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Konami is the lone contender when it comes to soccer games.  Their winning formula has put up a great fight on a yearly basis against Electronic Arts ands its FIFA/UEFA series.  It’s no secret that this is not the preferred sport of American fans, but around the world, well that’s another story.  Pro Evolution Soccer has a huge following, but last year’s jump to Next Gen left many gamers dissatisfied due to sub par graphics, laggy online play, and missing features.  Will this year’s version be any different?  Don’t get your hopes up future Maradonas.

Footie

When it comes to the gameplay, Pro Evo does not disappoint.  The game has always featured the best soccer experience.  Gamers will notice a few tweaks here and there, but nothing drastic was added or changed in this year’s version.  The athletes will tussle with each other, pull at each other’s shirt, and fake dives.  Players are given full control over each athlete and over their advanced techniques.

This, however, is not an exact soccer sim.  It’s too fast paced to be. Nonetheless, it’s a fun experience.  Fans will actually notice the more skilled players are faster and more athletic than the rest of the chumps on the field.  The game features many licensed leagues and clubs, but the list isn’t long. Konami added Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur for the English Premier League but where is Arsenal and Chelsea?  Where the hell is Manchester United for Gary Neville’s sake?  With as many fans Pro Evo has picked up, a few more popular teams to their line up could only help win over more.

Bend it Like

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 also introduces the new Teamvision artificial intelligence system.  The proprietary adaptive AI will adjust to your strategies and patterns as well as use different attacking options to exploit your weakest players.  The switching tactics are barely noticeable due to the fast paced action.  From time to time, the AI walks or kicks the ball out of bounds out of the blue. Where is the strategy in that?  Goalies fumble the ball constantly, even more so than a pre-Jessica Simpson Tony Romo.  Wait, wrong Sport.  I apologize to all our international readers out there.  The game constantly dives and fakes injuries. I haven’t seen so much flopping since Manu Ginobili.  Oops. There I go again.

Mark it Up!

When it comes to game modes, there was no upgrade from last year’s version.  Master League continues to be the focal challenge in this soccer experience as you take a team and hope to gain enough wins to move them up from Division 2.  It features basic management functions like player transfers, recruiting future prospects, and setting up formations.  This mode is addictive and challenging, but nowhere near enough depth to carry this mode.

Even though this is the second go around on the new platform, the game still lacks all the modes available on the PlayStation 2 version.  The online issues still haven’t been fixed, making it unbearable to play.  The game looks like a slightly more polished version of the PS2, but without the extra modes.  The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 boast enough power and disc space to support better graphics and a much superior presentation.  The options in this game are very basic and the music selection – well, I will leave that up to you.

The animations are hit and miss.  Sometimes they look smooth and impressive. Other times, they lag, especially during player introductions.  The stadiums are full of life but why does this version boast only 15 stadiums while the PS2 version feature 24 stadiums? A proper hooligan needs more stadiums than that.

Stoppage Time

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 is a solid game and fans of the franchise will purchase a copy no matter what any reviewer is going to say.  The gameplay is still the best out there but Konami needs to step up their game.   The changes were very minor and the new AI is not as sharp as advertised.  This would have been a solid first game, but this is pretty much an exact replica from last year’s version with a revamped AI and the same old online issues.  The success of this franchise leaves the team at a bind.  How can you improve on something that already works? 

The subtle changes leave gamers with mixed reactions. The graphics need to be upgraded, we need a more detailed Master League mode, we need a lag free online experience, and all the modes from the PS2 version will definitely make the jump to the next generation of consoles a triumphant.  This is a solid soccer experience. If you didn’t buy last year’s version, you should definitely pick this up because the game plays great.  Most of the issues from PES 2007, however, were not resolved in this new edition. Konami has promised that PES 2009 will receive a complete revamp so at least you will have something to look forward to next year.

Review by: Albert Iskander