Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 Review

PES, Fifa, PES, Fifa - there has never been a bigger sports game rivalry and this year it's no different. With a brand-spanking new game engine, Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 is bigger, better and more stunning to play than ever - so, can it live up to the glory of Fifa last year, or bring on another disappointment allowing more of their loyal players to switch to the rival game?

I have always loved Pro Evolution Soccer (even when it was back on the Playstation named International Superstar Soccer), but last year's game was what many would call an epic failure. The controls were clunky, the passes were always adrift and the game never felt like it could be played with proper control. This year however, Konami have gone all out.

Let's start with graphics, the first thing you notice in a football game or any game for that matter. EA and Fifa have always dominated in this sector with fantastic looking player models since the dawn of the next-gen consoles, although Konami have proved they can rain down on their parade. Some players such as Rooney and Ferdinand (Note: I like Manchester United) look uncanny. This might sound stupid, but taking a look on replays during the game I have been mistaken for just a split second I was watching real life footage. Players' shirts move in a realistic fashion too. They don't have a physics engine as such, but as a player runs, jumps and shoots you can notice creases and movement in the clothing.

Gameplay is the most important factor in any brilliant football game. You can have all the fancy graphics you like, but if the gameplay isn't polished enough then there is no point in even playing any longer. Unlike last year, the passes and sublime crosses to your favourite superstars feel fantastic. You get the awesome feeling you got from early PES games when you manage to pin-point a perfect through-ball or whip-in a cross landing straight at your strikers' feet. It's good to see that Konami have made such a massive improvement in that field alone.

Early on this year, EA showcased the 360 degree dribbling that will be included in Fifa 2010. Late into development, Konami had no such engine and would have been fixed to the classic 45 degree angle dribbling. Just before the game was finished however, they managed to make a competing system. It improves your control on the ball, let's passes be considerably more accurate and just gives the player a better grip on the game. Going back to previous titles just makes you feel sad.

Game modes have always been dominant in PES games. The main mode, Master League has had a massive overhaul this year. There are so many things to get your teeth into with a massive amount of in-depth options and menus. You have: sponsorships, operating costs, a fanbase, a youth team, real money, player dossiers, specialist training, skill cards and player indexes.

• Sponsorships bring in money for each season depending on you performing up to their standards.

• Operating costs shows you how much money you need to get you through the year with expenditures such as physios, coaches and scouts.

• The fanbase grows with your popularity in the world of the beautiful game bringing in more sign-up income.

• The youth team is separately trained and allows you to sign professional contracts with these new players.

• All the money spent and received can be in £'s, $'s, €'s or Yen instead of the game's old currency.

• Player dossiers give you an insight on how the player is doing and how they feel such as if they don't feel they aren't playing enough matches.

• Specialist training allows you to spend money on specific areas to improve on for individual players. Then finally:

• Skill cards and player indexes showcase special abilities individual players have allowing you to choose if they use these abilities or not. E.G. Rooney can be chosen to run back from his forward position to help defend by switching that card on.

The UEFA Champions League mode has also had an overhaul making the menus easier to navigate but the one thing that should have been improved a bit more is the Be a Legend mode. You play your first game to get chosen by a scout and signed a professional contract and then you seem to be forever playing team matches and not being on the bench having the opportunity to play in real games. There is no commentary in the inter-squad practice matches so it gets very boring after some time just hearing players groan when challenged. They have made some improvements such as being able to track your progress and what the manager thinks of you a bit better, but it can still be seen as a bit too hard.

AI has been one thing footy games do incredibly bad or incredibly well. In PES 2010's case, it's the latter. Konami's trademark Teamvision system is now in it's second version. You can really feel tell that almost all the time your teammates that aren't in possestion are doing all they can to make themselves available to pass to or mark opposing players ETC. This is aided with the help of the skill cards I mentioned earlier - giving some players the physical edge over others. Opposing players have some great vision and AI too. I was losing 1-0 and with the last few moments of the game, the opposing AI ran the ball to the corner flag and wouldn't let me have it. I was shocked knowing how realistic this game's AI has become.

The sound in the game is something that definitely needs to be brought up. The crowd has had a massive improvement in terms of reacting to what is happening on the pitch. They will boo and whistle when the away team has the ball for too long and will chant depending on how their team is doing. The music has had a massive improvement too, You can say bye-bye to the homemade rubbish that Konami used to shove on the menu screens and say hello to some real music. Artists like The Kaiser Chiefs, The Klaxons and The Chemical Brothers are among many that give the game a good atmosphere when you aren't even kicking a football about.

There is so much this year to look forward to in PES 2010. Whether you are a fanboy or not, you will love how well this game plays. I have tried my best to keep a balanced opinion on both the games this year due to the form Konami has been in these past couple years, but it is obvious to see that PES has taken a massive leap into a good direction. I personally would buy PES this year (if I didn't already have it) for it's massive depth and fantastic gameplay. Besides, what other game can you belt them past the keeper from 40 yards?