Pro Evo 2009 gets legendary

By Guy Cocker, GameSpot UKPosted Aug 14, 2008 12:13 pm PT

Konami's football sim gets two new gameplay modes, including Become a Legend; reworked master league and new ball physics also added.

Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer series--known as Winning Eleven internationally for most of its life--has long been a fan favourite, but many players and critics felt that last year's effort failed to capitalise on the power and features offered by the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Complaints were also leveled about the reliability of the online service.

Even though the game's mere release was enough to secure it a year-long spot in the UK Top 40, Konami is out to reaffirm its position in the hearts of hardcore football fans this year. Today, it announced a host of new modes and gameplay tweaks for PES 2009, which is due out on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 2, and PSP in Q3 2008.

At the top of the list is the Become a Legend mode, which will place you in the shoes of an individual player rather than an entire team. You'll start from humble beginnings on a youth team, and it's up to you to take charge of your career and rise through the teams and leagues. This mode will be playable in both single-player and online via the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. Although Become a Legend might seem quite similar to FIFA's Be a Pro mode, Konami tells us that it's a feature that originally appeared in the Winning Eleven series in Japan.

PES 2009 also offers the usual host of tweaks and additions to the control and animation systems. Tricks and turns are now performed within the context of the player's run, and are executed via rapid turns and movements of the D pad or analogue stick. The ball physics now react to air resistance, ground friction, and weather, and the TeamVision AI system will recognise strategies and accumulate the data for use in Master League and League mode. Speaking of the Master League, negotiations have been simplified, and disaffected players' moods will have an adverse affect on their performances in the new game.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 will be on show and playable at next week's Leipzig Games Convention, so stay tuned this Wednesday, August 20, for even more information on the game.

25 Comments

  • myxomytosis

    Posted Oct 13, 2008 4:51 am PT

    All you FIFA Fanboys are dense when you say "FIFA is better, or a more realistic representation of the game of football." FIFA plays nothing like the real game, and it's latest incarnations numerous shortcomings are already well documented. PES has ALWAYS gotten consistently better reviews than FIFA, and as someone who plays both every year, i can honestly say FIFA=arcade, PES= simulation. PES is BRINGING BACK, the create a pro, as it was in some of it's much earlier versions. I'd be willing to bet most of you FIFA fanboys know little to nothing about world class soccer, and probably haven't even played at the high school level, else you would prefer the better game.

  • c1on

    Posted Oct 11, 2008 5:20 am PT

    "hope to see what's new... and there is no need to compare PES with Fifa. PES is much much superior than FIFA."

    Haha what drugs are you on? FIFA has pretty much ended the football sim war. If you're to ignorant to appreciate FIFA then you're the one missing out.

  • david1233

    Posted Sep 29, 2008 10:50 am PT

    pes 08 is pretty good on wii but fifa is king of football sims

  • Hamed21

    Posted Aug 26, 2008 2:00 am PT

    do you create iran team for PES 2009 correctly.because some teams is not have real name for palyers

  • akinbohun

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 9:28 am PT

    pro comes out spring for wii.

  • akinbohun

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 9:07 am PT

    Fifa is better than pes,pro is just copying fifa with be a pro.

  • sethkazzim

    Posted Aug 17, 2008 12:22 pm PT

    i will have 2 c who will win the 2009, PES Vs Fifa, war.

  • micro19

    Posted Aug 15, 2008 2:34 pm PT

    hope to see what's new... and there is no need to compare PES with Fifa. PES is much much superior than FIFA.

  • micro19

    Posted Aug 15, 2008 2:34 pm PT

    hope to see what's new... and there is no need to compare PES with Fifa. PES is much much superior than FIFA.

  • mickjcoles

    Posted Aug 15, 2008 11:34 am PT

    when is the wii version comming out ????

  • DarkDJP

    Posted Aug 15, 2008 6:21 am PT

    Why do we talking about FIFA anyway? FIFA is a load of bullocks. Nothing else. Worst PES is better than any FIFA.

  • raverrozza

    Posted Aug 15, 2008 4:58 am PT

    look last year fifa was better than PES but i just stayed with the older PES. some of the recent iterations of fifa havent been bad but they certainly have never been better than the best PES games. For gods sake nothing has ever surpassed ISS pro evo 2 on the ps1.
    so fifa kids wise up.

  • red_x2004

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 4:47 pm PT

    @ -Intellectual- :

    Uh Yes, until 2007 , where FIFA happened to kick PES @$$, now i sure do hope that this years PES brings us the ultimate football simulation game but lets just say it's going to be tough.

  • abdullrahman

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 4:02 pm PT

    ok wee will wait and see if it comes out that good

  • darkera

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 3:58 pm PT

    gotta say am glad they're going back to the drawing board. So far the only thin i fear is the change in skillimplementation, i kinda loved and grew into the R2 special move button.

  • jtamezv

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 2:55 pm PT

    I agree with you -Intellectual-, PES is a lot better than Fifa in terms of gameplay, I think PES 2008 was a let down, but still it was better than Fifa 2008, now this and by hearing a lot of complains from the fans, PES 2009 will kick in the face Fifa 2009 so badly, just wait to see some gameplay videos when the Leipzig Games Convention start later this month.

  • -Intellectual-

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 2:02 pm PT

    Pro Evo always owns Fifa every year.

  • malintenby

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 1:52 pm PT

    I'd like to see an online option that would allow two people sat in the same room to team up.

  • football_legend

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 1:38 pm PT

    After playing MGO.... oh no... there is no way I can tell myself that the online service will be good from Konami.

  • football_legend

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 1:35 pm PT

    Pro Evo really needs to step up, or fall drastically...

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