Screenshots :.
Pro Evolution Soccer 6
360
Matt
26-06-2007
"Thanks to Konami, all our screenies are from the same game!"
"Oh well, at least Koller managed to score."
"Nedved doing something or other."
"Looks like a bit of a bundle."
It’s frightening how art often closely mimics reality. When it comes to the annual slinging match which the two major football franchises have lined themselves up for in years past, nothing less than an excellent outing for each proves the opposition side’s supporters with ample ammunition for an entire annum of smug forum postings and digs. Both sides have spent huge wads of cash investing in new features and hooks to attract new customers, and both tinker tactically with systems and options to try to provide the ideal experience.
Nothing has been quite so anticipated in the annual clash of the titans as the first step on to a next-generation platform from Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer series. Whereas EA managed to ship a slightly rushed World Cup 2006 (based upon the standard FIFA 06) and FIFA 07 out within a year of the platform launching, Konami have taken their time and carefully constructed what is the ultimate football experience on the new hardware. Well, that’s how it was supposed to go anyway.
You see, Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (hereafter PES6) treads a fine line between being a slightly underwhelming experience and being a complete let down. Before we explore the main reasons why, let’s focus on the most important part: the football itself. This is perhaps the one area of the game which you can look at and come away with mostly good remarks, as it feels as tight, flowing and tactical as the series forbearers have. Improvements have been tweaked in this year, so whereas last season’s edition saw a free kick given for practically sneezing on an opponent, this season’s game is far more suited to a bit of close-quarter battling for possession.
In fact, the main success of Pro Evolution 6 on the 360 is that it as carried over the general framework and feel of the game itself from the PlayStation 2 versions, which was possibly the biggest worry in the back of people’s minds before the game’s release. Seasoned veterans will be able to pick up the nuances of the control and tactics systems very quickly and generally will make the jump to the new generation of Pro Evolution rather seamlessly. That’s not to say that there aren’t the odd frustrations, especially concerning your players’ seeming inability to read an opposition defence’s offside trap or the occasional moment where a pass doesn’t go in the direction intended, but by-and-large Pro Evolution succeeds at the core level.
Elsewhere, though, things are not quite so rosy. Editing options for the game have been reduced to a minimum and exclude such things as club names, kits and the option to create a stock player from scratch. The PES shop seems to have disappeared completely, whilst the option to save your greatest goals has also fallen by the wayside. The menu system and tactics screens are disappointingly still as over-complicated and nightmarish as they ever were, and anyone expecting anything remarkably different in terms of commentary of background music is in for a disappointment when it becomes clear that both are exactly identical to the previous title in the series.
The feeling of Konami doing the bare minimum carries over in terms of how the game looks as well. Players still have their strange, slightly angular look and despite a few tweaks in the motion capture department all you are basically seeing is a slightly shinier version of a PlayStation 2 game. Even more disappointing is the tendency for the game to slow and stutter during busy set pieces. Given what is clearly possible from the console it is obvious that Konami did not get to grips with (or where not given enough time to get to grips with, according to some sources) the hardware they were coding for.
Taking things online, the game frustrates even more. Whilst a recent patch has cured what was almost insurmountable button-lag, the game still struggles to react quickly enough to your inputs and sometimes ends up with you having to second-guess what you’re going to need to be doing. When the play is so tight usually this comes as quite a culture shock and takes time getting used to, which again has a slightly detrimental effect on your offline game play. Nit picking perhaps, but with the Xbox Live modes being the most anticipated it is a little disappointing none the less.
The thorny issue of licensing rears its head again this season, with the Premiership once again under pseudonym along with the Bundesliga, although the Premiership teams all feature the correct player names. Some national teams such as the Republic of Ireland, Wales and Germany all feature fictitious player names, although these can be edited to suit. In the case of our own home league this is unfortunately unavoidable as EA hold the exclusive license up until 2011, but with the other leagues you can’t help but get the feeling that Konami have once again penny-pinched.
Summing up Pro Evolution Soccer 6 on the Xbox 360 is, therefore, a game of two halves. On the most basic and arguably important level, PES 6 succeeds. The football itself is as fun and engaging as ever and a constant source debate and controversy when played against friends, which is the way it always should be. When it comes to presentation and effort, though, PES 6 brings out last year’s boots and struggles to keep up. Perhaps with another year under their belt Konami will produce the definitive next-gen football game, but until then we’ll have to make do this year’s disappointing performance.
Nothing has been quite so anticipated in the annual clash of the titans as the first step on to a next-generation platform from Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer series. Whereas EA managed to ship a slightly rushed World Cup 2006 (based upon the standard FIFA 06) and FIFA 07 out within a year of the platform launching, Konami have taken their time and carefully constructed what is the ultimate football experience on the new hardware. Well, that’s how it was supposed to go anyway.
You see, Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (hereafter PES6) treads a fine line between being a slightly underwhelming experience and being a complete let down. Before we explore the main reasons why, let’s focus on the most important part: the football itself. This is perhaps the one area of the game which you can look at and come away with mostly good remarks, as it feels as tight, flowing and tactical as the series forbearers have. Improvements have been tweaked in this year, so whereas last season’s edition saw a free kick given for practically sneezing on an opponent, this season’s game is far more suited to a bit of close-quarter battling for possession.
In fact, the main success of Pro Evolution 6 on the 360 is that it as carried over the general framework and feel of the game itself from the PlayStation 2 versions, which was possibly the biggest worry in the back of people’s minds before the game’s release. Seasoned veterans will be able to pick up the nuances of the control and tactics systems very quickly and generally will make the jump to the new generation of Pro Evolution rather seamlessly. That’s not to say that there aren’t the odd frustrations, especially concerning your players’ seeming inability to read an opposition defence’s offside trap or the occasional moment where a pass doesn’t go in the direction intended, but by-and-large Pro Evolution succeeds at the core level.
Elsewhere, though, things are not quite so rosy. Editing options for the game have been reduced to a minimum and exclude such things as club names, kits and the option to create a stock player from scratch. The PES shop seems to have disappeared completely, whilst the option to save your greatest goals has also fallen by the wayside. The menu system and tactics screens are disappointingly still as over-complicated and nightmarish as they ever were, and anyone expecting anything remarkably different in terms of commentary of background music is in for a disappointment when it becomes clear that both are exactly identical to the previous title in the series.
The feeling of Konami doing the bare minimum carries over in terms of how the game looks as well. Players still have their strange, slightly angular look and despite a few tweaks in the motion capture department all you are basically seeing is a slightly shinier version of a PlayStation 2 game. Even more disappointing is the tendency for the game to slow and stutter during busy set pieces. Given what is clearly possible from the console it is obvious that Konami did not get to grips with (or where not given enough time to get to grips with, according to some sources) the hardware they were coding for.
Taking things online, the game frustrates even more. Whilst a recent patch has cured what was almost insurmountable button-lag, the game still struggles to react quickly enough to your inputs and sometimes ends up with you having to second-guess what you’re going to need to be doing. When the play is so tight usually this comes as quite a culture shock and takes time getting used to, which again has a slightly detrimental effect on your offline game play. Nit picking perhaps, but with the Xbox Live modes being the most anticipated it is a little disappointing none the less.
The thorny issue of licensing rears its head again this season, with the Premiership once again under pseudonym along with the Bundesliga, although the Premiership teams all feature the correct player names. Some national teams such as the Republic of Ireland, Wales and Germany all feature fictitious player names, although these can be edited to suit. In the case of our own home league this is unfortunately unavoidable as EA hold the exclusive license up until 2011, but with the other leagues you can’t help but get the feeling that Konami have once again penny-pinched.
Summing up Pro Evolution Soccer 6 on the Xbox 360 is, therefore, a game of two halves. On the most basic and arguably important level, PES 6 succeeds. The football itself is as fun and engaging as ever and a constant source debate and controversy when played against friends, which is the way it always should be. When it comes to presentation and effort, though, PES 6 brings out last year’s boots and struggles to keep up. Perhaps with another year under their belt Konami will produce the definitive next-gen football game, but until then we’ll have to make do this year’s disappointing performance.
6/10