Video Game Sandwich

I’ve had a good 24 hours to sink myself in to the new Pro Evo 2008 demo on XBOX Live Marketplace, and, in as frank and damning a way as possible, here are its six major points; be they strong or otherwise…

1. Control

This is perhaps the games strongest update, and a substantial step in the right direction. Players no longer have a mechanical, 8-direction axis of movement, and as such you’re not as inclined to every step of your game before playing it; the game opens up to you instead. The intelligence of the opposition has you keeping 3 or 4 different options on the egde of your mindset. Pressing the right bumper activates a close control option where your player will slowly dribble the ball on the inside of his feet, shielding it from the opposition. This will give you more time to look for a crucial pass or an opening to shoot. Control on a whole just feels sharper, and more fluid. Just like the real game players with less of a gift in the dribbling or reaction department will take bad, slow touches and will need more space for composure. The better players will be commanding of the first touch and will open the field up to themselves more; regardless of space.

2. Passing

More of a tweak than an overhaul, but a positive step none the less. There is more pace and accuracy on the right pass now, with fewer stray balls when it counts. The game reads situations well, and assesses the chance of pass completion based on the shape and position of the player executing the action, and the route the ball will take; shape your playmaker just right and you’ll be able to thread a ball through an eight inch gap between several players, otherwise you’ll just end up losing possession. Crosses also enjoy a higher success rate in this incarnation, feeling more delicate and accurate than in PES 6. Depending on the type of pass you execute players make direct, well-paced chip balls as opposed to putting their feet straight through. The ball itself seems to carry more in the air, and give you more time to react on impact.

3. Shooting

Not much change from 06’s edition here, as far as I can feel. Again, smaller tweaks are more the staple of this function than a mass overhaul. Which is just as well considering the shooting wasn’t ultimately that flawed to begin with. As is the case with the passing, it feels slightly more refined with more control on the path and power of the ball; you’re far less likely to sky the ball with a half-filled power bar. The dynamic of the shot alters dependent on player positioning, so if the ball is rolling out of the penalty area into space and you’ve got a midfielder steam-rolling towards it you can rest-assured that very same buzz that he is going to drill it into the top-corner is as evident here as it would be in the real thing.

4. Graphics and Presentation

Better. Much better. FIFA 08 still pips it, but that game spends all its money on its aesthetic anyway, so as such its acceptable. Those SNES-style menu screens have finally been ditched in favour of some cleaner-looking, jellybean-esque, grey and black gradients, and the experience feels cleaner; with less tack. The graphics themselves are quite impressive, and I was surprised with the scale of player likenesses; everyone looked quite spot on. At times faces can seem a little rough and broken, and that furniture polish-sheen on player’s kits can be a little overbearing, but I’d take this over the action man-style, everyone weighs 200 lbs. and was born the same height motif of the recent FIFA games.

5. Sound

This was one of very few disappointments in the game for me. The soundtrack is an improvement, but is still painfully tacky, and dated by about a decade; why they couldn’t just license a few songs for use beats me, surely they can afford it. In-game sounds are lackluster also as commentary is missing, and the ambience of the crowd’s 2 or 3 generic roars becomes tedious once you’ve completed a few games. I’m going to give KONAMI the benefit of the doubt here, however, as I’m sure the inclusion of such would have boosted the game from a 1 gigabyte download to the 5 or 6 mark. I’m really hoping its a step forward from last year, though.

6. Final Impressions

This isn’t an overhaul, but since when has that been neccesary with the Pro Evo franchise? And in comparison to the next-gen baby steps of last years edition its coming along leaps and bounds now. The control system and player movement is the crowning glory of 2007’s effort, and I can’t wait to see this TeamVision AI in action. All in all there’s a lot to look forward come October 26th for us Pro Evo fanatics.

Share This