After having played FIFA 10 for the best part of a month now, taking to the field in PES 2010 felt almost like my team had fallen down a few divisions as the quality of the overall package was somewhat lacking. It seems that while FIFA is growing stronger, PES is going backwards, becoming a shadow of it’s former self, well on first impressions anyway.

 

Thankfully things do improve for PES 2010 the more time you spend with it, sure it may be lacking FIFA’s wonderful presentation and slick gameplay, however there is something still there when you are out on the field that makes this a compelling game to play.

 

 

If it’s arcade style action that you want in your football games then you will certainly get it with PES 2010, on the field the games are a frantic battle to see who can come out on top, with Pro Evolution’s trademark last minute goals and near misses giving you sweaty palms and making you curse at the screen for the umpteenth time. The football is not always pretty, not when compared to FIFA but it gets the job done and immerses you in the action.

 

There have certainly been major improvements to the game this year such as 360 degree dribbling which when combined with the other neat touches here and there certainly helps the action to run a lot smoother than it has in recent years. The referees also seem to have been improved, cutting out some of the mad decisions of previous years. More importantly though is the way teams play together and individually, goalkeepers are now quite difficult to get the ball past, although I have to say that they still have their moments of madness, where they stand rooted to the goal-line as you curse your luck, though I guess that’s football. Defenders do seem to be slightly more intelligent than before thanks to the introduction of zonal defending, meaning that they close down space much quicker and spread the ball around more efficiently.

 

Another improvement sees players reacting to other players positions, therefore if someone who is good at crossing the ball is up front players will flood into the box etc. This is a great tweak to the gameplay and helps add to the realism.

 

Some options behind the on field action have also been changed, for instance there is a new system allowing players to balance the strategy of their team simply by adjusting a few sliders, which is quite welcome. There are also new Player Cards which you can use to tailor players individual attitude and performance, meaning that you now have the option to make them defence or attack minded and also improve their individual abilities such as slide tackling, man mark etc. Special cards are also given to players with ability, Rooney for example has a 1 on 1 card, making him a better player in these situations.

 

Team rosters have been given an update, although being a Rangers fan I did notice that our former captain Barry Ferguson has yet to make his move to Birmingham, even though that event did happen quite a few months ago. I can’t say I noticed any other errors in this regard, although I’m sure there are probably a few.

 

Konami have done some work on the graphics front of the game, and they have done a good job. Once of the field there is certainly plenty of realism to the proceedings with matches taking place during all times of day, with some stunning lighting effects. Add in the new animations and the remodeling of the players and it helps finally bring this game into this generation.

 

 

Outside of the action, Konami have enhanced the Master League, players are now more involved in the managerial side, with youth teams, scouting and finances all helping add to the headache of trying to make your team successful, though in a good way obviously. Other options also make a return therefore you can train your squad, play in the Champions League, League Cup and of course Become A Legend.

 

Online has had a big improvement this year, or so we hear. Unfortunately the servers were not available at the time of writing and an attempt to play the online demo which we received access to was met with failure. We do know however that the Konami Id’s are a thing of the past and there are now new custom leagues for friends, which sounds promising.

 

When it comes to the battle of FIFA vs Pro Evolution Soccer, in the end it comes down to a matter of taste. If you are after realism and polish then FIFA is probably for you, if however you want a fast flowing, action packed game then you may want to check PES out.