Then
I joined Evo-Web in April of 2013, and mainly, like everyone else, for the amazing option files that were available. These option files for me, at the time, were the greatest thing since the invention of the wheel.
Having started my love affair with the series, on my friends imported N64 and Perfect Striker, there was only ever going to be one love in my life. And nothing has changed in all these years.
I never actually owned PES 1 on the PS1, I actually opted for ISS 64 on the N64 instead. Along with Goldeneye, they became two of my most hammered games of all-time.
I'm not sure when I changed to PES on the Playstation, probably with the release of the PS2, although I maybe wrong. It could have been before that.
I remember coming to Evo-Web, after a good friend of mine had told me he could get me Winning Eleven. He said it was all in Japanese, but there would be places I could look on the net to get a 'patch'. Evo-Web was this place. Heaven.
I always played Winning Eleven in Jap text, but this was a relevation. The first time I burned the patch to disc and it changed it all to English, seemed like a phenomenon. I'm sure it was a Fernando patch- jeez, the guy became my God over night, and Evo-Web my place of worship.
As the years went on, I became editing mad, although I never really did much myself, I appreciated, respected and collected everything I could.I did create some Highlight Music for JonBoyo and one of his amazing patches. This was a remix of Barry Davies samples over the top of a Let Me Entertain You and a Little Less Conversation that I had remixed myself. JonBoyo used this within his patch and kindly credited me accordingly.
And wasn't until many moons later that I actually became an active poster within the forums.
I seem to remember it being around the time that the incredible looking Fifa 09 had converted many of Evo-Web over to the 'Dark-Side'....
I was really enjoying PES 2009, and BAL was amazing. I was addicted. Yet all the focus on Evo-Web seemed to be on Fifa 09, which I can understand and appreciate. The whole manual passing, amazing graphics and animations was making PES look dated.
I can remember feeling that I was on some 'one-man crusade' to keep the passion for PES alive. And at the time, I had very little backing. Maybe the likes of Zee, Canigga and Jamez, but that was it.
I spent many hours writing essays on football fundamentals and techniques and how, regardless of the lack of polish, Konami were still adhering to them.
These were hard, lonely times on these boards, but I stuck with it. To be honest, I enjoyed the battle. It was good fun, and at the end of the day, I was fighting for my one true love.
Now
I've got a little older, and I'm turning 40 a week today, but my passion still remains. Certainly not as strong as it once did, but PES will never leave me, never. It has been the single most important game in my long gaming life, that started with World Cup on the Zx Spectrum all those years before.