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Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review for PlayStation 3

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review for PlayStation 3

Pass On PES

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 is a failed attempt by Konami to improve upon their 2007 offering. A few minor additions this time around have not significantly advanced the title and don’t offer a compelling reason to re-purchase it. Thankfully, gameplay is still the best available for soccer titles. However, Konami’s gameplay-centric model has grown tiresome. There is literally not a single “wow factor” in the entire game. The visuals, sounds, and overall quality of presentation are seriously lacking. To top it all off, the online component is not only devoid of features, it is at times somewhat lag-laden. If you own any of the previous versions of the franchise, then there is no reason to buy PES 2008. If you need a soccer title, then it will serve you well enough, though I’d hold off and demand much more from Konami.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 screenshot

The beloved Winning Eleven franchise of the last generation has been rebranded in North America in order to take on its European name: Pro Evolution Soccer. Pro Evo has always been the best playing soccer title out there. Unfortunately, it seems as if the franchise is resting on its laurels. The sounds and commentary are acceptable, but not great by any means. The commentary is not only repetitive, but too canned to bring about any sense of excitement. Also the music selection in the menus is awful. They’ve tried to take a page out of EA’s book, but the end result is an utter failure. The crowd noise, on the other hand, does stand out. The fans lend a good deal of atmosphere that the game is otherwise sorely lacking. The poor graphics and overall presentation, while previously excusable, are unacceptable to the contemporary gamer and have left soccer enthusiasts like me scratching our heads. We demand high quality visuals and serious attention to detail in order to transport us to a world of football where we’re the stars. Sadly, Pro Evolution 2008 never gets it right, which is a real shame considering the uphill struggle the developers face due to the lack of licensing.

For starters, the menus are as plain and as boring as those found in discount fishing titles. This wouldn’t be so bad except when you combine it with the rest of the ugly package. The pregame introductions are buggy and slow. The fifteen stadiums included are fuzzy and only passably detailed. The cheering fans are far too repetitive and uninteresting. Thankfully, the likenesses of the relative handful of true professionals are very well captured and the action animations look realistic, though this doesn’t stem the bleeding. Games made specifically for current gen consoles simply must do a better job graphically. All in all, the game is as visually impressive as a polished turd.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 screenshot

Not surprisingly, gameplay is as good as ever. The inclusion of the Teamvision system has been added this year in an attempt to improve opposition A.I. I didn’t notice much of a difference over previous versions, but it does adjust slightly to your playing style. In other words, if you continually try to cruise down the flanks and cross the ball into the box, then the A.I. will begin to compensate and shut that option down. However, it takes a long time for this on-the-fly adjustment to be realized. However, I can say that the A.I. is quite good whether the Teamvision feature works or not; it will provide players with a stiff challenge on the higher difficulty levels and lasting appeal. Additionally, friendly A.I. is head and shoulders above EA’s soccer franchise. Your teammates will actually make intelligent runs off the ball. As a result, defenders will track them and open up space for you or your teammates will lose their mark and provide you with a perfect opportunity to get in behind the defense with a searching ball.

Moreover, passing and shooting are extremely realistic. Unlike the FIFA series, hitting through balls with the perfect weight is an absolute joy. At higher difficulties this becomes much more difficult to perform without the defense cutting it out, but it is still a very useful feature. It allows you to provide game changing direct service with quality holding midfielders instead of always resorting to simple short passing, wing play, and dribbling. Equally great is the ease of shooting, especially in mid-air. If a top striker is able to run onto a curling cross from the wing, he will pounce on it and bust the net with clinical precision. On the flip side, if you try to hit a volley first-time with a destructive marking back, you’ll go high and wide every time. This bit of realism goes a long way to supporting tactical changes.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 screenshot

Disappointingly, the realism goes a bit too far. Konami has actually included the worst aspect of soccer. This year the “dive” has been incorporated into the game. For those of you unfamiliar with this terrible bit of unsportsmanlike conduct, you can actually fake being fouled by diving on the ground in order to win free kicks in dangerous positions. Fortunately, the referees seem to be a bit better than they are in real life at spotting the tactic, but nevertheless you will find your best players being sent off and penalties being given too often for my liking. The dive feature could have been skipped and the game would have been far better for it.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 screenshot

The core game modes include League, Master League, Cup, and Xbox Live. As the name implies, League mode allows you to play through the entirety of a league schedule. I would suggest selecting one of the licensed leagues such as La Liga, the Ere Divisie or Serie A in this mode of play. The Master League has seen no significant changes, but it is still a complex career mode that allows you to cultivate and acquire new talent in order to make the best team in Europe. In Master League it doesn’t really matter which team or league you choose as it is all fictional anyway. I enjoyed this mode the most, but again I can’t say it’s any better than last year’s. The various cup offerings are requisite, but only the European Cup actually resembles European Cup competitions such as the Champions League or UEFA. Online play via Xbox Live only lets you play head to head matches in Ranked or Player match competitions. There is no league play or tournaments of any kind. Furthermore, pesky lag leads to occasional choppy play. Konami needs to put out a much more dynamic online multiplayer mode in the future.

So where does PES 2008 rank on the soccer totem pole? It’s only marginally better than Winning Eleven 6, 7, and 8 and not quite as good as FIFA because the presentation is so bad. So what does this mean? It means it’s a good game that plays like a dream, but does nothing to move the series forward. As such, I implore everyone not to purchase this title. We simply can’t reward Konami for such a lackluster effort. If you must buy the title, do it for PC so at least you can mod the thing easily and adjust the lineups and faces. There is a lineup edit function for the consoles (it even allows you to scan in your own face via webcam), but who wants to do all that work? Call me lazy, but I’ll only do that if I can update the product through a community forum.

This game is saved only by the quality of the title’s gameplay. But gameplay is no better this year than it was last year and everything else is quite poorly done. I expected a lot more from the folks at Konami. Somehow Konami and EA have to join forces and create the one football ring to rule them all. EA’s FIFA has got the licensing and presentation down, but the gameplay can’t compare to the smoothness of Pro Evolution Soccer. Likewise, PES is so unattractive and unkempt that it is difficult to enjoy the experience. As far as I’m concerned it’s advantage EA.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 2.8 Graphics
Konami really needs to work on the visual presentation of this franchise. We’ve suffered through it long enough! 4.6 Control
The controls are tight and allow you perform shots and through balls with pinpoint accuracy. 3.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The music and voiceover work is bad, but the ambient sounds and crowd noise are quite well captured. 4.3 Play Value
Gameplay is still excellent and is improved with even better A.I., but the inclusion of the dive feature was a big mistake. 3.3 Overall Rating – Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Genuine Soccer game experience by utilizing next-gen hardware!
  • The brand new Teamvision artificial intelligence system has the CPU actually learn your tactics!
  • Improved gameplay experience on Master League that reflects Popularity of your player and your team.
  • Customize your team and players by using USB Camera. You can be a player in the videogame!
  • Up to 1080p (Full HDTV, Widescreen).

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