Perth Glory
Senior Squad
From C&VG, I usually find these guys are spot on when it comes to reviewing football games.( follow link for screens and movie)
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/news/news_story_main.php?1&id=80483
PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2 HAS LANDED!
The greatest football game in the universe just got even better - massive PS2 media blowout inside!
17:44 Let's make no mistake, we love our football here and we'll happily while away the hours fiddling with any related game that's shoved under our noses. However, when a new Pro Evolution Soccer comes through the door we're reduced to shambling, stuttering wrecks, unable to contemplate the genius that is before us.
And "genius," though an overused term, is entirely appropriate when referring to the PES franchise. Right from the original PSone title through to this year's sublime PES2 on PS2, the series gets closer to the very essence of the beautiful game than any other title in videogame history. By a mile.
Its beauty lies in its accuracy. Take any of the majority of competitors on the market and novices and professionals alike will find themselves racking up absurd, rugby-like scores as a matter of course. In PES, an expert can bombard a novice or 89 (virtual) minutes, then the novice can dash up the pitch and grab a winner utterly against the run of play. Just like in real football.
Players of PES on PS2 already know the truth and have been wondering how Konami can possibly improve on such an already genre-defining formula. The Japanese Winning Eleven 6 proved beyond doubt that improvements could be made, but where other companies would happily take the easy route, Konami has pulled out some seriously impressive stops for the Western release, Pro Evolution Soccer 2.
Massive improvements have been made over PES, but here's a taster of what's changed just from the Japanese edition of WE6: the action is much faster and smother now, with precision play facilitated by 105% more player animations; furthermore, 25% of the animation has been redone from scratch so now players can stick out a speculative lunge for a ball and all manner of other idiosyncratic manoeuvres. Again, just like in real football.
In addition, the transition from east to west has increased the physicality of the experience, to bring it more in line with our style of play. By changing the physical proportions of players, on-pitch aggression can be increased, so now individuals are better able to hold off players when challenged and you'll also see the odd man charge in, bull-like, at free kicks. Roy Keane would be proud.
In a more general sense, the squad roster has now swelled to an impressive 64 international squads, with eight hidden teams thrown in for good measure, such as Classic France and Classic England. The edit suite has also been dramatically expanded allowing you to alter attributes to an even finer degree, such as choosing whether a player is left or right footed - and it really does make a difference.
So, ladies and gentleman, we are on the verge of something very special indeed; on the very cusp of greatness one might say. But before we drown in a pool of our own saliva, allow us to bring to your attention the UK PES2 championship in association with GAME, Konami and Dennis Publishing. There's a whopping £1,000 up for grabs for the eventual winner plus a whole stack of other goodies including advance demos of PES2 for all entrants. For full information, click here and get practising.
Then hit the links below like a rabid dog and bury yourself beneath a suffocating mound of PES 2 joy.
Johnny Minkley
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/news/news_story_main.php?1&id=80483
PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2 HAS LANDED!
The greatest football game in the universe just got even better - massive PS2 media blowout inside!
17:44 Let's make no mistake, we love our football here and we'll happily while away the hours fiddling with any related game that's shoved under our noses. However, when a new Pro Evolution Soccer comes through the door we're reduced to shambling, stuttering wrecks, unable to contemplate the genius that is before us.
And "genius," though an overused term, is entirely appropriate when referring to the PES franchise. Right from the original PSone title through to this year's sublime PES2 on PS2, the series gets closer to the very essence of the beautiful game than any other title in videogame history. By a mile.
Its beauty lies in its accuracy. Take any of the majority of competitors on the market and novices and professionals alike will find themselves racking up absurd, rugby-like scores as a matter of course. In PES, an expert can bombard a novice or 89 (virtual) minutes, then the novice can dash up the pitch and grab a winner utterly against the run of play. Just like in real football.
Players of PES on PS2 already know the truth and have been wondering how Konami can possibly improve on such an already genre-defining formula. The Japanese Winning Eleven 6 proved beyond doubt that improvements could be made, but where other companies would happily take the easy route, Konami has pulled out some seriously impressive stops for the Western release, Pro Evolution Soccer 2.
Massive improvements have been made over PES, but here's a taster of what's changed just from the Japanese edition of WE6: the action is much faster and smother now, with precision play facilitated by 105% more player animations; furthermore, 25% of the animation has been redone from scratch so now players can stick out a speculative lunge for a ball and all manner of other idiosyncratic manoeuvres. Again, just like in real football.
In addition, the transition from east to west has increased the physicality of the experience, to bring it more in line with our style of play. By changing the physical proportions of players, on-pitch aggression can be increased, so now individuals are better able to hold off players when challenged and you'll also see the odd man charge in, bull-like, at free kicks. Roy Keane would be proud.
In a more general sense, the squad roster has now swelled to an impressive 64 international squads, with eight hidden teams thrown in for good measure, such as Classic France and Classic England. The edit suite has also been dramatically expanded allowing you to alter attributes to an even finer degree, such as choosing whether a player is left or right footed - and it really does make a difference.
So, ladies and gentleman, we are on the verge of something very special indeed; on the very cusp of greatness one might say. But before we drown in a pool of our own saliva, allow us to bring to your attention the UK PES2 championship in association with GAME, Konami and Dennis Publishing. There's a whopping £1,000 up for grabs for the eventual winner plus a whole stack of other goodies including advance demos of PES2 for all entrants. For full information, click here and get practising.
Then hit the links below like a rabid dog and bury yourself beneath a suffocating mound of PES 2 joy.
Johnny Minkley