PES 2010 Review

Written by: Darren Cartledge Posted: 4th November 2009

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Football evolving...

PES 2010 Details:

	Sports
	PC/PlayStation 3/Xbox 360/Nintendo Wii/PSP
	Konami
	Konami

Out Now

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After being toppled as the number one soccer game last year by EA's FIFA 09, Konami promised wholesale changes to its Pro Evolution Soccer franchise in a bid to win back fans. But with FIFA 10 making yet more strides forward in bringing a more realistic recreation of the beautiful game have Konami done enough to PES 2010 in order to win back its crown?

So, PES 2010 looks to restore the fortunes of this sports franchise which was once considered to be the benchmark for all soccer titles and it’s clear from the new slicker looking menus that big changes have been made over last years game, which frankly was disappointing by its own high standards. Don’t just think that Konami has only relied on visual changes to make a better impression as the game tends to play a whole lot better then last years game, but is it a FIFA beater?

Well sadly no! Matches do tend to flow a lot better and it’s now much easy to make effective sweeping moves up field something that is also reflected in the games visuals. Animation is much more natural looking, it’s not on a par with FIFA 10 and still retains some of the “stiffness” but on the whole, it looks a damn sight better then it did. Player models also fair better, they do tend to look a little rubbery and dare I say even a little scary but generally Konami has captured facial likenesses a little better then their EA Sports counter parts.

Visuals aside where things really matter is in the core gameplay and here the game has had major enhancements. As I’ve already mentioned matches tend to flow a whole lot better, but yet the development team still haven’t got the formula right as games tend to be heavily weighted towards attacking play meaning high scoring games when playing against real players and A.I controlled teams are a common occurrence. Fancy playing a repeat of the Champions League final? I don’t think anyone could predict a 7 – 6 score line! This weighting towards attacking play, whilst making matches extremely interesting sadly occurs due to an ineffective tackling system which generally allows players to run straight past defenders, unless you bring them down with a sliding tackle and risk giving away a foul or worse! This may make it sound like PES 2010 is a little on the easy side and to be honest it is but the new flowing way you can move the ball around feels really natural and its nice to be able to recreate many of the flowing moves you see when watching the top teams play. It’s just a real shame the defensive aspects of the game aren’t up to the same standard as the attacking play on offer in the title.

In terms of game modes very little has changed with PES 2010, the Master League, Become a Legend and Champions League all return with the usual standard sports game modes also included as you would expect. One area in which game has seen a dramatic improvement is in its online play. Gone are the days of severe lag that practically took away any enjoyment from playing previous PES games online. The game now runs flawlessly online and even at peak times we experienced an almost stutter free performance.

PES 2010 doesn’t just see improvements with its online play though, the game now features options that allow you to refine and customise the tactics of your team and it does appear to make a real difference to the way your team plays. This system can have an adverse affect on the outcome of a match but getting things right in this department makes victory even sweeter as your hard work pays off.

PES 2010 may not have been able to topple FIFA as the leading football game but it’s clear the series is getting back on track and obvious improvements have been made over last years game. In its current form it may not be ready to tackle the title holder but the playing experience on offer is a clear indication that the good times aren’t far off.