Pro Evolution Soccer 2009

[Spee]

I scanned down the long wall of text and I caught sight of Master League, at least they're making negotiating better. Before you had no clue what the other team/player wanted so you could be wasting tons of 'points'. That better change too, I want real currency, damnit!

Now reading a little more, they're saying that quick wingers can't burn past defenders anymore, when could they ever? PES has always had 60 speed defenders keeping up with 90+ speed attackers.

I actually thought this was the case with 2008 - I certainly had no problem with an Ashley Young type beating a Thomas Helveg type, for example. You do have to keep in mind though that a player will always be slower with the ball running than without it.

[Baddar]

Now reading a little more, they're saying that quick wingers can't burn past defenders anymore, when could they ever? PES has always had 60 speed defenders keeping up with 90+ speed attackers.

I know I'm somewhat of a PES genius () but I found it easy. It was a case of letting go of the sprint button as the defender/WB came towards you, and then just slipping past him with ease after hitting R1.

Also, when being chased down, not challenged head on as such, instead of holding R1, you just had to tap it a few times to steal some yards before sprinting away from him.

[Summers]

Buying it just for Legend mode.

[Animal]

I think I'll pick this up rather then fifa this year. It sounds good and the videos look like this years installment could be great again.

One thing I miss in footie games these days is the occasional elbow or two feet tackle. Remember with fifa 98 where you just pressed one of the bumpers or something and you K.O.ed a player, took away so much frustration.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Yeah, Lennon is good in 08 because you can slip past defenders quite nicely. Even slower players can if you time the speed burst or direction change well. It's quite satisying and realistic, especially when you draw a foul from a slower defender.

You should keep running forever after it anyway (allowing a defender to catch you up). The turn of speed to get you past should be to set up an early ball in, or a jink inside or something like that.

And nothing beats a horribley badly timed tackle when someone's annoying you. The computer made a couple of badly timed cynical challenges on Van der Vaart (a Master League signing) causing him to get injured but not getting more than a yellow card in the process. My players crowded around the referee to complain. A few minutes later I go in horribly over the top on the offending player, took him out and all hell broke loose after that. Hehehe.

[Baddar]

I think I'll pick this up rather then fifa this year. It sounds good and the videos look like this years installment could be great again.

One thing I miss in footie games these days is the occasional elbow or two feet tackle. Remember with fifa 98 where you just pressed one of the bumpers or something and you K.O.ed a player, took away so much frustration.

Well, it's touched upon in the review, but I think the longer you hold down the standing tackle, the harder you'll go into it. I'm not 100% sure, but I seem to recall somebody saying that it applies to the sliding challenges too.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

But can you spit at people and kick at people off the ball?

I'd call it the "Eboue Mode".

[Whisper]

Speaking of player specific traits... are Michael Brown tackles included in the game?

[Crybaby Bunting]

I wonder if playing as Man Utd/Chelsea will include the yell at the ref mini game

[Baddar]

But can you spit at people and kick at people off the ball?

I'd call it the "Eboue Mode".

You can spit at the screen if that helps...?

[King Ellis]

Can you use the SIXAXIS to control the spit?

[Crybaby Bunting]

Yes, and to include such a huge feature the Exhibition mode has been removed from that version

[Marsh]

Tried PES08 again the other day.

Noticed that online mode now supports 2 human players on the same team VS other people. Is that a new feature? I swear it must be the byproduct of an XBOX update? Hmm.

Regardless, it was wholly unplayable due to lag. A bit of stuttering I can put up with, but the ball would disappear entirely and reappear at the other end of the field. This game has been out almost a year now and is still fundamentally broken. This can't be just me, right? Online does not work. That's scaring me away from 09. If 08 had that teething problem and was fixed, I wouldn't worry. But 08 is still unplayable online, which tells me that Konami just don't give a shit .....?

[Baddar]

Tried PES08 again the other day.

Noticed that online mode now supports 2 human players on the same team VS other people. Is that a new feature? I swear it must be the byproduct of an XBOX update? Hmm.

Regardless, it was wholly unplayable due to lag. A bit of stuttering I can put up with, but the ball would disappear entirely and reappear at the other end of the field. This game has been out almost a year now and is still fundamentally broken. This can't be just me, right? Online does not work. That's scaring me away from 09. If 08 had that teething problem and was fixed, I wouldn't worry. But 08 is still unplayable online, which tells me that Konami just don't give a shit .....?

Konami has ensured that online play in 2009 will not only be playable, but will match the quality of Fifa's online service. 2008 was very poor online indeed.

Up until now, the testers haven't been able to try out 2009 online, due to the servers not being up yet. I'm sure they'll be able to well in time for release and give everyone feedback on how it's working. I'm quietly confident of a playable to good online this year.

[Crybaby Bunting]

I find it scary that the public servers still aren't up yet, surely they should be allowing the testers to try out how the servers work and work them around the critisizm. Once the servers are up and it turns out there's a game-breaking glitch there's no way around it until maybe a month afterwards.

Then again I'm going to be playing at home with a few mates anyway so I guess it doesn't really matter.

[The Quasi Juice]

Two more things I want to whine about, about Pro Evo 2008:

1) Why did they even include the diving feature. Every time you use it it fails and you get a yellow card. WHYYYY would you give someone the option to dive if the outcome is always that the referee doesn't fall for it and that you get a yellow card. Now I'm sure people will say; oh it worked for me once, bla bla, well it never did for me and the people that did make it work probably hit that 1 in a 1000 chance of not getting a yellow card. I tried it at the start of the game a couple of times, now I never use it anymore. Sometimes I do with mates or something for laughs, because....you ALWAYS get a yellow card. Fucking stupid, grrrr.

2) The following scene has happened to me at least 5 times now in the last 3 weeks playing against my mate; he runs into my 16 yard box. I run after him with a defender and I'm about to take the ball away from him but guess what happens, one of my "teammates" decides to stick out his knee while I'm not even that player and he causes a penalty! I also have had a teammate suddenly tackle the opponent, get a red card, and cause a penalty. Why is the computer making decisions like that without my consent?! At times like that I really feel like just giving up PES, because how can you even have a fair and square game if the computer does things like that.

[TCO]

Regarding the diving, I got it to work in the demo 3 times in onr session, but never got it to work once in the full game.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I rarely use the dive feature (In fact I'd forgotten it existed until you mentioned it) but I know I got it to work a couple of times and my friend did too when I was playing him (much to my anger).

[Summers]

First time I tried it, it worked against a friend.

never since.

never again.

never ever.

[The Future]

I really like the drag-back nutmeg trick though, did it to a goalie today it was so fun:)