Comments on: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Demo

By: nectarine

nectarine — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:46:03 +0000

A video for the Wii version just got released and it looks like the wii controls turn it into more of an RTS. Pointing where to pass the ball to and who will run to it, choosing players and pointing where to make them run to draw defenders out of position… I’m dreaming that they’ll allow similar controls in the PC version as an option with the mouse.

I’m sure it won’t happen, but I’m going gooey thinking about it.

By: Janek

Janek — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 09:07:46 +0000

I think the important thing here is that you can dive. So when your flatmates get a dubious penalty, you can legitimately punch them in the face for being big cheating bastards.

By: André Costa

André Costa — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:25:34 +0000

Stuart: you can start the master league with the original teams(easy) or you can start with the master league default players(harder). I think the option is “Choose match mode players” or something.

Stodge: 1Gb seems like normal for nowadays demos.

I’ll try the demo in the weekend because right now i have work to do and don’t want to be thinking about PES while at work :P

By: Stodge

Stodge — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:07:44 +0000

1Gb? Holy smokes I’m not downloading that! I’ll just keep playing WE8 thanks.

By: Ghiest

Ghiest — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:30:52 +0000

All that, and unfortunately still better than anything out there right now. The latest incarnation doesn’t fix any of the A.I fudging of game physics (possibly the most annoying trait of any game in history imo) but as far as I could see, made it even worse.

By: Janek

Janek — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:26:44 +0000

Magnificent with a few mates though. THE PEMBROKE PIRATES SHALL RIDE AGAIN.

By: Cigol

Cigol — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 14:31:44 +0000

Good god. I thought I was alone, or going mad – or both!

I sincerely love PES, and I think this edition is one of the best in terms of appearance (sweet Jesus it’s lovely!) but the AI quirks remain and it’s still as hugely frustrating as ever. It’s just too Japanese in many respects, too gamey.

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:12:53 +0000

I used to hold Pro Evo in high regard, but nowadays I just want to give it a good kicking over many things.

The way that the difficulty is based on fudging the ball physics to favour the AI. The catch-up logic and scripting attempting to artifically create tension – removing the feeling that a player’s destiny is based solely on his skill. You might be happy that you missed a shot because the game engine calculated that your player was off-balance on his weaker foot and the ball would spin this way or that. But when that same engine has the ball bounce consistently back to the AI players when it’s losing, it just gets deeply annoying.

Blatant idiocies such as accurate twenty-yard headers with the back of the head or the AI of any team switching to a 3-3-4 when losing.

The fact that a player has to initiate a one-two pass in so many situations where his AI teammates should simply move forward.

The naff Master League and the fact that default statistics of younger players are fudged to make up for the fact that they develop across Master League seasons.

The appalling music and the way that the commmentary stayed exactly the same for several incarnations.

THE LAZY FRANCHISE CHURNING.

However. I predict lazy glowing reviews. Like usual. I suppose the trouble is proving that the scripting and physics-fudging exist. It seems obvious to me, but if you bring it up then the hordes of fanboydom descend and tell you that you’re just rubbish at the game.

By: Stuart White

Stuart White — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:23:25 +0000

For sheer realism you can’t beat Pro Evo. It looks and plays closer to the real thing than anything else.

It’s a shame then that this realism isn’t matched elsewhere in the game. Although the hardcore love it, i can’t stand Master League. Since when did Bayern Munich start off in the second division of a randomly put together league with players whose names are clearly jokes. I won’t even mention all the other ridiculous aspects.

A slimmed down football manager with the ability to play the games. And the licences. That’s surely the dream.

By: MPK

MPK — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:07:24 +0000

ProEvo makes me want to strangle kittens.

I really, really want to like it, but the closest I can come to is a bloody-minded desperation to just BEAT the damn game. It’s the only sports game I’ve played where I’ve had the feeling that it’s taking the piss out of me. Skynet will be born from a PES install, mark my words.