Yes, but PES2008 isn't coming across as being even an evolution. And in all honesty, neither was was PES6 or 5.
If ever there was a time when the loyal fanbase had a right to expect a new engine, a move away from the same old scripts they've been churning out for nearly a decade, it was now, at the transition to next-gen.
Now they've established this same old engine on next-gen, offering nothing new or innovative, where do they go from here? Do you really think they'll decide for PES2009, having got the old engine up and runnning (after 18 months apparently :lol
on PS3, they'll just ditch that and start to innovate again? Or will it be years of more pointless tweaks, more making passes harder one year, softer the next, then harder again the next?
A few years ago, this forum was about 90% praise for PES. Look at it now. It's full of criticism and it's coming from one-time fanboys, from the very people who used to come on here to praise the game.
To me, this looks the like the beginning of the end for this game's position as the one you have to buy. At the very least, it's the beginning of the end of Konami being able to get away with their sloppy attitude of no progress.
Go back only 1 year in time, prior to the release of FIFA07, and most people here were still completely disparaging and dismissive of FIFA. Not any more.
The best news in footy gaming this year is FIFA. Not because it will necessarily surpass PES in terms of on-pitch gameplay, but because it looks like they've closed the gap further in the overall package. PES is no longer the only option. I can only hope it kicks Seabass into action.
