PES 2009 A review

Whoa! What a game! I first played the game with an old graphics driver and the graphics was crappy. A change of drivers and the game is awesome. It’s one of the best games I’ve ever played and it’ll keep me busy for atleast a couple of months. The game sports a different menu look which is cool (reminds me of some grafitti on a wall). The game has a new feature this year. This is the “BECOME A LEGEND” feature which makes a comeback. PES veterans would know that this feature was in PES long before EA introduced the “Be A Pro” in the 08 version. The game looks even slicker this year and I feel the overall game speed has been increased by a slight amount. I haven’t checked out the online mode of PES 09 and reviews say that the game actually works, given the fact that the performance was poor in the 08 version. Another big addition in this edition is the UEFA license.

Gameplay

The gameplay in PES is by far the best any soccer game has offered so far. It’s compelling, challenging and the TeamVision AI requires you to think and score. Make a miss and you can see your opponent scoring a goal in no time. PES has certainly worked in these areas. You need to dribble your way past the opponents to get a goal even in the beginner level. Dribbling needs practice in the training mode and once you master it, the game becomes as exciting as watching a real match.

Referee decisions are also almost accurate and seem more close to real life. Transfers are not accurate. Hopefully a patch rectifies them in the near future.

Graphics

Graphics in this edition is a bit reduced, I would say than what was in the previous version. The turf seems flatter sometimes and the lighting is poor when you stand to take freekicks ( Too much specularity ). Hopefully Konami rectifies it in a future update for the game. Player models are good and some faces need a little more tweaking to make them resemble their real-life counterparts. Infact, the game’s ambassador Messi’s face is pathetic.

EA definitely scores in this area. Their graphics is better than Konami’s.

Sound

EA again scores here. The sounds in FIFA are more dynamic and real while in PES they seem artificial. The commentary is good but yet the chants and in-game sounds need to be more realistic. The control options for sound are also minimal so it’s pretty difficult to tweak them.

THE RATINGS :

Gameplay : 9/10

Graphics : 7/10

Sound : 8/10

The next review is GTA IV, PC. I’m waiting for this game badly!