Pro Evolution Soccer 4 Review (PS2)

Ah, there was a time when leaves falling from a near by tree, more and more rain and the temperature dropping meant the release of the latest instalment in the Pro Evolution Soccer series. Pro Evolution 4 comes with more teams and animations than before and a whole host of fully licensed leagues. So without further hesitation let us see if the follow up to the excellent Pro Evolution 3 lives up to the standards it set.

First of all this version of the series looks better than the last graphically, still not beautiful perhaps but everything does a functional job of representing a game of football. There are now Eighty European clubs in all, including the whole of the premiership (though they are unlicensed). Fully licensed leagues come in the form of Serie A, The Spanish league and the Dutch league- presumably thrown in as part a buy two get one free offer.

Most players have their real names, that is until you get to international teams. A very strange thing seems to have happened, presumably due to some licensing red tap. Players can have their real names at club level but not at International level- meaning a strange mix of real and fake names whenever you pick international teams. This also raises another slight issue as it means there are two versions of a lot of players in the game- meaning if your building your own team in the master league you can end up having a team with Nedved on both wings and two Kluivert's up front.

More leagues, more teams, more players, more licenses, it all seems like a dream come true. Indeed if they had left the engine more of less the same as in Pro Evolution 3 we could have had little complaint (aside from the tackling issue). But it seems Konami having upped the animations have changed how the game works and unfortunately this creates a few problems. First of all is the issue of throw-ins, more often than not there is simply no-one to throw to. Then we have the utterly stupid computer AI. This does not really effect the opposition much aside from them constantly kicking the ball out of play when you get within a mile of them. But it is fair to say on far too many occasions your team mates show all the intelligence of a house brick.

This lack of intelligence manifests itself in a whole host of ways. When playing a through ball players don’t run onto it, instead when they reach the ball they stop dead then start running again or walk along the side of the ball for a couple of seconds before putting their feet on it-  making fast attacks incredibly hard to initiate. Furthermore,  players will not go after the ball unless you are controlling them, all too often the ball will be right next to a player and he will simply run the other way. This would not be such an issue except the AI seems to get confused in deciding which player it would like to let you control- One second you will be running towards the ball then suddenly you will have changed to a player running off into the distance watching the player you where controlling a few seconds before standing motionless as the ball rolls past him.

And the Problems continue- Passing is far too random most of the time with the player you are controlling often passing in a completely different direction to way you want the ball to go; sometimes it is to another of your players, sometimes it is to the opposition. Defending can also be one of the most frustrating/hilarious things you will ever see as three of your players and goal keeper all wander around aimlessly vaguely looking at the ball bounce around on the ground for a good couple of seconds despite you hammering the clearance button. This normally occurs just before a single opposition player rushes in and scores.

Luckily shooting suffers far less from the problems apparent in the rest of the title. As expected there is a wealth of different shot types available, and like the previous title if you are skilful enough you can score any type of goal you want. However, this is now much harder than before due to most shots being automatically aimed at the centre of the goal. Goal keepers are also there to help or hinder your cause with some unusually inconsistent AI- Changing from super human to terrible in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately headed shots are a different matter; unless the delivery is absolutely perfect players will head the ball up instead of down. Your player could be Ronaldo standing five yards from goal completely unmarked and he would still head over.

Then we come to the issue of the 60Hz mode. All Gamestyle can say is simply do not use on the PS2. We are not sure what has happened but for some reason the mode creates terrible slow down effects whenever the ball is lofted in. Furthermore, the screen ripples as if made from water from time to time and the players cannot seem to actually run when they have the ball. These Issues are not apparent in the Xbox version but massively hinder the Sony release.

However, though the game does have a lot of frustrating issues, it does play a good game of football. The problem is that it is highly debatable if it is better than Pro Evolution 3. Yes it has better graphics and more of everything but where as last years game was a joy to play- this year’s title descends into frustration on far too many occasions. Most problems do disappear when playing against another human but trying to build up a team in the master league or win all the cups can be a completely joyless task.

Problems are not always apparent and things do improve the more effort you put in but it just seems stupid that when Konami had an almost perfect game the previous year that they would change so much. All that was needed was a small amount of tightening up with the tackling and a few other issues; instead it seems they have used a wrecking ball where a screwdriver would have done. When all is said and done Pro Evolution 4 is still a good game of football, and excellent against human opponent- but it far from being perfect and the overall score reflects a game that has taken one step forward cosmetically and two steps back in terms of play mechanics.

Overall 7/10

Pro Evolution Soccer 3 Review (PS2)

 *this is an archive review from 2003 which first appeared on www.gamestyle.com

The series that started way back on the Super Nintendo – under the guise of International Superstar Soccer  – has come a long way since the days of sixteen-bit gaming and has evolved into what is now commonly accepted as the most ‘complete’ game of football available on any console. Now into its third revision on Sony’s market-leading console, it appears kicking the air with promises of untold refinements and improvements that will bridge the ever-decreasing gap between reality and the world of gaming. So, it was clear that such a monumental release would split opinion; and with this in mind, Gamestyle needed to come up with something different in order to truly explore every inch of the title.

For the first (and possibly last) time, two vocal elements of Gamestyle (viz, Chris and Gareth) will tackle the game – while no doubt leaving everyone as confused as they’ve ever been. Let’s start with Chris: So, is it better than the first Pro Evolution?

Yes. It’s more of a complete package – there are more teams, more competitions and more to play for. A concept has been ‘borrowed’ from its brother franchise, ISS3, which means the more you play, the more points (known as PES) you accumulate. The gameplay seems more fluid, and players control the ball better. The replays are excellent; anything can be replayed and recorded. Even the commentary is better, though it still grates (they are now capable of making intelligent points especially at half-time). Master League has been restructured with an improved, customisable transfer system.

What about the second one, Gareth? Undoubtedly. Whilst the first title contained a lot of great ingredients that took the football genre by storm, when it first launched, the second title (while seemingly more refined) contained a number of bugs – such as being able to run right through the middle of the opposition from kick-off, and it being nigh-on impossible to score headers, free kicks or from outside the box. Pro Evolution 3 fixes all of these bugs, so is already far more enjoyable and less predictable than the second title. Football titles tend to sink or swim through how strong they are in two categories: presentation, and gameplay.

How does the title present itself this time around? Are there still unlicensed players, stadiums and club crests? Chris Yes, which is a shame. But as FIFA shows, having the licence doesn’t guarantee accuracy in the content. Players from the major nations are accurately represented, as are club players, though there are a couple of discrepancies. A deal has been struck with a half-dozen European clubs, including Lazio and Parma. The rest of the clubs have fake names; for instance, Man United are called ‘Trade Bricks’. You can edit the names yourself (there are lists available online) or shell out a tenner for a disc that’ll do it all for you, and unlock all teams and cups.

A slight improvement in that department then, but if the game offers a completely immersive experience these things will hardly matter, so is this the case? Gareth? Certainly. Everything about this third instalment of the series is an improvement; players pass the ball beautifully, allowing players to build up attacking moves with genuine flair and style.

However, this type of thing does not come easy, and even Pro Evolution hardcore players will need to sit down and spend some time working out how the game works. Once you have got it cracked though it is simply a matter of how good you are – do you want to chip the goalie, or score from forty yards? You can, but you need to be very good to do it. You can play the game any way you want; long ball, passing game or relying on wingers, but you have to have the right team to do it. Don’t try and play down the wing with someone like Argentina, as they do not have the strength to do it – a nice touch, and something that means you really have to think about how you are going to play.

Chris: However, for those of you who don’t want to invest that much time in the game (preferring pick up and play), this can be frustrating. What is brilliant about PES3 is the sheer amount of different things a player can do. The range of goals that you can score is incredibly diverse, and the same applies for passing. Standing in the middle of the field, there is so much you can do. All the ingredients are there. It’s down to your skill in the cooking that will create something edible.

Yes, yes enough praise, what about the problems? There must be some? Gareth: Well, not really. The only slight problem is when performing sliding tackles; far too often players are pulled up for what seem like perfectly-executed tackles. On closer inspection, you can see that often during the tackle the ball will bob up and hit the player’s hand, causing the ref to blow up for a free kick. Accurate yes, but how many times do you see that in a real game? And you definitely do not see it four or five times a match – that slight issue aside, this is about as perfect a game of football as you can get.

Chris: One of the new features is an ‘advantage’ system. It’s a good sign of improvement over previous versions, but occasionally you’d prefer a free kick instead. Which is realistic at least, no matter how bittersweet. The game engine is very intelligent, but the screen size is too restrictive. If players were able to see more of the pitch, we could use what the game allows us to do easier. Playing against a human opponent is much more preferable and enjoyable, as when they attack the defence will be more vulnerable; whereas the computer keeps the defensive unit much tighter.

Indeed, the disparity between the computer’s shape and a human’s is the biggest difference – which is why multiplayer is so thrilling. So, we’re nearing the end of the review. And as the chapped lips of authority touch the whistle of eternity, we need to award a score. There’s nothing inherently wrong with PES3; in fact there are very few problems at all. But the intense feeling of elation that we got from playing this at ECTS has yet to be rediscovered. There is still time – as Pro Evolution 3 is a brilliant football game, and it gets better the more it’s played.

Gamestyle Score: 9/10