Re: WE/PES 2008 Next Gen - Discussions Thread (Last Update 08/18/07)
GC 2007: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Hands-on
Football finally enters the next generation with the first proper Pro Evo game on Xbox 360.
UK, August 20, 2007 - Last season was a difficult one for Pro Evolution Soccer. While the mainstay of the series - the PS2 version - was as precise, tight and rewarding as ever, the fresh-faced Xbox 360 game promised much but didn't quite deliver. It lacked the match sharpness of its last-gen predecessor and, despite its overhauled graphics engine, it was still some way off the visual spectacle PES fans were expecting.
A new season is almost upon us though and this time Konami is promising a much more rewarding next-gen experience. Indeed, from the moment the kick-off whistle blows, it's apparent Seabass and his team have spent the last year building on the foundation that was last year's game, familiarising themselves with the hardware to create a more rounded, realistic and - most importantly - enjoyable football game.
The time has been well spent. Having already clocked up numerous hours out on the pitch, we can happily report that the Xbox 360 version of the game is a marked improvement over last year's effort. Visually, it's a positive step in the right direction - admittedly not the giant leap we were hoping for but a noticeable advancement. Players are more recognisable, plus they move fluidly and realistically. New details like shirt-pulling and proper facial animation add to the overall experience too - watch carefully during the replays and you'll notice players tracking the ball with their eyes, plus they visibly shout and cheer after scoring.
It's not just the pitch-side action that looks better either; the crowd is much more detailed. The previously paper-thin fans packing out the stadium have been replaced by proper 3D crowd models who jump up and down, twirl scarves around their heads (in your team's colours, naturally) and Mexican wave when there's a lull in the action. It's worth pointing out that the crowd models aren't that detailed - there's no reason for them to be, seeing as they're only really visible during replays, plus an extra 80,000 people to throw around would play havoc with the game engine. Still, it's much better than the same beanie-wearing fan repeated ad infinitum - when you zoom in you'll see a dozen or so different fans in each zone. It's a small detail, true, but a welcome one nevertheless.
As for the game itself, the big on-pitch difference between PES 2008 and last year's game is the introduction of Teamvision, which is essentially a posh name for enhanced player AI. In Konami's words, your opponent "adapts according to an individual's style of play", meaning the AI team will pick up on regular attack patterns and change their tactics accordingly. In practice it's quite subtle; playing as France, our preferred route of attack was to run it down the wing and then drag the ball back into the box where Henry would be waiting to slot it into the top corner. While this method worked the first few times (not always successfully we might add - there's no such thing as a guaranteed goal in Pro Evo) we noticed the full backs began tracking our runs more closely, reducing the chance of a decent cross being whipped in. The improved intelligence is much more noticeable on the tougher settings too and seasoned pros will no doubt welcome the increased challenge when playing a single-player game.
As well as being tactically sharper, your opponent is much more devious too. Indeed, playing dirty plays a bigger part of PES than ever before and we're not just talking tough tackles. On numerous occasions we witnessed theatrical swan dives from opposing strikers after we nicked the ball from their feet with a perfectly timed (and legitimate) tackle. Thankfully, the ref and linesman were sharp on each occasion, dishing out yellow cards to anyone trying to pull a fast one. However, Konami assures us that the official will sometimes get it wrong and that, if the ref is blind-sided, he could well give the foul the wrong way. But, like everything else in the game, a ref's mistake could well work in your favour and there's every chance you'll be awarded a penalty simply by falling over in the box!
On that note, tackling feels a lot more balanced in PES 2008. Strong players can ride the challenges much better this time around, with the likes of Drogba able to hold onto the ball under pressure, resulting in spectacular solo runs into the box. That said, scoring is no pushover, although it's more forgiving than in PES 6. Keepers react faster, running out to close down angles earlier and reducing the time you have on the ball. They're more proficient at saving long range shots too, unless you aim precisely for the top corners.
As a result, you have to work harder to score by playing the ball around the box and waiting for the right moment to shoot. Indeed, running in blindly and smacking the ball in the rough direction of the net rarely results in a goal. What's more, goalies are far more likely to palm shots away to the side rather than fumble them out into the six-yard box, so there are fewer chances to nick a cheap goal from up close.
Playing as a team is key to scoring then. That's always been the case in Pro Evo, much more so than other football game, but using the full breadth of your line-up really is the only way to regularly net the ball in PES 2008. During our playtest we tried passing it around the box, nicking it back from the goal line, scoring from crosses, heading in corners - pretty much every kind of attack pattern we could think off and each time the result was different, with the defence and keeper adapting to the way we were playing. Thankfully your team mates are equally as intelligent and will run into space, so it's possible to make something out of nothing if you play to your team's strengths and are patient on the ball.
Konami has reworked set-pieces slightly and free-kicks are, ahem, a whole new ball game. Both the attacking and defensive players have more control over their formations during set-pieces. Extra players can be brought in to strengthen walls and tall centre-backs pushed forward to capitalise on floating free-kicks, plus the option to take a quick free-kick has been refined too, meaning you can keep a counter-attack flowing with very little break in the action.
Another area that's been revamped for PES 2008 is the commentary, which is now handled by John Champion and Mark Lawrenson. Now, most of the match is commentated on by one person (in this case Champion), much like watching a game on Sky Sports, with the other commentator chipping in at key moments during the action. It works remarkably well and provides a more natural soundtrack to the game. It's scaleable too, so rather than simply choosing to have the commentary on or off it's possible to have it kick in only when the ball is in the final thirds of the pitch, or when the action hots up on the field.
Crowd noise has been improved too, with individual shouts and songs audibly apparent over the general din of the game. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Master League - which, we might add, is fully-featured this time round. If your club is performing well then the crowd will make more noise, supporting everything your boys do out on the pitch. However, it's more sophisticated than that because you can manually set fan ratings for individual players as well as teams, so even if they're not playing that well - say, you're trailing two-nil to your bitterest rival - the crowd will still get behind the individuals they love.
Having this kind of loyal following plays a big part in the players you can sign too. Big, successful clubs will always attract the very best players but smaller clubs can often draw big signings too if they play a graceful passing game or have passionate fans who will literally follow the club to every game. It's incredibly in-depth and will be a welcome inclusion to anyone looking for more than quick thrills from a football game.
Overall, then PES 2008 is a definite improvement over last year's effort. Admittedly the game is still some way off - Konami claims the version we saw is around 40% complete - but there's much to be excited about here. The PlayStation 2's trademark tight gameplay and superb AI has finally made the step to next-gen intact, so much so that playing with the 360's analogue stick - something we weren't overwhelmed with in last year's game - feels sharp and responsive.
The number of official teams has been increased, with more licensed international kits - including England - than in previous games. Unfortunately the number of official Premier League clubs is still limited to two and Konami has yet to confirm which they'll be. We have high hopes for online mode too and, while there's been no official word on what to expect, we're hoping for full multiplayer support with up to four players, possibly more, competing on the same pitch at the same time.
There are a couple of visual effects we're not convinced about though: the depth-of-field filter doesn't quite work, with the pitch in the middle distance a sometimes noisy collection pixels and the grass nearer the camera benefiting hugely from anti-aliasing, but there's every chance that problem will be fixed in time for the game's release.
That said, the most important thing at this early stage is that the gameplay is solid. It feels like you're playing a Pro Evo game and not something that was cobbled together. With just over a couple of months left to fine-tune the gameplay and put the finishing touches to the presentation, it's entirely possible that PES 2008 will be the next-gen football game Pro Evo fans have been longing for. We cannot wait.
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/813/813753p1.html
that would dramatic change and a welcome one
