 | Critically
acclaimed, multi-million selling and still the most respected football
title on the planet, Pro Evolution Soccer continues to be one of
Konami's flagship titles. The indications are that this latest
incarnation will surpass everything that went before it and prove that
PES 2008 will be the greatest version of the beautiful game to date. Two
new cover stars will grace the packshot with multiple player of the
year Cristiano Ronaldo and England star Michael Owen endorsing the
quality of PES 2008 by deciding to use their considerable talents
alongside that of the game. As well as the outside having a new look,
fans will be eager to know what new changes can be found inside the
most important area of PES 2008 - the gameplay. PES 2008 will
feature a brand new intelligence system, called Teamvision, that adapts
and reacts to players own gameplay styles to ensure that the computer
controlled opponents are always challenging and forcing the player to
think and chance their style of play to avoid being out-thought by the
game. It will learn counter attacks that target your weaknesses and
look to exploit any repetitive tactics players use. Defenders
react better to danger, closing down the ball and charging at shots and
the goalkeepers will hold shots that are closer to them as well.
Teammates will make more intelligent runs into space and the close
control has been sharpened to ensure quick and fluid passing and speedy
attacks can be built. The next gen versions will also feature extensive
edit modes so players can completely customise their PES 2008
experience. - Teamvision AI - learns and reacts to players techniques
- More intelligent computer opponents
- Dramatic improvement at set pieces
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Review by IGN
Goooooooooal? US, March 18, 2008
- Pro Evolution Soccer, or Winning Eleven as it was known for some time
stateside, has always been a step above FIFA in terms of authentic
football action. At least that's the way it has been on consoles. On
handhelds, things are a bit different with the general lack of hardware
power and inability to produce the high production values that EA
Sports titles tend to thrive on. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
delivers similar gameplay mechanics to what FIFA brings to the PSP but
does so with a more expansive list of moves and modes that are ripped
straight from the console iterations.
The best feature of Pro
Evolution Soccer 2008 on PSP is easily that it doesn't give up any of
the core modes that can be found in the console editions. While the
online mode has been stripped away, you can still play ad hoc against
another PSP owner in close proximity so that counts for something.
Master League, Cup, World Tour (a mode only seen here and on the PS2),
League, Match, and Training are included in this version and none feel
stripped down in the slightest. You can still create your own player
and sign him to your favorite team and you can still piece together up
to 52 teams to compete in a number of unlicensed cup tournaments.
 Strong kick.
The Master League mode is the star of the stable of modes as it lets
you play the managerial role for your would-be powerhouse. You can
participate in negotiations where you can pickup unsigned players for a
price or you can see your team's estimated earnings for the year so you
can budget your spending. While the fan snapshot and other pieces of
personality have been removed, the Master League mode in the PSP and
PS2 versions actually has a few more difficulty settings that can be
tweaked.
The action on the pitch looks about as realistic as
you should expect from a PSP game. There are instances when you'll feel
in less control than is ideal and players do occasionally move like
they're on rails, but all in all the animations work well to deliver
authentic football. The range of moves that you'll see is fairly
impressive, especially when you consider the limited amount of button
real estate on the PSP. Looking through PES's manual you'll find a
laundry list of shot and cross types that can be pulled off. Some of
the button presses that are required are a bit more convoluted than
they are on consoles, but after a bit of time spent in the training
mode you shouldn't have a problem pulling them off. Some might miss the
second analog stick for tricks, but that's more a fault of the system
than the game itself.
We've talked about the upped
presentation values of Pro Evolution Soccer in our reviews of the
console version and once again we're happy to report that the PSP
rendition has seen a similar treatment. While the menu systems
obviously can't hold the same resolution as its bigger brothers, the
style is the same and the fact that all of the introductory cutscenes
are in place is cool to see.
 Incoming!
As far as visuals go the PSP version of PES takes the requisite step
down when compared to the rest of the field. Players are jaggy with
some funny looking bodies, but that's to be expected when playing on a
handheld system. The good news is that the animations still perform
fairly well, even if you don't feel like you're always in control.
Crowds feature a static display of something that is supposed to
resemble fans, but fails. Luckily things stay fluid throughout all of
the action, unlike the console versions which have an odd tendency to
chug during replays.
The audio in PES '08 on PSP leaves a bit
to be desired as the commentators who did such a solid job in the
console version has been removed. I understand that the PSP has a
tougher time with loading pieces of audio but the presentation suffers
because of it. The soundtrack features the same tracks as the other
version, which is a shame because they're all horrible.
Closing CommentsPro
Evolution Soccer 2008 on PSP is a very impressive soccer game, mainly
because it mimics the console versions so well. While it would have
been nice to see a few specialized PSP mini-games, the fact that we can
play through years in Master League with a created player and watch him
develop is cool enough. We’ll just have to forget the fact that you
can’t hop online and play your buddy across the country. Maybe next
year… IGN Ratings for Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PSP) | 7.5 | Presentation
Not
quite up to the consoles but still solid. Menu systems feel a bit more
old school than they do elsewhere. Cool cutscenes help introduce the
respective modes. | | 7.0 | Graphics
The detail on the crowd is terrible but the players look decent and move well. | | 6.5 | Sound
The crowds sound good but the total lack of commentators is a bit of a bummer. | | 8.5 | Gameplay
You don’t feel like you have the level of control as you do on consoles but it’s still a blast to take to the pitch. | | 8.0 | Lasting Appeal
No
true online mode (only ad hoc) is a big disappointment. Other than that
you’ll find everything that’s in the console versions. | 8.3Impressive | OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average) |
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