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FIFA 17

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In some gamers’ minds, the yearly update of EA Sports games like FIFA is an indication of what’s wrong with Triple A games. Being asked year after year to pay for what they see as a roster update is akin to nothing but the worst form of corporate greed. However, every year EA Sports and FIFA try to do something new, something to give fans of the series a reason to buy the yearly update, and not simply stick with the year before, or whichever year the fans vehemently argue was the best. Sometimes that works, like the introduction of FUT a number of years ago. Sometimes that fails, like the upgrade of engines when we first went from Xbox to Xbox360. This year, EA Sports have taken a risk and not only upgraded the engine, but added a whole new way of playing.

The big engine change is upgrading to the Frostbyte engine. Whilst FIFA has always looked good, sometimes the players and reactions to the way the match was played seemed a little off. Like when all the players played the same animation before the kick off. Like when the players seemed to do inappropriate actions to one another when one fell over. Frostbyte seeks to change all that, and does a reasonable job at it too. What this means is the game feels more lifelike than ever. Players sweat. Player breath frosts in the cold air. Players move around like players should – for the most part. There are still some odd results of the physics engine, such as often it appears players will kiss and feel each other up, which can be hilarious if you have the mind of a 12 year old (which I have).

Animations, whist still canned, appear far more varied and lifelike. The way players twist their body away from free kicks, for example, is far more realistic than previous years. Player movement feels smoother overall, and whilst close ups of players still force you into the uncanny valley, the players look far less ghoulish than in previous years.

The impact on the way FIFA plays in general is harder to recognise at first. The ball play does feel a little zippier, and the bounce and movement feel a little more realistic, although there are times where the ball does still feels glued to player’s feet. Because of the physicality of the engine, the game feels more brutal than in past iterations. Players are grabbed off the ball and physically blocked from the path of the ball. They’ve even introduced handball! It doesn’t occur often and can be switched off, but I liked having it on, because it did up the realism.

There are small changes to the way penalties and corners are handled now. There’s a movable aiming spot which allows you to pick out your man. It is deliberately imprecise and I’m not entirely sure that’s a good thing, as my I used to be rely on corners to get goals more often. You can choose to be the receiver of a corner or throw-in, allowing for more tactical outcomes however. Penalties are prefaced with a controlled run up now as well, which makes them just a little more difficult to execute.

The other big reason they introduced the new engine is the new mode – The Journey. In this mode you play as young Alex Hunter, rising from humble lower class beginnings to rubbing shoulders with the upper echelons of the FIFA sporting code. In a very RPG light-ish fashion, you improve your skills via training and playing, face and overcome several ‘big’ challenges, and make a bunch of decisions which will change your life forever… or at least to the end of the 15 or so hours you’ll be playing it. There are several animated vignettes which push the story along, as well as reaction pieces where you can be fiery, cool, or balanced and these slightly influence the game in terms of how you are seen by your peers and fans.

I must admit I was extremely dubious about this when it was first announced. PES also had a career mode which was like an RPG, but it was pretty awful, predictable and tacky. FIFA went to the expense of getting “authenticity coaches” to help with the plausibility of the story, and I must say I’m impressed. Yes, the story is tacky and predictable, but it’s played with such conviction, I even started to get angry with fake twitter feed when they would riff on Alex’s performance! Alex himself, played by Adetomiwa Edun, is likable enough, and it’s his gruff Grandfather, asshole ex-best-mate-now-rival Gareth Walker, and comic relief Danny Williams who joins you when you’re slumming in the lower league who make the story shine.

You earn your spot in the team by doing well in training, which leverages the minigames to more than just loading screen shenanigans. The mode itself can be played as a team or solo in the “play as a pro” style. I preferred team, because as is usual with the Pro mode, if your team is a bit rubbish (I chose Burnley because Claret and Blue!) then you don’t get to see much of the ball, so your score doesn’t improve as much as playing as the whole team. Playing as a team does have its drawbacks though – you can’t control the team’s formation, subs, or attack / defence approach like you can in the other modes.

There are a few other annoying nags about the mode in general. Training feels a bit grindy, however if you skip it you tend to score D or F, which means you won’t qualify for the starting line-up. It’s frustrating particularly later in the mode, because you’re doing so well during the match, which is the most fun part of the game after all, but skipping a session means you don’t get to play. You can’t skip or restart a match, although there are times, either for story purposes or because you don’t qualify for a game, that a match is skipped, so it feels a little odd. And there are odd story moments too – like being told your team faces relegation although you have won the majority of the games you played.

FUT has had some minor changes, the impact of which will depend on how interested you are in the mode. The “Ones to Watch” and Holiday Specials (the latest is a Halloween flavoured one called “Scream Team”) are new ways for prices of certain players to be artificially raised. They’ve also introduced Squad Building Challenges, which offer rewards for doing certain things, like putting a back four together all from the same country. However, the rewards are non-tradable, and be aware that doing challenges will remove those players from your club, so choose to do these wisely, especially if you have traded high value cards or even spent money on packs and players.

The other modes such as Manager Mode and the International Women’s Tournament all remain pretty much the same. Japan has been introduced to the International Women’s Tournament, and the mode is still pretty strong, feeling different enough from the men’s game, and I’m fairly certain FIFA is the only sports game to feature a women’s league at all. It would be nicer if this wasn’t tucked away behind menus this year though. Manager Mode focuses a little more on your objectives as a manager, and these are tailored more to your team. Choosing a lower division team means you won’t be asked to win the FA Cup to survive in your role, for example. However, gaining a place in the cup will give your team a financial boost. It’s a more realistic approach, which is appreciated, but doesn’t substantially alter the mode.

Conclusion:
EA took a risk with FIFA this year and it’s paid off. The new Journey mode is ultimately silly, but it’s surprisingly engaging and a lot of fun. The new engine makes the game better, not in leaps and bounds, but subtly so, and it’s not until a few hours of playing whatever mode you prefer that you appreciate the differences and the sense of realism the changes bring.

Pros:
New Engine improves the way the players look as well as the way the game plays.
New mode is surprisingly engaging and fun, leveraging disparate parts into a whole.
Women’s football remains a strong part of the game and difference to other sports games.

Cons:
Changes to FUT can result in the loss of paid for content if you’re not paying attention.
Women’s football mode is hidden behind the menus.

80/100

Review, Video Games, Writing, XboxWorld

FIFA 14

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Every time I tell people I’m writing a review of FIFA, I get the same joke “why don’t you just cut and paste last year’s version?” This year, this joke pretty much hits home. FIFA is at that point where it can only improve in incremental steps, or due to something like a next gen engine change, fall drastically from grace.

Fortunately the current generation engine hasn’t been changed, but with the next gen being provided essentially for free with the Xbox One, it’s a big ask to get even the most ardent fans to buy something which isn’t drastically different from last year’s iteration.

This is not to say EA hasn’t tried to spruce things up. This year the presentation is much cleaner, feeling as though it’s been made with swiping and touch screens in mind, and to that end it works very well, even with the controller. There’s very little going backwards and forwards through menus, with the interface being constructed more like the Xbox360 tabbed interface than the previous menu and button clicks. And now you can simply press X to save on any screen in the Career mode, which makes things for an obsessive saver like me so much better.

As to the game itself, slight adjustments have been made to make the game play smoother too. The AI has been smartened up, making use of space and runs more than any other version. And this doesn’t just apply to attacking – the back line works better and more realistically than in this FIFA than any other game to date. It does tend to cause far more off-sides from ambitious forwards in lower starred teams, however, which can get tedious.

Players tend to react more realistically to the ball, flicking passes and making subtle back heels without as much player intervention – a few flicks of the sticks will have the more fancy players doing moves which would in previous incarnations require a button dexterity only a few dedicated fighting gamers can match. There can still be issues with the ball physics and player reactions – I’ve seen a ball stop dead after hitting a player in midfield which just seemed odd, but I think it stood out because it was so unusual. More often, the more mid-rated players can step clumsily and overshoot runs, but it adds a level of realism which is not often seen in soccer games. Compare a top draw Man U vs Arsenal game to say Melbourne Heart and Adelaide United, and there is a gulf of difference, with far more clumsy action in the latter type of match, and this is reflected in FIFA well.

Speaking of rating players, this year the trading in Career mode has had a bit of an overhaul. The focus is now on hiring scouts and selecting skills and positions you’re interested in rather than overall attribute scores. At first I found this extremely frustrating as I only know a few names of stars, so didn’t know who to scout and if they were worth the money they asked or the time I was putting into scounting. But then I learned how to use the scouts – Villa (my usual side) need a pacy forward, so you can search the world for a pacy forward with an attack orientation, rather than just go for Messi who, let’s face it, will never slum for the likes of Villa. With a bit of luck and a bit of money, you can find the players you want and develop them, giving longevity to the career mode.

Ultimate team gets a bit of a shake up too. Being able to find classic players like Pele makes opening the packs far more exciting, and being able to search for players and consumables is much more refined making the process much easier. A new kind of consumable called Chemistry Styles which changes aspects of player’s playing style. For example, applying Brick Wall to a defender adds to defence and strength, whilst adding Sniper to a forward adds precision and range.

One thing I am very, very happy to see return is a more gameplay focused achievement list. Rather than Achievements like “play a game online” or “win 10 games” we see a return to “Score with a Dipping Volley”, and “Straight Arm a Defender to Protect the Ball”. It’s a subtle change, but awarding people for skill rather than persistence is always good game design. It makes me think about trying to chip a goal keeper, or running my defenders forward more often.

Speaking of skills, the new skill games are great although are much harder than previous in previous games. However, even more discouraging is the load times. In what may be a first, it’s not a criticism that it’s too slow; conversely, sometimes it feels the game loads even before the skill game has even started, and being keen to jump into a game means you often skip the skill games!

I’ve never been a fan of FIFA online, as the match making has always pitted me against a gun playing Barcelona whilst I stupidly chose Villa or Adelaide, and it’s humiliating being beaten 7 nil by a lad whose voice has yet to break. This year though I had no trouble finding a game, matched with a fellow Aussie so lag was minimal, and I think it matched us well as we drew 2-2. It probably helps that I’ve finally overcome the “Moderate NAT” issue that’s plagued me for over a year though.

I’ve always liked the soundtracks in FIFA, and this year is no different. The addition of Nine Inch Nails was a welcome surprise, although admittedly the track “Copy of A” is no “Closer” as Trent is a little older and wiser and has realised not swearing can be just as powerful a statement.

Commentary wise I was a little disappointed and confused. Last year during some matches, there was another commentator team of Clive Tyldesley & Andy Townsend for cup matches to complement Martin Tyler & Alan Smith, but this year they’re gone. Tyler and Smith do as good job as always, but when a player is retiring they constantly repeat the same thing over and over. Which is confusing, because at other times I hear completely unique commentary about players, coaches or teams, and if they talk over each other, or miss something, the commentary seems to react rather smartly, with Tyldesley apologising, for example.

Conclusion:
FIFA 14 can be seen as a refinement of a game which was pretty near perfect. It’s a refinement which grows on you after repeated playing, but is rather too subtle for even the biggest FIFA fan, especially with the anticipation of the next gen version with the potential power the new generation offers to everything from graphics to AI, combined with EA’s fancy new Ignite engine. Then again, it’s better to be mildly disappointed with a great game than to see a good series suffer, as happened with the transition from Xbox to Xbox360.

Pros:
Smoother interface
Great animations which leads to subtle gameplay improvements
Being able to save with a single button press
Chemistry styles adding more depth to Ultimate Team

Cons:
Frequent offsides
Repeating commentary

80 / 100

Review, Video Games, Writing, XboxWorld

FIFA 13

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It’s far too tempting to write off the yearly update to FIFA as an easy money spinner for EA. After all, how different is each yearly game, really? Yes, different players, a few new or different teams, a few new stadiums, different leagues, different modes all make the game different from last year on paper at least, but ultimately, isn’t it just the same game?

Well, yes and no. If you think of FIFA as a simulation of soccer, not just a game to play, as a simulation each change – no matter how small that brings the game closer to feeling like a real game of soccer can be seen as an achievement and worthy of an upgrade. Last year I said the player physics were good, but to be brilliant they probably needed more time. This year they’re much closer to brilliant. It seems that in FIFA 13, everything that started to come together last year has actually come together.

We’ll start with the physics. The ball is completely its own entity, and players react to this entity in the way real world players would act. So, for example, if the ball is dropping to a player’s head, he will header it or chest it down onto his feet. When the ball is at his feet, he will move the ball left and right, rolling it behind him if attacked from the front. And all of this is natural, as in the player knows what to do and when to do it without any extra controls needed – no need for manual dexterity on the controller as much any longer.

This physics based approach also makes things such as slide tackles viable options for players, as the player will curl around to get at a ball. Yes, sometimes the player will tangle up legs and draw a foul, but that’s soccer. It goes the other way too – being rough in defence with continual jostling for the ball will result in fouls, and I’ve found being far too aggressive in the box will give away stupid penalties, entirely of your own making.

Players feel noticeably sluggish when tired and appear prone to more relevant injuries. A fall from leaping up to intercept a corner may see the player fall and injure his arm, a slide may crunch an ankle, and an ill-timed lunge may pull a calf muscle. And yes, these physics additions were introduced last year, but the refinements to it are wonderfully subtle. There’s very little accidental collision between members of the same team unlike last year, and no odd falling on top on one another and doing the hump.

Switching player positions within teams feels different as well – a forward feels different from a midfielder which feels different from a defender. The AI has been improved significantly with through passes and runs being far more dangerous than ever before. Having said that, FIFA has moved the game back to being a team sport, where all the players are valuable, so you don’t have to simply play the well known teams and feed the ball to the big star players to have fun with the game and opportunities to strike and score. Battles can occur in midfield, and bringing on fresh players at the right time feels finally like a useful tactic.

There are still things which break this sense of simulation, of course. The free kicks, penalties and corners still feel like pressing the button and hoping for the best. And I still have no friggin’ idea of how to make my keeper dive for a penalty. The lack of certain teams and certain divisions always annoys fans, although personally I find my favourite teams are always there and couldn’t care less about some Eastern European team I’ve never heard of and likely never will being missed out. There’s still a lack of stadiums, and it’s disappointing the A-League stadiums still aren’t there although the team’s have been in the game for a few years now. Surely EA have a few grand to throw at various Australian Sporting organisations so something like Hindmarsh Stadium (or Melbourne Rectangular Stadium) could be made available to play in. I mean, it’s not like the Reds don’t need the money.

And of course the focus on teamwork has the downside of making the Play As A Pro feel far less exciting as previous years. Playing as a forward, I felt a little less like the hero, and resorted to more passing and tackling and teamwork and less one on one showboating than previous years. And the fact you can’t start as a Player-Manager in the Career mode really disappointed me, especially when I began in Barcelona and was put up for trade after my first match. Why allow the player to play for a team when you’re going to be traded? It’s worse though playing in the lower division or minor league teams – you can’t organise your backline, switch tactics, or trade weak players for better ones.

Of course, to do all that you need to play the regular campaign, so although you can import your pro and play as the pro, it still doesn’t feel as personal as the last few years. The campaign has been improved though with more options, more off field drama such as players begging to be played, injuries, but it’s still pretty much the same as previous years. And trading can seem a little odd, with players going to teams which they probably wouldn’t go to in real life.

The online play is still much the same and there are tons of online modes – Seasons, a revamp of the Head to Head mode, which sees you have to play and win 10 online games to rise to the next division tier. You can play the usual one on one matches, the online Be A Pro returns where you join a friends team, and FIFA Ultimate Team also returns online. To be honest though, because I’m not great at online, I haven’t delved into the game as full on as others may have. I’ve played 4 games and found it smooth for the most part, and full of young kids with foreign dialects who delight in kicking your arse.

This year more than previous years, I’ve found the FIFA Ultimate Team far more appealing than other modes. It is still trading cards/players and purchasing and applying consumables to keep your team competitive, and ultimately it feels like it is nickel and dimeing you in order to have the best possible, especially when playing online. However, maybe because I opted to pre-order and get a new set of gold cards every week, I feel more engaged with it. Because I don’t have to go to much effort because cards are handed out free, and I don’t have to spend much money to adjust my team to participate in the various cup challenges, I’m rewarded more coin which I don’t care so much about spending 150 coins on a health card to fix an injured player, or bidding 500 coins on a gold contract card.

And something must be said of the mini-games which replace the arena mode loading screen. These are fantastic at teaching and improving playing, and are much like real world training simulations. One of the FIFA’s once offered achievements for doing certain moves during the game, like scoring with a bicycle kick, and whilst I still think that’s a great idea, this might just make up for removing those. The different tiers of bronze, silver and gold mean you’ve got a lot of mini-games to encounter and participate in when waiting for a game to load, and often I’ve found myself replaying these instead of pressing start to play the game.

Lastly, I have to commend the commentary and the way it adds to the idea of a simulation. Although it does tend to repeat itself a little and you hear the more common comments repeated earlier in a play through of a season or competition, the throw away to commentary on other matches, the cup/league wrap up after a match, and the sideline report on injured players gives you a greater sense of participating in a competition with other teams in a real sport, or at least watching it on the television. It’s just a little touch, and one could argue they could concentrate on the commentating more, but I think it’s great.

Conclusion:
There is just so much to like about this year’s FIFA and the series is still making important improvements that justify the annual purchase. It’s finally the game last year should have been, and although there are some niggling little issues, overall it feels like a solid simulation of the wonderful world game of soccer.

Pros:
Best FIFA ever, best soccer game of this generation
Physics simulation is superb.
A massive load of modes to keep fans happy

Cons:
A little lag in some online games.
Matchmaking in online games still not perfect

90/100

Review, Video Games, Writing, XboxWorld

FIFA 12

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Complaints levelled at EA and FIFA for just rehashing the same game have been fewer in recent years, and the game has gone from strength to strength, providing soccer lovers with a reason to upgrade from each previous year with not only the usual roster updates, but solid and worthwhile adjustments and advancements throughout the core game. This year it stumbles however, and whilst the advancements never feel like a misstep, it’s one of the times that yearly iterations must be called into question as more polishing could have made this the best FIFA yet.

It all starts with defence. Tactical Defending is what EA calls it, and it’s quite different to previous games. Rather than simply focussing on applying pressure on the ball barer, FIFA 2012’s defence system aims at being more realistic. The focus is now on jockeying, containing and positioning; forcing the player with the ball into positions where passing is impossible or will concede possession. Although there are tutorials showing you the new controls, it still takes a lot of getting used to, and I’m not entirely convinced it’s better.

It certainly changes the rhythm of the game, but, I found as I usually play as lesser ranked mid table teams, I get beaten far too often. The problem is computers don’t do errors very well, and this is all about forcing errors. It just feels though at times errors aren’t coming naturally, and you have slightly less control over the game than you should. It’s not so bad when you’re attacking; it never feels like it’s cheating, it just feels slightly off, and with more time they could have got this perfect. It can be turned off however, and reverted back to last year’s methods, but that kind of defeats the whole purpose of buying a new game.

Another new adjustment is the Player Impact Engine, which is the most noticeable change to the game, and also the one which seems to have the biggest need for more polish. Players are now complete physics representations, and when players collide with each other and the ball, this is taken into account. This allows for a far more realistic jostling and impacts and play, which when it works is an absolute joy to experience. Slight nudges to players can knock them off the ball, and dribbling becomes the art it should be.

This also affects tackling. Now tackling with the X button throws the player’s leg forward, and causes the player to halt their run in a much more realistic manner. It forces you to tackle less as otherwise you’ll lose momentum, and concede many frees. It becomes especially hairy in the box. Whereas previously it was simply stupid to slide in the box, now even tackling from behind can cause penalties to be called.
But like noticing a flaw in a diamond, when it goes wrong it’s really noticeable. I had my two forwards trip over each other at kick off, leaving the ball stranded on the kickoff spot as they flailed about. It pulls you out of the fiction of the game, like when noticing a jet trail in the background of a medieval fantasy film. It’s no game breaker though, but with a little more time and polish it could have been flawless and skyrocketed FIFA into the history books as most realistic soccer game ever.

The game features all the usual modes –Be A Pro, Tournaments, Manger, Player Manager all return, as expected. They’ve had the usual yearly tweaks to make them a little different from previous years, but honestly it hasn’t changed much. Be a Pro still works in the exact same manner, except now you have to work harder to keep your player’s performance high. The Manager Career mode transfer window feels more dramatic with countdown timers and AI teams constantly trying to poach your players, and morale seems to play a bigger part in this year’s series.

Ultimate Team is now included in the game from the get go, and I found this to be quite a fun little experience. Formally a downloadable and purchasable add on, Ultimate Mode gives you the ability to trade player cards with other people, buying player packs, and competing in the Ultimate Tourneys. Ultimately it’s a pay-to-win experience, especially if you want to be competitive online, but it’s nice to have it right on the disc rather than a separate download this year.

A new addition to the game’s modes is “EA Sports Football club”, featuring “Support Your Team” As you play FIFA, you earn XP, and this is used not only to unlock strips and balls and arenas, but also adds points to the team you designate as “yours”. Each week, the scores are tabulated and shown as a soccer season. It’s interesting that the “big teams” like Arsenal and Chelsea aren’t always at the top, but I have no idea if this is because supporters of those teams are just bad FIFA players, or if there is some huge organised movement for teams like Wycombe to get a little more free advertising.

There’s also the weekly challenge, where real-world events are recreated in FIFA so you can see if you can recreate them. Scenarios like Dortmund being 1 player and one goal down at half time, or Real Madrid winning 7 goals to 1. It’s a fun and often challenging distraction and one that acknowledges the wider enjoyment of the sport.

Online the game is as great as single player is, and free of lag for the most part. Again, I felt let down by the matchmaking, as I never felt able to seriously challenge any of the random players I was matched with. I admit I’m not the greatest player, but after a succession of being beaten by more than 5 goals, I’m left wondering is it just me, or is something else broken.

Lastly, these are little niggles which have no real impact overall, but demonstrate what I mean by needing more polish. Some menus are very slow to react to input. Sometimes the players don’t load in the Arena when loading a game. Overall loading across the entire title feel longer. Nothing which is really upsetting or detrimental to the experience, just that compared to previous iterations it seems a little worse.

Conclusion:
The additions this year make this a worthwhile pick up, but this year more than ever I wish the game wasn’t a yearly event. Although nothing new breaks the game, and with practice you’ll develop an appreciation and even fondness for the new changes, it’s the little flaws which indicate that perhaps EA didn’t get enough time to do everything they wanted. If the game was given more time for polish on the new features, this would easily be the best FIFA since 2010.

Pros:
New additions to tackling, player movement and so on make the game much more realistic
Ultimate Team included right on the disc
EAS Football Club is a great new addition

Cons:
The Player Impact Engine can cause things to look and feel wrong.
Overall the game needs polish
Online Matchmaking needs improvement

85/100

Review, Video Games, Writing, XboxWorld

Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

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With PES 2012 it appears that Konami have given up trying to fight EA and FIFA in the fight for dominance of the soccer simulation market. In every way, PES is the lesser game now. This is not to imply that PES is a bad game – It’s still a fairly decent soccer game. But that’s the problem. PES has always been a decent soccer game. Although the changes introduced in PES 2011 lifted it out of the “next gen” doldrums, this year there is no evolution, nothing that makes it remarkably different from the last year.

The greatest addition is what Konami are calling “Active AI” which boasts that players no longer flock to the ball, but rather make runs, create space, and draw markers. And it works well for the most part, especially for the AI teams, as they always seem to have a player run onto the ball and defeats your backline, especially if you’re playing a team ranked above yours.

Because of this, the game feels faster. It feels far more like the PES of old. Some people might say arcade-y. Compared to last year and FIFA, that’s certainly the case, but this shouldn’t be seen as a negative. It needs to stand out against FIFA, and if this is the way it should differentiate itself, then it’s a good difference.

And this difference shines in Multiplayer. I had issues with getting online games occurring in that I kept getting told my NAT was moderate although I’ve opened up all the appropriate ports and so forth so I never had an online game, and again I hope to put that down to review code. However, offline with four people around the screen is incredibly fun. The pace of the game lends itself brilliantly to quick matches where skill often plays second fiddle to luck.

Another difference is Master League. It’s always been more in depth than FIFA, but this year also throws something more into the works. You create a manager, and there are little rendered vignettes with players and coaches discussing issues with themselves, the team, and so on. For example, if you don’t play a good player, they’ll request a meeting with you, and you have to placate them with one of three responses. It’s very cute and very Japanese. Although never as bad as something like “All Your Base Belong To Us”, it’s apparent some of the dialogue needs to go to a real translator.

All the usual modes are here – the aforementioned Masters League, the Legend Mode, various world leagues and create your own. And of course, there are a few teams such as Barcelona and Manchester, with the unlicensed teams that you can edit and import from other users. I think we’re past the point of complaining about them getting licensed teams, aren’t we?

However, there are quite a few things wrong with it still. The problem of players just stopping when the play switches direction, a bugbear of PES for a while, is still very much present. It’s not so bad for AI controlled players, but when the player you’re controlling does it, it’s annoying as hell. And speaking of controlling players, that’s not the worst of it. There are other times when the player you’re in control of will simply do the wrong thing. It’s almost as if the game forgets that you’re in control, and reverts to the inbuilt AI.

I’ve had this occur too many times for it to be a fluke, but when the AI defender player gets between the goal and the goal keeper with the ball; it has a tendency to boot the ball straight into the back of the net for a home goal. I’ve seen my defenders do it and I’ve seen the computer’s team defenders do it. It’s kind of funny, and I’m hoping it’s a bug in my review code. That and the PS3 banners around the stadiums are hopefully addressed in the full game.

The physics of the ball has also stepped backwards. The ball feels far floatier, and spins off at weird angles at times. Curved shots seem to curve in more extreme arcs. The rubber banding to player’s feet it far more pronounced this year, with the ball bounding back to the players feet colluding with animation to give a weird disconnect at times.

And the worst thing is, as always, the commentary. Repetitive, dull, and often not following the play. At least this year the menus are slick and the music is enjoyable… apart from the looped Champion Leagues theme when playing the Champion League Mode. Yes, we get it – you’ve got the rights to it, you don’t have to loop the theme endlessly over the menu!

Conclusion:
PES 2012 offers no remarkable new features, no amazing new teams, no real advancement to the soccer game genre. This is a problem if you’re looking for something else, or something better than last year’s version, but it’s still as fun as PES always has been.

Pros:
Faster paced game, with improved AI.
Fun with friends
Cute Master League developments

Cons:
No real improvements to last year
Ball physics are a little weird
AI sometimes a little slow to relinquish control to the player
Commentary (as usual)

75/100

Review, Video Games, Writing, XboxWorld

PES 2011

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Pro Evolution Soccer used to be king of the hill when it came to soccer games. FIFA, whilst glitzy and loaded with cash, couldn’t match PES for the realism and all the fun of the World Game on a home console. However, starting with the2009 versions of the games (which were actually out in 2008), we saw the tables turn, with PES playing catch up ever since. This year is no different, but the gap has closed significantly.

It begins with the 360 passing. Quick and effective passing is what soccer is all about, and whilst it’s been good in PES in the past, it needed work. It always felt in PES that players were glued to the ball and running down invisible bits of string, with passing being based on algorithms and logic, instead of timing and forethought. However, it’s changed now to be much more flexible, and indeed harder. Now there is a power meter as well as the ability to send the ball in any direction. You must practice and get used to it, otherwise you’ll feel like passing has devolved. It wasn’t until I realised holding the trigger modifies the passing allowing you to target the ball better that I began to understand why I was passing through balls instead of passing succinctly.

This year’s game is played at a slower pace than what most PES players would be used to, but this is an improvement to the realism of the game. It complements the new passing moves and the new power meter. This makes the game slightly more tactical, which means the “ping-pong” action of the game, always a criticism of PES, almost doesn’t exist any longer.

PES 2011 retains the card modifiers for star players, and for the most part works well. Messi, although a great player, doesn’t have superpowers in real life, and the card modifiers for him don’t make him unstoppable. They add an increased depth to the way the player AI handles certain situations, but there is never a sense these star players are overpowered, just good at the game.

However, the improvements are let down somewhat by the AI and ball physics. To explain my complaints with the AI, it’s best to use examples. On a run up the field with a defending player, such as Puyol, players will do a dead stop rather than run offside. However, forwards are always faster than defenders, so this means if you dribble past the line of defence, your players will be at a standstill at some points and not running up into support. Conversely, when you’re defending, your players will run back from the player with the ball, meaning they’ll lose their marks, allowing attackers into the goal square.

Ball physics still needs a lot of work, as I’ve seen the ball bounce off a player into touch at right angles to that player, who was facing away from the direction of play. I’ve also seen a corner being headed directly upwards, which then neatly fell at the player’s feet which was volleyed into the goal. Whilst it makes the game more unpredictable, and in some ways a lot of fun, there are times when the bounce can put you at an extreme disadvantage. Particularly true is near the end of the match, when your players are tired. Last minute goals which end up in tied or lost matches are far too common in PES to be put down to simple luck.

There are plenty of modes of offer, with the Champions League and Copa Santander Libertadores (South American League) being playable, as well as being able to form your own leagues and competitions. The Master League is still incredibly in depth, seeming to take more from football manager games but applying it to how you manage your club. The menus are less obtuse and confusing than before, making it easy to get in and edit tactics, team formations, individual positions, man marking and the like. However, leaving it all to the “coach” also works just as well as getting your fingers dirty with the minutia of PES Master League.

This year the Master League goes online, and I have to be honest and say I never really gave it much of a go. I like being able to jump online, play a game, and then forget about it. If I wanted to manage teams in an in depth fashion, I’d play an online football manager. However, the few games I did have were pretty good compared to my experiences in previous years. There was an awfully long wait to get to a game, but once in it was only a little laggy, and certainly not unplayable as PES has been in the past.

The Be a Pro – sorry “Become a Legend” mode introduced a few years ago is back, but it still feels like a terrible rip off of FIFA’s mode. There’s still no ongoing notification of how you are performing during a match, which makes it very hard to develop your Legend. Personally, I think they should drop this mode and concentrate on the team game, which has always been one of PES’s strong points.

This is one of the best looking PES games in years. On field animation is great, especially with the teams licensed for the game. Other teams don’t fare so well and at times some players look a little stiff, robotic and bowlegged. Replays look fantastic, as there is a motion blur applied to the camera, and you can see players heads follow the ball as it whizzes past them. The crowd animation is still poor, and it lacks the vitality of other sports games. The ability to modify teams and now stadiums is a welcome addition, but it still feels silly to call the teams North London and Pompy.

The sound is great, for the most part too. The players call out to each other, and the authentic crowd chants and drum beating capture the authenticity of a real soccer match where the animation doesn’t. The music this year is great – no weird no-name Japanese trying to be westerners pop, but actual licensed music from Elite Force and Shihad, amongst others. However, this too is let down by the commentary. Dull, repetitive, and often not following the course of play at all. I don’t think it’s particularly the fault of John Champion and Jim Beglin, but more so the way commentary is arranged and triggered.

Conclusion:
To be brutally frank, in the preceding years PES seemed wishy washy, unsure of itself in light of the more powerful FIFA. This year, they’ve gone back to the drawing board, worked out what PES did well, what FIFA does well, and tried to make the better game. They succeeded in making a better PES, but it’s not the best football game available this year. In essence, it’s a poor man’s FIFA.

And whilst calling PES 2011 a “poor man’s FIFA” may be an insult to long term PES players, I think it’s a very admirable quality to have. Konami don’t have the teams and Leagues EA can secure, don’t have the resources to dedicate to upgrading and improving the game and engine like EA can, nor even supply as good a commentary or soundtrack as EA, but even so PES 2011 is a damn impressive attempt at a fun soccer game.

Pros:
Great new passing mechanism
Incredibly in depth Master League
Master League can now be played against others online.
Relatively lag free online play

Cons:
Bad commentary
Still has some AI issues
Ball physics still feel unrealistic and unpredictable
Some dodgy player animations

81/100

Review, Video Games, Writing, XboxWorld

FIFA 10

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Developers and Publishers get a great deal of flack over sports games. The general sentiment is that they just give a slight makeover to the graphics of the game, put in new team line ups, make minor tweaks, and re-package the last instalment which they sell for full price to a gullible public. Whilst this has been true in the past, last year EA did something astonishing with FIFA 09, providing a whole new way of playing the beautiful game, making giant leaps in replicating the sport of soccer in video games, and blew away the competition. In fact, I’m going to go as far to say FIFA 09 was so good that would be absolutely fine if EA rested on their laurels and just did a roster update.

However, EA Canada has shown the EA of the past is radically different to the EA of now, and worked hard to make FIFA 10 the best soccer game ever. Admittedly the changes are subtle to the uninitiated, but the changes do make it a whole new ball game.

One of the most important changes is you are now have completely free movement of players with the control stick. No longer are your players limited to the 8 axis of the stick; you can curve your runs onto the ball when up forward, you can zig zag run when you have the ball, you can put a nicer curve when kicking and passing, you can pass to people more accurately, and most importantly, you can make runs down the touch line and make adjustments without the ball going out of play. The change doesn’t sound like much on paper, but it makes the game so much better. Going back to FIFA 09 feels like stepping into the dark ages of Microprose International Soccer.

The player AI has been improved as well. Everyone is in constant motion, and plays flow beautifully from one moment to the next. If you make a pass, players will now step over the ball if another player is in a better position to advance the ball or score a goal. Players will rarely be caught off side, and if they are it’s because the AI pulls the opposing team up-field. Defenders will step into intercept crossed balls. Opposition players are marked correctly, and your player will return into position if you pull them to help attack. Goalie AI has improvements too. In FIFA 09 I found the keepers dives impossible to beat, but now the keeper moves a little more out of his box and liable to make more mistakes, making it feel much more of an authentic game.

The ball physics have also been refined for the better. Kickers can curve and spin the ball with much more precision, and the ball moves far more naturally than any previous soccer game. I’ve scored a Beckham style corker of a goal I never was able to do in FIFA 09 because of the way the ball floated in the air.

All of this combines to bring you one of the best simulations of the soccer ever seen. In fact, the game is so stunningly accurate to ‘real life’ that my flatmate mistook it for me watching a real match. It’s not just the graphics, which are superb as usual, it’s everything – the way the teams work the ball, the way individual players look and behave, down to the commentary and the crowd noise. Yes, even the commentary sounds authentic, with Andy and Martin sounding like they’re actually at your match. Sometimes the game will slip up and get names wrong or misinterpret a cross, but there is a much bigger range of comments and banter, and I’ve only heard a few lines repeated.

Off the field there have been changes too. The addition of Virtual Pro allows you to build up a player, who can look like you, and be played across multiple game modes – no more waiting 4 seasons to get your star out of Be A Pro and into Manager Mode. You’ll even build up your players’ stats in the Arena mode. The menus have remained largely the same, which is a little disappointing because they’re still awkward to navigate, but with so many options it’s hard to think of a better way of managing them.

There’s a set play editor, which I’ve fiddled with but didn’t really get the best use out of. Accessed through Arena mode, which itself is more robust this year with options available from a couple of button presses and quicker to load, you can set up plays from corners and free kicks. It’s quite complicated and fiddly, you have to select individual players and then record where they go with no kind of copy and paste function, but hardcore coaches will have a grand old time with it.

I have to make mention of the EA Game Face here. Like previously, you could put your ugly mug on your pro player. Last year, you used the Xbox Live Camera in game. This year you use the EA Game Face web application. Annoyingly, this application went down for a few days at launch, and unfortunately only works for windows PCs. If you don’t have a decent front on image, you’ll need a camera or webcam that works on PC to generate it, although you can use any picture on your hard drive to generate the image. Most annoyingly, it takes twice as long as the in-game method and ties up your PC for that entire time. Whilst I appreciate being able to use any image, they should have stuck with the in-game method for simplicity.

Be A Pro is slightly different this year. It’s still a season with points rewarded for how you play to the position you’ve selected, with bonus points awarded for achieving the coach’s objectives. However, you gain points as you play and they’re assigned automatically. Play defensive, become a more defence based player, with better stats in running and tackling. I am not so fond of this as I feel it’s taken something away from the player – sure it’s good that it builds up based on the way you play, but if you wanted to become a better crosser, you’re going to have to cross the ball more often, which reduces your shot count, for example. I preferred building up my players the way I wanted, RPG style.

Manager Mode has had some changes which make it feel more realistic, and as always, these are very welcome. Transfers are much more realistic – there’s no more 90 ranked players being traded to 2 star teams. You have the option of an assistant coach who will swap fatigued players around, and works well for the most part. However, there are still issues with it, such as playing players out of position reducing their effectiveness more than it should, some teams missing players they should have, but these are minor gripes that will only bother the hardcore players. For me, it worked great.

Live Play mode sounds interesting. For some MS Points it allows you to follow your favourite team and replay games that have just been played throughout the season based on their current form. Don’t like the fact Chelsea beat Aston Villa? Play it again and see if you can win. Although I love soccer, I can’t see myself getting into this mode – it took long enough to get through the other modes!

Online is superb as always. The Be A Pro matches can be limited to 5 v 5, so you don’t have to wait for 10 players and fight over position… although everyone still wants to be a forward. It’s still great as an attacking midfielder though because I’ve got man of the match a couple of times and didn’t even have to score. Like last year; play your position and get rewarded. Returning is the friends’ league which allows you to play with friends, ranked matches to show your skills to the world, and the head to head matches, and all of it is relatively lag free. There are still people who rage quit in ranked matches, but I think we’ll see that until the end of time.

Conclusion
I had a real hard time reviewing this game – I simply couldn’t put it down. I’ve got other games to review, and they’re running late because of FIFA 10. It’s a beautiful game to play, full of awesomely exciting moments. It’s a game which needs to be played to realise the difference between this and last year’s game, because screenshots and even videos don’t do it justice, but once you get the controller in your hand and you’re playing, you’ll never want to go back to a previous version.

Yes, there are flaws here, but depending on your level of involvement with soccer games, I’m not sure if they’ll really bother you. Sure, the menus are annoying. Yes, Game Face should be part of the game. But I found them to be rather minor. And of course, if you want a true to life manager sim you’re going to find issues, but why are you not playing Championship Manager? However, if you want to play soccer, want to cross, pass tackle, slide and score against the computer or against a real life person, then you’re not going to get better than FIFA 10.

Pros:
360 degrees control changes the way you play game
Every time you play it’s exciting and fun.
Incredible sense of realism from all aspects of the game – visuals, controls, AI and sound.
Virtual Be A Pro allows you to play and improve your Pro in different modes concurrently
Great amount of options and game modes creating a great depth to the game
Loads quicker than ever to get you in the game

Cons:
Manager Mode still not quite up to a standard people are hoping for
Some may be annoyed that you can’t adjust stats for players as you want to.
Menus are still fiddly
Should be an option to use the Live Camera to import your face as well as Game Face.

90/100

Review, Video Games, Writing, XboxWorld

PES 09

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When I played Pro Evolution Soccer for the first time about 3 years, I was instantly sold on it. Sure, the game had funny names for teams and players, and the presentation was poor, but none of that mattered because the gameplay on the pitch was so good. It was the first time I felt like I was playing a game of soccer that closely replicated the actual physical game. The player’s skill numbers actually felt like they meant something, the team play was terrific, and the game felt responsive and fun.

But oh my, how the mighty fall. PES 09 doesn’t feel like the same series I fell in love with 3 years ago. Although there have been some improvements in getting real teams and players and adding some new modes, the actual game itself seems to have suffered as a result. Although it’s on the same engine as it has been for the last 3 years, there is an enormous gap of quality between PES 6 and PES 09.

The first thing I noticed which has changed for the worse is the team play. I can’t understand why it has changed, but players seem to flock around the ball rather than play the field. They’re often out of position or worse, get in one another’s way. This is particularly true of defence, and it means the opposition will find holes in your defence more often than they should. Players no longer make decent runs, or will run straight into opposition players instead of seeking out open space.

Passing has changed so now you hold the A button for longer passes. This is a good idea on paper, but let down by poor implementation. Often a player will run to the ball, but it will suddenly decide it can’t get their and stop their run. And I mean stop to a complete standstill while another player gets the ball, or to simply watch the ball go out of bounds. PES has always played along the 8 directions of the joypad, but now it seems if the ball and player aren’t lined up completely, the game gives the ball up.

Worse still is the physics. The ball now simply doesn’t feel right. The ball feels ultra heavy – it will stop dead far sooner than it’s meant to, meaning through balls feel wasted most of the time. And although PES has always had a problem with the ball bouncing off players, now it seems even worse. Players scramble over the balls, with the ball bouncing off players like a pinball.

Then there’s the issue PES always has had that still haven’t been addressed. Like throw-ins, where the opposition has an exclusion zone preventing the player from positioning and pressuring during the throw. FIFA 09 allows players to jostle during thrown balls, and this artifice of PES makes it seem really outdated. Also trying to score from free kicks still feels as pointless as ever. Yes, you can score, but the ability to get it right still feels like luck instead of skill. And turning kicks at goals still fly over the bar every time, no matter how much or how little power you apply.

It’s not all bad, and you will still experience some of the brilliance of the former games. Although crosses seem a little weaker, volleys still look and feel awesome when they smash into the back of the net. The pace is brisker than FIFA, yet measured. Results are still far more realistic. Although 5-nil games aren’t unheard of in PES, the occurrence isn’t nearly as frequent as FIFA, even when playing on the easier settings.

PES 09 has secured the rights of the UEFA Championship League, which is quite the coup. You can choose to play this league right off the main menu, and like previous titles, the league mode is as great as ever. You will get sick of hearing the UEFA music though. And PES still has the better manager mode, and once you get into it, the deep gameplay will have you rapt. The player improvement and transfers and all the other things which make this mode great are still in place. And now even the menu system is slightly less convoluted as before! PES also has the better method of displaying of team and player stats, meaning you can tell how good a team is and where a player’s strength lies just by looking at the skill pentagram. This is far better than FIFAs 100 points system.

A new mode to tackle FIFA Be A Pro, introduced in last years FIFA, is Become A Legend. Like FIFA, you control one player and run them through their career. Unlike FIFA, you’re not limited by their seasons, but by their age, which means you can play your pro until retirement at age 35. However, it is the much poorer cousin to FIFA’s excellent offering. You will play many squad v squad matches in order to get to you main team, and these are just on the training pitch with no crowd and no commentary. Realistic, probably, but quite boring in actuality. You can skip these, but then you don’t get XP to expand the player.

You’re rewarded for the way you play like FIFA, but there’s absolutely no feedback on the pitch. It assumes you know the sport. Of course if you have poor positioning like offsides, slide too much and get carded you, you will get a bad rating, but if you don’t know much about soccer, you’re going to get a little lost. To help, holding the left bumper makes player go into position, but some sort of onscreen direction would be preferable.
The online system is sort of weird. You sign into servers which show how many people are playing, then from there look for a quick game or ranked match. It feels a little awkward. Unfortunately I’ve only managed to have one game against a friend, although it was much better than PES 08, being smoother with far less lag, it was no where near the quality of FIFA 09’s online connections.

The game looks and sounds like PES has for the last 3 years. Menus are a little cleaner and more intuitive, but not by much. The players look a little better, but I think the player animations on field have gotten worse. I’ve seen players animate for a big kick even though I simply moved the joystick left or right. I’ve also seen the ball pass through a players legs, and it looked like all the animations played at once with the player spazzing out. However, other animations look cool, like when players automatically spin past other players.

Sound wise the music once again is what the Japanese developers think is “cool” amongst soccer fans at the moment. None of it is by any recognisable group, and although it’s not completely terrible, it’s not fantastic by any means. Commentary is almost exactly the same as last year. There is a little more banter played at the end of the game and after goals and goal chances, but it gets repetitive really quickly.

Conclusion:
PES has always been the little game that could. It’s faced the might of EA and delivered a soccer game that has been superior for most of its lifetime. However, lately EA seem to have suddenly “got” what players want, and have dished up a mighty fine game in FIFA 09. On the other hand Konami have seemed to rest on their laurels, and for possibly the first time have dropped the ball and seen FIFA take the win.

PROS
– UEFA Champions League mode
– The usual deep Manager Mode
– Still a good game of soccer
– Less lag than previous PES titles.

CONS
– Team play, ball physics and passing seem to have gotten worse
– Become a Legend mode doesn’t show any on screen help during play
– No other real improvements to the game
– Commentary gets repetitive really quickly

79/100

Review, Video Games, Writing, XboxWorld

FIFA 09

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Last year, when I reviewed PES 08, I mentioned that FIFA wasn’t in the same league as PES, explaining “People don’t play FIFA because it’s the superior soccer game; they play it because it’s got all the teams and players’ people love, straight out of the box”. Although I only jumped on the PES bandwagon 3 years ago, I can see that PES has consistently been the better soccer game. Me and some mates still play PES 08 on a weekly basis (albeit on a far inferior console) whereas my copy of FIFA 08 actually has a fine layer of dust on it.

But when people rest on their laurels, as Konami has done a little with the last few PES games, a competitor can get the edge. And when that competitor is EA, the biggest publisher in the world, it gets very, very interesting. Because, if Konami don’t address the issues of that last couple of PES games, then I think FIFA will be the better game this year.

First thing you’ll notice is the fluid and organic player animation. Beautifully rendered, you’ll see them flow naturally from one move to the next as they move down the pitch. This is true of the overhead cams, and the closer third person perspective of be-a-pro mode. It’s also functional – you’ll notice a tired player leaning over with hands on knees. A player wanting a pass will throw their hand up. And a scoring player can now be made to do celebratory moves like the robot and belly slide.

AI is vastly improved, with players running into position and dealing intelligently with the ball. A player will trap a ball if it comes to them, or chest the ball to their feet, or leap over a sliding tackle and regain control over the ball. Players will run onto the ball, spring the offside trap intelligently, and call for passes when they’re in the clear. It’s not completely perfect – I’ve seen an opposition goal keeper kick the ball as my player was running past, and my player stopped the ball and scored. There are also the errant passes that go straight instead of to the side, but these feel far less frequent than other soccer games of the past.

The ball and the players have a real physical presence, as in past years and other games, but usually this hasn’t been implemented that well, with the ball bouncing off players at wrong angles and generally not feeling right. This time it feels almost perfect. Balls will die in open space, creating opportunities for faster pace men on your team. Get a strong player running with the ball, and they’ll athletically jostle for the ball, knocking a running player off their line and allowing you to tackle without resorting to a slide and invariably a free kick.

Speaking of free kicks, FIFA 09 is far more forgiving with play ons, with the Referee allowing play to continue. Once the ball goes out of play then cards are given, which can seem a little silly, but it’s better than the game stopping and starting. It’s still harsh with the Offside, giving it in situations that no linesman or ref ever could in real life, but it works both ways and has saved me as many times as hurt me.

As always, FIFA is packed with features. Manager mode is still here, and whilst it’s marginally better than last year and still relatively easy to use and understand, it still is not as deep as PES’ offering. With the copious number of teams and leagues to choose from, it’s a great long term game play option, especially if you begin in the lower leagues. Some people have issues with the AI controlled teams not trading players in and out, but to me that’s a minor gripe. Similarly Tournament mode has had some small tweaks, but feels as solid as last year. Some criticism last year were directed at the mode for not being realistic enough in terms of dates and calendars – I wouldn’t know if that has been fixed, as again, I’m not that much of a “real life” soccer nut nor that nit picky.

The Be-A-Pro mode returns, and this time around gets the most love. Offering you the choice to create your own player, his position, and play through four seasons from reserves to major, all the whilst improving the player, it’s another deep and interesting addition to the FIFA game. I made a player for Adelaide United in the A-League, and it was so satisfying whomping the ball into the net against Melbourne Victory, and then being called up for the reserves match to play for Australia against Slovenia. This year the feedback given on where you are meant to be is more direct and helpful, but it’s still difficult to play the back line well.

But where Be A Pro mode really shines is online. You can now play 10 on 10 in the BAP online, and with up to 10 people playing in a set position during a match, it’s probably the closest you’ll get to play the beautiful game for real. There is no lack of people playing, so you can always pick up a match. It’s a rush to nominate for the best positions, but the old adage is true – every player has their part to play. Sure, sometimes it feels like playing with a bunch of abusive under 5 year olds who’ll run off the field as soon as the icecream man drives past, but with a serious bunch of people the matches are just as intense as a real league game. Furthermore lag hasn’t been a problem in any of the game I’ve played, a considerable feat seeing as I had people from the UK, Canada, Australia and Spain in my games.

To aid in playing as a team on online games, FIFA introduces a Club mode, which is analogous to Clans. You have a bunch of people in the club, and these people can arrange matches against other clubs. On top of the online leagues and ranked matches, there is now almost as many options in Live as in single player, a real impressive feat.

One thing that really impressed me are the Achievements. Usually soccer games give you achievements for winning this league or that derby or completing the modes. In FIFA 09 they’re based on what you do in the actual matches, and this in turn helps you become a better player. For example, there’s an achievement for scoring a goal from a bicycle kick, and I’ve decided I want to get it, so I’ve been trying to perfect the bicycle kick. It’s helping me learn and play the game better.

I’ve already mentioned the fluid player animation, and the good looks don’t stop there. The stadiums look amazing, and player likeness is nearly spot on. The BAP player creator is robust and you can create good renditions of yourself, but they didn’t include a Tiger Woods import a photo option for your player, which is a little disappointing. Also disappointing are the menus – they’ve been standardised across all EA sports games and work a bit like the Xbox menu blades, but I’m still not sold on the whole idea.

Sound wise the game is equally impressive, with the thud off the ball sounding spot on, and crowds chanting your clubs’ name as you play, spurring you on. The commentary by Andy Gray and Martin Tyler can sometimes they fall behind the play and become a bit repetitive, but that’s the nature of sports commentary really.

Conclusion:
We’ll just have to wait and see if PES 09 delivers the goods to match this year, but EA have finally delivered a decent competitor in FIFA 09. The marketing team says there are over 250 changes to this year, and I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know this game is a vastly superior product to past FIFA games, and is a superb game. If you’re a FIFA fan, you will be impressed by the changes, especially online, and will count this as one of the best.

If you’re a past FIFA player who hasn’t liked the direction the game has been going, or feel its just the same old same old, pick it up and I guarantee you’ll be impressed with the depth and the way the game plays. I appreciate there are people who just won’t play FIFA because it’s Electronic Arts, or they only play PES Master League because it’s deeper, but I honestly think these people will be missing out on one of the greatest soccer games of this generation.

Pros:
Amazingly fluid and organic player animations
Excellent ball and player physics
Incredible amount of options and modes
Fantastic online play in Be A Pro Online

Cons:
Menus can be annoying
Manager Mode still lacks depth of other sports games

90/100

Review, Video Games, Writing, XboxWorld

PES 2008

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The Pro Evolution Soccer series has survived because of one thing – it simulates the game of soccer really, really well. Although there was a bit of a hiccup with PES 6, with Konami leaving out half the leagues and the ability to edit teams, players and strips, it still outshone its competitors last year.

This year I want to compare PES 2008 with its main competitor, and it’s not FIFA 2008. What made me think this was a friend’s younger son who is soccer mad and absolutely loves Adelaide United (Go You Reds!). He is so excited about being able to play the A-League that even though I tried to tell him PES was a superior game, he just wouldn’t have it. To him it wasn’t better because it didn’t have the A-League. Sure, you can edit player and team names and stats, scan in team badges, and so on, but that’s “too much messing around”. And he’s right. People don’t play FIFA because it’s the superior soccer game; they play it because it’s got all the teams and players’ people love, straight out of the box.

So, to me PES 2008 biggest competitor is actually PES 6. Because PES has superior gameplay, as long as they don’t tinker with the game what is there to encourage you to buy the latest version? Well thankfully a lot. PES 2008 addresses nearly all my issues with the previous incarnation of the game. Yet there are still a number of issues to be found here, making it far from perfect.

As always, PES truly shines in its Master League. This year is no exception. With more teams and leagues on offer than the previous year, the depth is even more remarkable. You can jump in with the ‘default’ team, and this will provide quite the challenge. You’ll really have to pay attention to the way the team works together, and take advantage of transfers to bolster your side else you simply won’t progress far.

Selecting a good team makes the season easier, but it’s still no walk in the park. Even with a team like Barcelona it’s still a very challenging game.
Part of the reason is the new adaptive AI called ‘TeamVision’. Apparently designed for PES 2008, the AI team will learn your plays and adapt to your tactics, and does so pretty admirably. I found that if I was constantly attacking down the left wing, my players would be shut down. This in turn makes you adjust your style of play. I tend to always counter attack hard down the wings, but found myself playing the middle and controlling the ball, drawing fouls and slowing down the pace. It’s nice when you realise you’re learning from a game.

If anything has changed, it’s the amount of scoring that occurs. In PES 6 I had a string of nil-all draws. PES 2008 has a higher score line, but it’s never unrealistic. And given the score lines in real matches in the EPL this year, I have to take my hat off to Konami for being so accurate. This doesn’t make the game easier to beat either; working to score a goal, and preventing the AI score in return, is still as difficult as ever. It’s just you’ll tend to have 1-all draws instead of nil-all draws.

One addition that raised eyebrows when announced is diving and shirt pulling. Some people see this as a travesty; I see it as a more accurate representation of the game, as sad as that is. However, it doesn’t have a great impact on the gameplay itself. I’ve only managed it a few times as the button combo isn’t the easiest to pull off, and only seen the AI do it a few times. Plus it’s funny to take a dive, especially in the penalty area.
Graphically the game is good up to a point. Playing the game is fine, with the players looking good, crowds looking adequate, and the interface is much slicker than previous years. Gone are the unlabelled, obscure menu icons, replaced with simple descriptive words. Saving is done by highlighting “Save”. However, there is a real problem with replays. When watching the replay action after getting a foul or scoring a goal the frame rate takes a big dive and looks like slow motion. Playing back recorded replays is fine, and it’s unnoticeable if you skip the replays, but the fact it’s there is troubling.

Sound wise the game is a massive improvement over last year. There’s a variety of music now, some of it even quite enjoyable, although I think most of it was created especially for the game. They don’t even tell you the artist of the track, just the genre, which range from rock to drum and bass, but they’re pretty loose definitions of those genres. The game sound like being at a soccer stadium, but the commentary does tend to repeat itself far too often.

I mentioned Team and Player editing earlier, and it’s found its way back into the game. You can edit everything from the position of the badge on the strip, amount of colours on the team strip, position of numbers on the shorts, and everything in between. You can use the Xbox Live Vision cam to take shots of your favourite teams logo and make them more true to life. You can even import your own face, although the lack of editing tools and low quality of the camera make that more trouble than it’s really worth. If you plan on doing this, make sure you’ve got good lighting.

You can share your options with a friend if you have a memory card, though missing is the ability to share these over Xbox Live. Lacking the patience to do this myself, I would have loved the option of sharing another’s option file. I understand why this was left out though – I don’t think Konami would like to have their name sullied because some childish soccer hooligan decided to remake Chelsea with penises on the foreheads.

Speaking of Live, avoid playing this online. I’ve played a couple of games and the lag was terrible. Admittedly I’m on a slower connection now, but I’ve played other fact action games without a hiccup. This was unplayable – players warping around, goals missed as the lag tried to catch up, it was just a horrible, horrible experience. I prefer playing PES against someone in the same room, and it’s great for getting a bunch of buddies around, but avoid online play until there’s a patch.

Conclusion:
The simple fact of the matter is Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 should have been released last year. PES 6 for Xbox 360 was a gimped version of PES 6 for Playstation 2. This year we get the full game, and it’s still PES, but that works for and against it. Yes, it’s still got the awesome soccer feel. Yes, it’s controller breakingly frustrating to play at times. Yes, it’s got the ability to edit teams and players now.

But still, it feels a bit like we’re getting the same game over and over. Like the Tony Hawk series, it’s beginning to feel stale. There’s nothing extraordinarily different in terms of the actual gameplay despite the ‘TeamVision’, and he flaws it does have – the slow down in replays, the terrible online play, indicate that maybe Konami are starting to rest on their laurels slightly.

Pros:
Excellent simulation of the beautiful game
Scoring goals takes is easier, but overall play is still challenging.
Long and deep Master League.
Create your own leagues.
Ability to edit teams, players and strips is great for the fans of real clubs.
Greatly improved music.

Cons
Steep learning curve could put off players of other sports games.
Extremely laggy when playing online.
Should have allowed sharing of edited teams over Xbox Live.
Commentary gets repetitive.

85/100