Mini Review – PES 2011

Football

Can Seabass start the comeback?

Mike

Look! Actual gameplay screenies! That's how you do it, EA.

Engineered for freedom?  It’s certainly different.  This year’s Pro Evo has undergone some fundamental changes, specifically in regards to passing and shooting to produce something that will some getting used to.  The passing now requires more input and you can no longer play this game on auto-pilot as passes won’t magically find the nearest player.  This will lead to a lot of misplaced passes, as you learn the ropes but it’s rewarding once you get the hang of it.  Shooting’s taken on a more floaty approach and now rewards precision, as well as judging power.

All these changes provide the game with a more methodical, patient experience. You’ll spend a lot of time in matches holding possession looking for the right moment to strike whilst also keeping an eye on the AI which is in particularly ruthless form.  It feels strangely chess-like and gives the player something more than the ultra-competitive, scrappy midfield grind you’ve seen in the past.  Games seem low-scoring but there’s no shortage of chances.  Your teammates bear part of the blame for that.  They do get forward but the nature of the new engine means they seem slower to get where you need them to be.

All the usual single player stuff is present, unchanged from 2010’s edition.  The main meat is with the Master League which now contains an online counterpart.  This is a simplified version of the offline mode with a more fantasy football approach.  You can either enter competitions or quick matches against others to gain money from gate receipts which add to your side’s coffers as you look for new talent to fill your fledgling side with.  It’s very compelling with the transfer market playing out more akin to the stock market.  Popular, more talented players’ values will escalate as more sides acquire them whilst more obscure players will be cheaper but might not make a spectacular investment.  It’s a potential time sink for a game which hasn’t enjoyed stellar reputation as an online experience.  Traditionally, servers do lag but it’s rarely found me soured.

Editing is something Konami has done very well, lately.  This year adds a stadium editor which is functional but not massively extravagant and a league editor which proves very useful to Master League devotees who are tired of facing the fictional Division 2 sides.

Some things don’t sit with me.  The new game plan screen looks clunky and setting things up as you like might prove impossible.  Letting the AI take over with some aspects like formation and tempo can result in some rather bland tactics and they’ll play musical chairs with your personnel which can completely disrupt the team.  It’s best to just deal with management yourself.  On top of this, linking feints gives no heed to actual player ability.

Overall, the game provides a welcome change for a series that has struggled to get to grips with this generation.  It’s not perfect and will put some people off, but I’m warming to it.

7/10