PES 2008 PC: what got better, what got worse?

[RasqualTwilight]

Hello,
I'd like to have your input on what you think has improved compared to PES6 (or WE11), and also what's gotten worse or seen no improvement whatsoever.

I've only played the demo, so here's my limited feedback:
The Good:
* The referee has become tougher on actions near the box, so you have to be delicate with your defending. However, he didn't sent off my opponent while I was going 1 on 1 vs. the keeper, maybe because it was a friendly match?
* Compared to the stock PES6 crowd, the new one is more lively, but nowhere near the atmosphere you can get with patches
* The passes were made less accurate, but I think the crosses are still too slow compared to real life ones.
* It seems the refs are more lenient on offsides, but maybe it's only me.

The Bad:
* Min specs were beefed up for this edition. I'm afraid I can't afford HD kits this time...
* The details / resolution graphics settings

The Ugly:
* Keepers are still too easy to beat, resulting in quite unrealistic scores (is PES turning into an arcade game?). Yet I've seen some people saying they're better. In PES5 they were über on corner kicks, in 6 they wouldn't leave their goal line, in 2008 somewhere in the middle, I suppose.
* Still no LAN mode this year, it seems. I'll probably skip if it's the case. (:/)
* Only 2 EPL licenses.


Also, I was used to the PS names for the buttons. Oh well.

Edit: Recapping thread contents.

The Good:
* Good ball physics
* Better graphics and players animations. Still room for improvements, though.
* The crowd has improved, but nowhere near chants patches you can get for PES 6. Celebrations should be really improved when scoring important goals, lack of emotion.
* The referee has become tougher on actions near the box, so you have to be delicate with your defending.

The Bad:
* Less customization options: No kit selection in ML mode! and boot/hair/faces editing removed
* High specs compared to PES 6
* Limited or non-existent widescreen options
* Bad passing accuracy (I personally think it's not a bad thing) and control, even if the pass is nothing bad or just slow
* Gameplay is too arcadeyish (fifaish): too fast, and some players can literally own a defense (My solution: stop using those players and learn to defend)
* Predefined courses are still there - sometimes the receiver wouldn't run and barely receive the pass with the tip of the foot, resulting in slower buildup or loss of possession
* Some people dislike the new PK view.
* Lack of realism in the way the game flows: no shirt pulling. Also, you can challenge players who don't have the ball and aren't close to the action (no thrupass) and the referee won't blow, let alone book.
* NO LAN MODE!!!1!one

The Ugly:
* Lack of licenses (boots, balls, kits, licenses, STADIUMS!!!)
* Well, commentaries are still "great" (I think they've improved, personally)
* The Force(tm) still repels players during throw-ins.
* Still awful GK clearing, be it foot or hand.

 

[fc0rattle]

I thought master league mode got worse. Kit editing is limited compared to pes 6, also there are less stats in pes 2008 you can't even see player ratings anymore, or check standings in the other leagues. There's no Pes shop anymore either. Master league was actually better in pes 6. I was really hoping master league would be good this year...
As for gameplay, I'll give it some more time before i decide, but right now I prefer Pes 6.

 

[Bummy_JaB]

The game is just way too arcadey for my liking. The scores are high because players like Ronaldhino, Kaka can OWN an entire team with no need to pass the ball. Its that bad. You cant even select kits before matches in ML mode. THAT in itself is utter CRAP!!! The passing is ish too. Sometimes you try and pass to some one RIGHT NEXT TO YOU and it goes somwhere else.

The ball physics are good though. And the graphics have improved drasticly.

 

[Brondbyfan]

I thought master league mode got worse . . . Master league was actually better in pes 6. I was really hoping master league would be good this year...

Can you elaborate on this? I can't imagine how Master League could get WORSE than PES6 . . . what happened?

 

[Jip_Travolta]

WHERES THE ONLINE MODE FOR US PC USERS????????

Not available yet, apparently

 

[monkeyhappy]

whats the deal with boot editing? can you change the components or is it just colour?!

 

[Interista13]

No, unfortunately that's one thing they took out.

I don't think you can change the boot design, let alone the color...

I don't really know since I don't have the game, but that's what I read in an article a while ago...

 

[karaokequeen3]

Graphics wise - I'm happy with the shift towards the 360-like ones. It's a shame that FIFA 08 (not bad of game it is) on the PC still looks like a pile of crap from 3-4 years ago...

 

[RasqualTwilight]

The game is just way too arcadey for my liking. The scores are high because players like Ronaldhino, Kaka can OWN an entire team with no need to pass the ball. Its that bad. You cant even select kits before matches in ML mode. THAT in itself is utter CRAP!!! The passing is ish too. Sometimes you try and pass to some one RIGHT NEXT TO YOU and it goes somwhere else.

But, you know, it happens in reality too, heh.

 

[loz99]

that's not the point - it's too often on PES.

and yeah, the graphics may have improved drastically, but i personally thing they're over-computerised. i mean cumon', since when did portugal's kit glisten like rubies.

medium settings is perfect for me
unbelievably smooth
although high settings has better crowd graphics, sharper kits in-game and slightly clearer faces, the graphics are still really good. they suck in edit mode though

 

[Shards]

I have to poo.........

 

[loz99]

awful post but quality sig, Shards

 

[mihalll]

I've been playing it for just one day but it feels so... 'fifish' :/. The gameplay is to fast and chaotic, the AI defence is terrible and gives the possesion to easily in front of their own goal. It's to easy to get past any opponent. The refreeing is worse compared to previous editions.

Better: Graphics, more players animations (but they don't make the gameplay more fluid).

 

[pauloz!]

the player animations are superb IMO and they do make the game more flowing to some extent.

Better: LONGER REPLAYS!! at last you can actually see the build up play to a goal!!

 

[elhelmiey]

the AI defence is terrible and gives the possesion to easily in front of their own goal

it happened to me for so many times that the cpu defenders clear the ball into their own net!

 

[faceNside]

although high settings has better crowd graphics, sharper kits in-game and slightly clearer faces, the graphics are still really good. they suck in edit mode though

Yeah, what's the point on that??
Look at this: I play with medium quality settings, and I get these awful previews in edit mode, jaggy and blurred. Compare it with in-game graphics :P





In addition, you cannot use custom faces nor hairs in any player... It just sucks man!

 

[lampuiho]

I thought master league mode got worse. Kit editing is limited compared to pes 6, also there are less stats in pes 2008 you can't even see player ratings anymore, or check standings in the other leagues. There's no Pes shop anymore either. Master league was actually better in pes 6. I was really hoping master league would be good this year...
As for gameplay, I'll give it some more time before i decide, but right now I prefer Pes 6.

you sure? r u blind or something? make sure you really know it before making any comment

 

[Suraka]

my thoughts on PES2008

i think the game is the same in PC, Xbox and PS3, i've only tried the pc version.
here are my thoughts, sorry if i'm repetitive.

- graphics: i like the improvement but not next-gen yet. konami could learn a lot from ea (next-gen) in this matters. for example, the faces are more like the real ones in PES but in FIFA they look far more like real people which are running not making poses to the camera.

- editing: like the "picture to face" feature addition but don't like the unavailability to add facial air to it, it just make it almost unusable.
lack of boots, balls, kits, licenses, STADIUMS!!!...

- sound: PES like, not much to say, grown accustomed to it, although i have one thing to say, if you're a Spanish speaker but not from Spain like me, don't even think about installing the Spanish commentaries, they are just awful, English is not much better but you don't pay much attention to them.

- gameplay: mmm, where do i start...
The reaction of the players is still the same whether they are in the center, near the line or under their own goal.
The ball control is very COM balanced, the COM players receive the ball perfectly. but the slowest pass you make can end up in a foot rebound whether the receiver is running or just standing still.
When you make a through pass the receiver walks until the last moment when he sees it's not going to reach the ball and he tries to reach it with the tip of the foot resulting in a rebound (read above).
90% of the times when COM makes a throw-in he plays it back, 50% of the times he makes it, the receiver just stands still or receives it bad, which is just unacceptable considering that opponents cannot get closer than 4 meters due to the protection of an invisible forcefield.
when making a pass if the ball is not rebounded on the foot (again) the receiver may let it pass through him, i thought that if i wanted to do that i had a button for it, even if the player is not running.
The goalkeepers are making their best effort to put the ball in their own nets, i thought that was going to be a "demo bug" but just keeps happening all over again (a lot less but still happens very often).
to continue with the keepers, i think any keeper can put the ball where he wants when he kicks it or throws it with the hands, but it has never been more difficult.
why a goal kick should be treated differently than a free kick in the small box?, what i mean with this is that i think the goal kicks should be "gauge-able", the same applies to penalty kicks, i'm a person who hates randomness, i know it depends on the kicker's abilities but just seem too random to me.
Talking about the penalties: the camera!!! who told konami that it was a good idea to change the camera??? you never know if the ball entered or not till it's too late. There's some problems too when you shoot from long distance, the camera stops and you wait if the commentator says something.
The defense makes terrible mistakes very often, they form small groups and they keep together creating big spaces for the attackers to run into the box with not much opposition.
Too much for gameplay. i know that many people liked but i think there are some issues which should be taken care of.
OK, just one thing more; i've played almost 2 seasons and i haven't seen not one shirt pull which caused any effect, not one, seriously, not even a single slowdown or fall, not to mention a free kick, and i'm trying hard... i think the shirt pulling shirt (correct me if i'm wrong please) it's just rubbish.

-animation: the goal celebrations are lack of emotion, they don't transfer any sense of victory, i want to see transfigured faces when you score a winning goal in the stoppage time.
...i want to get serious at this point (not that i'm being very funny) because it something that keeps bugging me, when you run with the ball, pressing the R1 button with all your right index finger's strength, the player starts to make little steps which should be understood as the player's attempt to do something good for the team, instead, looks like he wants to be stopped by the one defender or a group of defenders (read above about group of defenders).

ok, i'm sorry, i'm tired and a bit frustrated, i was a fifa player since got a pc where i could play pes 5 (had a geforce 2 before), i loved it, but now seems i have to play PES not because is the best, because it's the better bad.

 

[monst]

PES 2008 is a big disappointment to me in so many ways. Firstly there's Konami's aversion to getting the resolutions right and having to rely on Kitserver to come to the rescue. Simply not acceptable in my view.

Then, there's the gameplay. What have you done Konami? It's not evolution it's completely different from PES 6... I was hoping for a more evolved version of 6, instead we have to put up with even more angular and unnatural movements from players, even if they are more fluid. You just don't see real life players moving in that way. It feels... awkward to me, I don't know why... Maybe I just need to play it some more...

The master league will take some getting used to, I'm not sure I like the new layout, it is well organised though. I liked the way you could see the ability of the teams whilst setting the kits, this feature does not seem available any more, which is a strange one to me...

Whilst I see progress in presentation, the gameplay has taken a step back in my view. The players and ball are too small compared to the size of the pitch, so when you're in normal long, you seem too remote from the action, but normal medium is too close, indeed, I had a shot in this mode and never saw how close to the goal it went and I was only just outside the area!

I am going to persevere with it in the hope that I will suddenly "understand", but I am also going to keep PES 6 on the go, as in my view, that is still the best football game around.