New PES2011 is video game heaven

The biggest day in this Sports Junkie’s gaming calendar is here today – with the launch of PES2011. It’s 13 years since at the ripe old age of 22, I realised I needed to have a PlayStation in my life and popped down to what was then called Electronics Boutique in Hounslow to buy a brand new PlayStation with a copy of International Superstar Soccer.
Konami’s ISS series evolved into ISS Pro, and ISS Pro Evolution and now we know the game they call Winning Eleven in Japan as Pro Evolution Soccer. PES to some, Pro Evo to most others.
Pro Evo is the connoisseurs’ choice – the elderly brother to the whistles and bells FIFA series from EA Sports which used to be crap, is now a bit better, but still nothing like playing Pro Evo.
The last couple of Pro Evo games have been pretty duff, and as Fifa has improved, many have said it’s the defining football gaming experience on today’s consoles.
Fifa to me is all that’s bad about modern football.

The design of the game is great, but it really is for a younger generation who think it’s what playing football is all about. Scrub away the shiny veneer of the game and the playability factor is feeble. Pro Evo is the opposite.

Perhaps some may say it’s not the prettiest to look at, but in terms of true gameplay, it is unrivalled.
My pal Tony, who doesn’t buy football games, and myself played demos of both the new FIFA and Pro Evo games a fortnight ago. Even he agreed. “FIFA’s just so boring,” he said.
So what’s the new Pro Evo like?

Well after popping down to my local Tesco to pick up my copy and realising they didn’t actually have it on their shelves (that just wouldn’t have happened to FIFA which was launched last week in a blaze of hype), I had to go to on the ball ASDA who sold me a copy of the new game for £32.97.
Only Manchester United and Tottenham have the official licences in the Premier League with the rest of the 18 teams given names such as West Midlands Village and North East London Whites.

Detractors often laugh at this. Those who love Pro Evo know the names can be changed.
So I settled down for a clash between Manchester United and Tottenham and what a treat.

The old Pro Evo magic is back. It actually does feel a little more like Fifa in terms of gameplay and the menus. The match action itself is solid with the default camera angle similar to the broadcast camera in Fifa.
The camera angle does look a little like watching highlights from a Portsmouth home game to start with, but within a few seconds it gloriously elevates itself to a traditional overhead view.
Nothing is majorly different in terms of gameplay, it’s still solid and reliable and best of all and unlike Fifa, you actually have some confidence the buttons you press will relate to something on the screen.
As ever with these games, they take a bit of time to get used to and I played out a hard-fought 1-0 Spurs win with Jermain Defoe getting the only goal - that's him knocking it in on the picture on the right. The more you play the game you notice new things – there’s a lot more on pitch sounds. Take a corner and you’ll hear the defenders yell “concentrate”.

Players do tire easily and more realistically than Fifa and that means that adding three new players in the last few minutes really does have a benefit. The game also opens up more towards the end, again true to real life.
One real highlight of the game is the in game menu. Substitutions and tactics are well handled in a simple Game Plan option which allows you to make changes and tinker with positions with a drag and drop function. It makes a mockery of Fifa’s cluttered strategy boards.
All in all, it’s a great game and one that will see me through those cold winter nights.

The mouth-watering master league begs to be played and great to see teams like Bayern Munich and Valencia are back on the team list.
Right, time for some more football. Let’s see how Anderlecht get on against Saint Etienne...