GameGuide

I’ve never played Pro Evolution Soccer before; my only experience at Soccer games has been through EA’s FIFA series, which whilst fun, had always had a little something missing. I wasn’t sure what that something was until I played Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PES).

Comparing the two games side by side is difficult, because PES is the only soccer game I’ve played on the 360. What I can say is that graphically it is awesome; I have absolutely no gripes with the graphics, the Ai or the controls – other that I wish a few more of my shots were on target! The main difference other that a graphics between the old school FIFA game and PES is the complexity of the game – it seems that with each years release of a franchises’ sports title, the game become slightly more complex, so that a soccer game that you might have played a few years ago and found to be real easy, would now have grown into much more of a challenge. This of course is a good thing as it adds depth and challenge to the game.  

The problem is that all soccer games employ exactly the same game mechanics – that is that you play the entire team. Obviously not all at the same time, rather the person with the ball or closest to the ball. This is an obvious way to run a team game and has served the genre well for many years, but as I mentioned before, it always seemed like something was missing.

Now thanks to Pes I know hat was missing. Along with all the standard options for game play, PES has a feature called Be A Legend. This is where you get to create a player and play him (and only him) in an effort to become a soccer legend.

Now, rather that playing the whole team, you only get to be one person, meaning that you have to make sure you’re in position to be passed the ball and to shoot goals, as well as making the right decisions to pass the ball so you team mates can score. Every decision you make impacts you journey to becoming a legend, or a no body. Get noticed and you’ll be offered a position on a team, work your way up through the ranks and one day you might just become a legend.

So if you’re looking for that something extra in a soccer game, look no further that Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, it has the options and gameplay to keep an serious soccer fan happy.


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