptable to dump down the other versions of that same game. Konami's PES 2010 on the Wii adapts well on the Wii and plays a fun, slightly difficult soccer game.
One thing that PES 2010 doesn't lack is modes. There are plenty which include a Master League, Champions Road, Champions League, normal leagues and Cups, and a normal match mode that lets you play with your Miis. What's most disappointing is that the game lacks some unlicensed teams' especially English and Spanish teams. The only licensed English teams are Manchester Utd and Liverpool, so the others have names you may never have heard of. The total absence of German teams is a letdown. Playing with Miis add variety and is fun, only problem is that their expressions are terrible. Master League and Champions Road are a little complicated for beginners for the series, so these may take time to get used to, but will take a whole lot of time if you think of completing these modes.
Aside from the modes you can play as a team, PES 2010 offers a great amount of customizations compared to any FIFA game I've played. You can start from forming a team or editing any other team available. There are plenty of nonexistent teams you can edit; from building their appearance and skills. The customizations can become addictive especially when first building a team. These are varied and there is a ton to choose from. Next you can customize your team by making their stripes, emblem, choosing stadium and formation. There is more; for experts there is a choice to create your emblem for scratch, but it is not for everyone.
You may like the gameplay and you may not. For starters if you are using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk and you never played a soccer game or PES on the Wii, this will be new to you. The whole control system seems complicated at first, but you have some good training to help you getting used to it all. You'll be pointing at the screen a lot, since you need to aim with the pointer when it comes to passing, crossing and moving players. This soccer game I more strategic for some than it may look. Its slow paced movement, allows you to think and carefully move a player and it's almost impossible to score from a distance. To shoot you can press the B button and aim to the goal, or shake the Nunchuk. The gameplay might grow on you, but it's repetitive.
There are flaws as well. First of all, there are very few camera angles (only 2), which are both from the same view only one of them is closer than the other. Your substitutions don't appear and the substitution menu only appears once the ball is out of the field. You might feel that the AI is a bit unfair. The AI always maintains a satisfying and challenging game, but there are some weaknesses. On the easiest difficulty, the AI is very weak against long shots, making you feel that they try an offside trap and miserably fail giving you the chance to score. It always happens, on beginner difficulty only. On all difficulties the AI is clean and unaggressive which rarely makes the AI team foul. They may sometimes be too good for their own good, with an unbelievable amount of passes and sometimes even precise goals. There are other things which could have been better, such as how much player faces appear in the game. Rarely even after missing the post by a hair, you will only get a replay and not see the reaction of the player. You get to see the player that scored and his celebration after scoring though.
For Wii technology, the overall game looks ok. The menus are well designed and appealing for this sort of game. The soccer field looks good with a variety of day and night, fine and rainy of course. Slight disappointments are the player appearances. Aside from not appearing too often, they aren't great. Most famous players are recognizable though. Crowd looks awful though, but don't mind it too much. The soundtrack is nothing to write home about, but it serves it purpose and is never annoying. The commentary is a bit weak compared to the crowd's sound effects, and does repeat something far too much, but you've probably heard much, much worse.
Konami does a good job with this PES installment for the Wii. While it's not as next-gen as the next-gen versions, this soccer game appeals to every soccer fan who has a Wii. The FIFA series is dumped down compared to the PS3/360 versions, so PES 2010 stands out. It may lack licensed teams and the whole German Bundesliga and the gameplay is repetitive overall, but the soccer game itself is quite fun, and there are plenty of modes and customizations to do. PES 2010 is not a must play, but any soccer fan who has been away from soccer game for a while would do a good thing picking a version of this installment.
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Graphics = 6.8
Nothing next-gen to be found here. It's good if you don't expect much, since the environments are ok, the players need more depth, and the crowd can still be much better.
Sound = 7.3
Crowd sounds better than it looks. Commentary is ok even if it repeats some things way too often. Soundtrack is good.
Presentation = 6.5
The main menu looks great, but some other menus need to change. Lacks unlicensed teams, plus could use more. Konami should really change the team selection part. Loads fast most of the time.
Gameplay = 7.6
Once you get used to the gameplay it becomes quite fun to play. It is definitely repetitive overall, with a few flaws. AI maintains a satisfying level of challenge. Need more camera views. Not as good as FIFA I must say.
Modes = 7.5
The main modes may take some time to get used to. Other than that there are other modes. There are no quick simulations in tournament though. Great and sometimes addictive customizations.
OVERALL = 72 / 100
The Wii version of PES 2010 is a fun and solid soccer game.