LATEST PES 2009 UPDATES
Posted by phil in Do I Not Like That on Thu 29 Jul
2010
Thanks for all the comments last week, some decent points raised amongst the copied and down right ridiculous. I must say my favourite last week was Dave O’s point about playing it on a dance mat…. Very funny.
Personally I’m finding life without (real) football boring, nothing to watch and no banter, I can’t wait for the new season to start. This is exaggerated as PES2010 is coming to the end of its time this year for me, a point developed below. Also, PES 2011, is only some 10 weeks away now with a demo in the middle. There will be plenty to discuss in the coming weeks, especially once the embargo is lifted on the 4th August. So I’m afraid this column will be a tad shorter than usual on the basis of the ‘old’ games flaws being discussed over and over and all we can do at the moment is speculate and hypothesise about the potential, or otherwise, of the pending instalment; and I for one don’t want to waste my time writing and yours reading on something that may or may not happen with a review due next week. Although I must admit, it sounds very promising !!
Ok well on with the show I guess, I’d like to start with a follow up to some of last weeks points.
Eyes in the back of his head… Part 2…
This was certainly a well debated point last week. The comments from Duffman and Jam-EZ are worth a read. In summary, they were discussing the use of the map and how areas of it should be faded to suit a players line of vision and awareness of team mates position and movement. It think this would be a great item to try and play with. Like a few of you pointed out last week the map is used to spot the magic through ball and in all honesty, not every player has that ability. Great idea, lets hope Dan and Double D add that to the ‘points to raise with Konami’ list.
Its raining goals
Some points raised recently suggest PES is ‘easy’ or goals can be scored ‘at will’. Personally I slightly disagree with these points and don’t get me wrong on this one as PES2010 has probably life expired for me against CPU opposition. However, I recently started a world (international in Konami’s eyes) cup with South Africa with varying results. I must admit, this provided a different challenge and its fair to say, I could not score at will. I was tinkering with my formation more than Ranieri on a bad day. The game wasn’t easy and I found the methods of scoring against the CPU I’ve been using to win Master Leagues were all covered. So to that end I’d suggest if people think the game is overly easy they should find another way of playing it. Dan suggested a camera angle change on Tuesday, during his description of struggling to beat Liverpool with Valencia.. ahem… Anyway; I’d be interested to hear if any of you have found other ways to extend the life of pes until the new instalment; and I’m not really looking for ‘use the disc as a beer mat’ sort of responses or put one hand behind your back. I totally agree with the point raised on the comments to IWP about there being no point playing once it becomes ‘easy’ but once ML is conquered, a few times and ‘top player’ isn’t that top then the only way to challenge yourself would be to try something new with a team you wouldn’t expect to win every game.
Also, do many people actually BAL? Having played a few games on it last season, I just couldn’t see the attraction so feel free to discuss and offer the opinion on this one as I know we’re all different.
As always, comments welcome below otherwise I can be reached on doinotlikethat@hotmail.co.uk
Like I said, apologies for this being shorter than usual however I’m confident normal service will be resumed in the coming weeks as the hype and game tests come out.
Till next week
Posted by Dan Bolas in Interfering With Play on Tue 27 Jul
2010
Welcome to this week’s Interfering With Play. Following last week’s shorter column, I would like to address some of the issues raised at slightly greater detail, coupled with responses to new events that have occurred in the past 7 days. During my down time, I managed to get a fair few games in on PES, and changed my camera angle to refresh the whole gaming experience. I am now playing on Broadcast, and find it really offers a different feel to the game. Anyone who is getting a little bit fed up with PES graphically should give it a go, as I feel it also offers a different challenge in terms of ball flight and player control. This feeling may just be limited to my own experience, however for a cheeky exhibition game or training session, is there any harm in it? With that said, lets get cracking on with this week’s Interfering With Play.
“It’s Oh So Quiet”
In case you missed the below post, Double D has played an up to date code of PES 2011. That is to say it was up to date at some point, and I am sure that since then, the code has advanced further. It will be interesting to see exactly which code the PES community get in terms of a demo on X Box Live and the PSN at some point. Anyway, the issue that remains is Double D will respect that embargo, currently set at Wednesday 4th August, which means no matter how many questions are asked and how many points are raised, Double D can not comment or make a statement, even if he does know the answer.
Of course, some of you may think screw the embargo, tell us what you know. Other sites may work like this and fair play to them. However, PESGaming.com tries to do thing by the book whether possible. We give you guys an open forum (an issue I will touch on in a minute) and we deliver official news. For us, the embargo is just part of following the rules of reporting, and for all the gossip and hearsay out there, very few of the major PES sites break their embargos. If they do, they simply don’t get invited back to play tests, which in turn affects the accuracy and quality of their reports.
What this does ultimately mean is that unless there is an official press release, which more than likely would include screenshots and a video, the next 7 days or so are going to be quiet when it comes to official news. We are hoping that following the 4th, business will really start to pick up, but expect a lull for the next few days at least. This is one stage, of course, where I would love to be wrong!
“Gerrard To Torres”
In my bed bound state I managed to play a fair few games as Valencia, including a great few matches against Liverpool. The mini gripe comes from not being able to play home and away matches quickly, especially after an exciting first match, and creating a two legged match would be no more difficult that selecting the match ball to use, but due to Konami’s current state, it involves going back to the menu screen, changing the controller options and swapping the teams around. Never mind away goals etc. but it would be just nice to have it as an option.
Anyway, during the games, in which I played as Valencia for the last time featuring David Silva and Villa, I found myself up against a very impressive Liverpool side. Impressive because their in game tactics actually related quite heavily to their real life counterparts. The three examples that sprang to mind are as follows. Number one was Glen Johnson’s role at Right Back. When Liverpool attacked, Johnson always seemed to be involved, especially following a slow piece of build up play. This meant that I found myself getting most joy using Silva or Vicente down my left, which was constantly left unattended. Secondly, the role Lucas and Mascherano played in their defensive midfield positions. It was my tactic to immediately apply pressure to these two as soon as they got the ball, knowing that if they got turned and played forward, we would be on the back foot. The two players picked up the ball more often that not in their own half facing their own goal, and usually ended up playing back that way unless an easy turn or pass was available. Thirdly was the Gerrard and Torres combination. As soon as the ball went into Steve, Torres seemed to make a different movement, which my defenders rarely followed. One two occasions a first time Gerrard pass created space for Fernando, one of which ended in a goal. When Torres got the ball, he also only ever seemed to pass to Gerrard, choosing to shoot if the England midfielder wasn’t in view.
I don’t lose many on PES and it was rare that the two games against Liverpool ended 1-1 and 2-2, with me coming from behind in both. I exploited Glen Johnson in the first game and relied on Zigic in the second. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the matches and looked back thinking that how Liverpool had played had caused me to re-evaluate my own performance and tactics. If PES 2011 makes this a regular occurrence, I am very optimistic. And to all those that find PES too easy, I still offer the open challenge to take a Stoke, or a Hull and go up against one of Europe’s elite on Top Player. If you win comfortable every time, I would love to see the games on You Tube.
“That’s Not My Name”
Having read the comments from last week, the underlying issue regarding posts at the moment is the use of copy and paste. I think anyone who is on these forums regularly can appreciate that people use fake names or steal other names, and whilst we have discussed accounts, I like the freedom of speech allowed on these forums. Therefore, any copied and pasted articles will now be blocked and the IP address of the individual responsible will be added onto the black list. If your IP address turns up on the aforementioned black list more than once, you will be banned from posting. Copying and Pasting old articles is not beneficial in anyway shape or form, as it comes across as lazy and usually irrelevant to the current discussion topic.
If you would like to ‘reserve’ a username, the easiest thing to do is include an e-mail address when leaving a comment. This allows us to trace a username to a user quickly and efficiently, and will allow us to delete comments by posters using that name without the linking address. It really is as simple as that. I would not wish to put too much restriction on the comments, as I believe people are entitled to their opinion, even if it negative about myself, however if it is directly abusive, off topic or quite simply not the sort of content associated with this site, comments will be removed. Your voice has been heard.
“Lend Me That Copy”
Just to clear one thing up. I do not know of one magazine, gaming website or columnist who has received a code of PES through their mailbox. Konami do not give out the game directly, but instead invite the press to events where they can try out the game. If someone is telling you they have a copy, they are more than likely fibbing and this is also the reason why most play tests occur on a limited time scale. Asking someone to do a 12 hour review would be nearly impossible, as the most time we are getting with the games at this stage is a couple of hours.
“Dear Jon”
Following my speech a couple of weeks ago, I have decided to grab the bull by the horns and cut through the garbage and deal with it first hand. In the early part of August, I will be conducting an interview with Jon Murphy on behalf of PES Gaming and Soccer Gaming. This interview will hopefully get the questions out there that really need to be answered, find out exactly where Konami are with PES 2011 and how the community has influenced the game’s development, if at all.
Of course, I want your questions, but I want it done in a way that slightly differs from other sites, to make sure this interview covers all bases. Therefore I intend to work in two formats. Firstly, if you have a question for Jon Murphy that requires a long answer, please e-mail it to me. For this I am limiting to one question per person, and I am hoping the answer will require a few lines of text at least. For these questions, I want to ask about PES’ past, present and future and I want to catch the true feeling of the PESGaming community in the questions being asked. Again, I most remind you that these questions will only be included if submitted by e-mail. The second portion of the interview will be quick fire, however I will discuss this next week.
That’s your lot for this week. interferingwithplay@hotmail.co.uk is the place to direct your e-mails to, and please include the subject line Jon Murphy Question when replying to that topic. This is an opportunity to get a question directly to Jon, so please take up the opportunity. As always, feel free to comment on anything you have read in IWP.
Thanks for Reading
Posted by dougiedonut in PES 2010 News on Sun 25 Jul
2010
Guys
I went for a playtest of the latest cut of PES 2011, which is very fresh and more advanced that the one that has recently been previewed on various sites.
Unfortunately there is an embargo on the write up on the game until Wednesday 4th August at 10:00 a.m.
So please put this date in your diary, and prepare yourselves for my thoughts on this year’s game.
I wasn’t going to put this post up until next weekend, but really can’t contain myself. I am not allowed to talk about the game, which I’m so very aware of, but I what I can say is that PES 2010 has now officially been shelved by me. I can’t bring myself to play it anymore, that’s all I’m going to say.
I’m still formulating my article and want to spend the better part of a week editing it. I want to try to ensure that reason dictates my opinions, not emotions. As it stands, they way I would describe the game for me is that it’s a mixture of Pro Emotional Soccer as well as Pro Evolution Soccer.
I’m going to shut up about the game now though, otherwise I may just infringe the embargo accidentally.
I am sorry but I won’t be able to field any questions on the game until you read my article on it, but I will be dedicating many hours to making it as complete as I possibly can. So don’t expect an article from me until the 4th of August.
Without trying to cause any arguments, I think it is safe to say that I was struggling to find negatives with the build, and that’s quite a compliment to the team! Right, I’m shutting up now, since I’m going to say something that I may regret!
Thanks for reading.
Dougiedonut
Posted by phil in Do I Not Like That on Thu 22 Jul
2010
Hello and welcome to this weeks “Do I not like that…” There was a fantastic response to last weeks column. Many interesting points raised and debated.
Some of the most common points raised were the usual suspects we all pray to be fixed in the new edition, namely: Goalkeepers, Referees, penalties method and camera angle and the list goes on as we’ve debated all year. Some of the points raised to discuss further was definitely line of site of players and the new pass function. I particularly liked Michaels point of getting the basics right. Just fix the gameplay. I totally agree with this, but this point could encompass all of the others raised or it could be something more specific. If your reading this week and wish to elaborate…
He must have eyes in the back of his head….
I think it was amateur ‘anonymous’ who raised this point, and I am aware it has been briefly touched on before but it is a good point. Without going into 20ft and 30ft descriptions of play, it refers to the fact that all players in PES seem to have the ability to play ‘blind’ one touch passes at accurate angles. So this means that either every player in PES has amazing awareness of his team mates or there is a distinct flaw in the game. As we know not many EPL or La Liga players have this ability, and it makes a difference to the attacking flow of the game it is probably a flaw in the game.
I totally agree that players should only have the ability to pass within a set range of vision, and equally read play off the ball, during a game. This would mean having to control and turn and find the pass. As you can see runs off the ball on the map this would just be a frustration if you like the game, grumbles excluded, as it is. My point here is that the map system at the bottom of the screen would become somewhat useless as you turn and find your own pass. I know many people like to play without it anyway, but its there for a reason and it does enable the arcade, or basketball, style of play. As much as we all whine about it, we must enjoy it otherwise we wouldn’t keep buying it and we wouldn’t keep reading, writing and commenting on it. While this debate probably boils down if it’s a simulation or a game, I think it would be a superb addition to the game and the real ‘players’ would step up and by that I mean people who understand football and have worked on tactics and off the ball runs. It’s a point I’d like in the game and a comment well made.
Manual… Pass…. Manual pass… it’s the future….
As its well documented that freedom is this years tag line and its also well documented that passing has an ‘all new’ power gauge, is it me or does this strike anyone as the manual pass system?? I’m not a massive fan of the manual pass if I’m honest, I’ve tried it, I use it the odd time in a goal mouth scramble but that’s its limit for me. I’m sure some are big fans, I’ve not seen it used with great effect, however as mentioned in the comments last week, a few taps of X and its one touch passed into the box. Until theres a play test from Double D we’ll have to wait and see, but the way I see it is that we’re either going to get a rebranded ‘manual pass’ or the new system will still pick the player your roughly pointing, when its not scripted, and you’ll just have to get the power right. I believe it will unfortunately be the later and you still won’t have the freedom to knock it long should there be another player in the way. Fingers crossed I’m wrong.
Footnote….
The healthy discussion on the boards is exactly that, a discussion, a debate, people voicing opinions that they are entitled to and they don’t have to be the same as yours. Whilst banters good, people shouldn’t take it to heart if others disagree with them, thats the idea, providing its done in a constructive fashion.
That’s your lot for this week,
I look forward to reading your comments and views again, or if you don’t fancy the banter I can be reached at doinotlikethat@hotmail.co.uk
Till next week
Posted by Dan Bolas in Interfering With Play on Tue 20 Jul
2010
Welcome to this week’s Interfering With Play. This week, I am writing from my bed as I not well, and therefore this column will be slightly shorter than usual. In fact, I am solely concentrating on the fall out from the release of the latest PES 2011 video, as for the first time there is concrete evidence that Konami are actually making steps in the right direction. Following this, we are hoping to have first hand experience of PES 2011 as Double D play tests the game very soon. Unlike other sites, we call it exactly like it is, something which I know pleases many of you guys out there, so you’ll be sure that what Double D tells you won’t be false. With that said, lets crack on with this week’s Interfering With Play.
“Fall Out Boy”
Ok, so the PES 2011 trailer and screenshots released last week definitely got tongues wagging. The stadium editor seems to have excited a lot of people, although how it will work it the real mystery. I am personally hoping for different seat colours, bench styles, pitch sizes and even the bonus option of a roof, but without proof, it is still very speculation. Whilst arena customisation is not a particularly new thing in the gaming world, it is uncharted territory for football gaming and I am exceptionally interested to see how it follows through.
Perhaps the most exciting thing from my point of view is the manager options, whereby control of how your team sets up or the way AI plays looks more customisable than ever. There has been no clear image of physical managers on the sidelines or in cut scenes, however this is a second to actually playing against teams employing different tactics. As many people have said, it is going to be nigh on impossible to customise every teams style of play, but if the game starts to offer a much wider variety of tactical challenges, we are moving in the right direction. I am longing for the day when I actually have to change my defensive line because the AI keeps catching me out with the long ball over the top, or put a man marker on a player who is dictating the play. Yes, it was talked about in PES 2008’s ill fated ‘Team Vision’ but barring a couple of experiences personally, I felt I could play the same way against every team and win. The screenshot may look like something out of an eJay game, but it shows the fact that Konami are genuinely trying to implement new ideas, and they may just make it work. The introduction of a mouse pointer further identifies this.
But on to the action itself. The promise of a 1000 new animations is very good, but hopefully the majority of these are in game animations and not celebrations or cut scenes. The Tevez booty shaking celebration brings this concern to me. In the game, is exceptionally hard to tell what animations are new for the simple fact the camera keeps panning around and changing direction. The on screen text showing which tactic a specific team is employing acts as another diversion, but without the game actually being played, player animation is very much still a open book. I do like the jump out the way motion, although again, its implementation is very much make or break!
Finally, the talking point regarding skill moves or tricks. My philosophy on tricks remains the same as it always has, they are there as an option. You don’t have to use them, there is no one forcing you to do so, and when playing against AI players such as Ronaldo or Robinho, it is only right they use the skills as their real life counterparts do. I can’t see PES going overboard on the skills because quite frankly its not their style and as long as the tricks can be stopped with a well timed tackle, I am all for it. Its like the diving feature, if you don’t want to use it, don’t!
That’s your lot for this week. I am back off to sleep with a cup of tea and a good film. interferingwithplay@hotmail.co.uk is the place to send your information too if you want to e-mail me direct, or alternatively you can leave a comment here in the usual fashion. Next week’s IWP will be longer, and hopefully offer some insight into Double D’s experience playing PES 2011
Thanks for Reading
Posted by Dan Bolas in Do I Not Like That on Fri 16 Jul
2010
Welcome to this weeks edition of Do I Not Like That….
First off, thanks for the feedback/comments last week, it wouldn’t be much of a column without the follow up debate. Some great points made about both shooting from distance and the scripting. A point “duffman” raised which put a different perspective on matters was the AI helping you. Something I’d never really considered and I do agree with him.
Also, well done Spain, European and World champions. A fantastic achievement. The way the tournament panned out, which of we’re being honest was not the most exciting considering previous World Cups, brings me back to the point last week. Teams in PES do not relate to their realistic styles or standards, thinking of Ghana, Uruguay, Germany and Holland in particular. The addition of the downloadable updates on the face of it is a welcome addition but looking at the bigger picture I’m not sure how the injuries or suspensions side of things would work in game at the moment.
Change the game……
I’m looking forward to PES2011. I am a very cynical guy and have never listened to the hype or took anything from the trailers. This year just ‘feels´different for some reason. They’ve provided me with a degree of confidence in them; good marketing more than likely, however the screen shots and video out there are making all the right noises and perhaps slightly differently from previous years. As we’re all different and want different things it will be an interesting response on release day. I find reading through all of the pre-release comments and emails very interesting. One thing that strikes me is how everybody’s opinions of what’s important for the game differs so much from editing the length of shorts of kits to building new stadiums to just wanting to play on line. MyPES sounds like a much needed addition however, online play aside, I’m most looking forward to the programmable tactics followed closely by mapping of the trick buttons purley because I enjoy playing the game and feel this will bring the most to improving it; although I’m not sure how long this will take to set up when playing some head to head games on different consoles which could be a downside of what is a great pick up and play game. The comments discussing changing teams, or being poached and sacked, during Master League sounds like a fantastic idea and one I hope Konami pick up on. So I’m interested in knowing whats the single most thing your hoping to see improved this year? Just One thing….. and lets try not judge each others opinions.
A game of two halves…….
In addition to playing with variable tactics, I’d like to see some more options available in this mode to either contain key players, or counter against it and also play ‘rough’ from time to time. These thoughts obviously come from watching a world cup final which seen a record number of yellow cards. I think Mr Webb actually did a decent job, and whilst that’s another discussion, both about that game and virtual referee’s. The tactics were clear. Stop Spain playing and get in their faces. Then after half time, the pendulum swung to Holland. They changed to a sensible counter attacking game, forcing Xavi and Iniesta to play a pass, when it goes wrong – give it to Robben. Who incidentally (didn’t push L1) and cost Holland the WC not Mr Webb. We see tactics like this used regularly in the EPL and La Liga. So these should be included in the game. The counter attacking options or Man Marking options are atrocious in PES and just leave you more exposed than ever. I’m not sure how you guys play PES, I like to try new teams and chop and change so as you usually play against someone whos spent the last nine months playing with a Barca or Real you often need to feel your way into the game.
Final thought…..
Who are you looking forward to playing in PES (or FIFA) in 2011?? Theres a few interesting transfers going through and Barca and Real will no doubt be a favourite. Will City get a look in??? let me know…..
Please join the debate on the comments section or get in touch at doinotlikethat@hotmail.co.uk
Until next week
Posted by dougiedonut in PES 2010 News on Tue 13 Jul
2010
Konami Digital Entertainment has today elaborated on the many new additions gracing its eagerly-awaited PES 2011 title.
Due for release in the Autumn, PES 2011 has been astounding football fans with its free-flowing, unfettered gameplay. Total control is the new game’s mantra, and PES 2011 delivers this with an all-new power gauge system wherein players govern the strength and position of every pass. Total 360-degree control adds a layer of realism to the series, and Konami has showcased this innovation with an all-new trailer.
The new footage shows the total freedom of passing PES 2011 offers, alongside closer looks at its new dribbling, defensive hold-up play, and jostling. Similarly, the trailer gives an insight into the new power gauge, while also showing how feints and tricks can be mapped on to the R3 button and accessed with ease. PES 2011 utilises over 1000 new animations, and these are also on show as the new game demonstrates its key attributes in the footage.
Konami has also released a number of new screens to accompany the trailer, and these reveal for the first time the new ‘Stadium Edit’ mode, that allows users to create their own home ground for use in the game, and the first screens for the massively reworked Become a Legend mode, where players are cast as an upcoming starlet and strive to earn major honours and become the world’s greatest player. More information will be released in the coming months.
Apologies for not uploading video – i’ve not got enough time to do this, but I’m sure you won’t mind going to WENB or youtube to find the latest video…
UPDATE: Here’s a video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOCaN_1RdrU
Posted by Dan Bolas in Interfering With Play on Tue 13 Jul
2010
Welcome to this week’s Interfering With Play. I would like to start this week’s column by congratulating Spain for their victory in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Irrelevant of personal preferences, nationalities or allegiances to certain countries, very few football fans will be able to deny that the quality of Spain’s football was of the highest standard, and as a result it was truly a case of the best team winning the competition this time round. In a final that saw the Dutch play very physically and on the borders of the rules of the game, it was pleasing to see ‘Pure Football’ prevail and is a fine example that if you stick to your principles and play to your strengths, you will always have a chance. The fact that the Spanish’s strength is superior to the majority of other teams is just a huge bonus! This week sees very little new PES news, and unsurprisingly gossip and rumours have started to surface; however the promise of new news on Friday (16th) will hopefully keep many people appeased. With this said, lets crack on with a slightly shorter Interfering With Play.
“Sound, Mate”
Thanks to all who got involved regarding the commentary points raised in last week’s IWP. The fact remains that in spite of featuring full game commentary for the past 14 years, Konami are yet to really make groundbreaking strides in terms of improvements with both scripting and delivery. Without dwelling on the issue too much, there is one further point I would like to raise, in relation to some issues raised by both posts and e-mail last week.
The fact is that players on PES are treated as individual sprites linked to one piece of text or fact. There is no follow up link between a player and that text, and therefore very little way of commentators linking information about that player’s season or career to the player who has just scored. For example, we may occasionally get a ‘he needs one more goal to become the league’s top scorer’ but this is pretty much it. There is no reference to him recently being left out of the team, no link to the fact he has only scored once with his head this season or that he has been out for two games due to suspension. Couple this further; there is no banter between commentators using generic facts about a specific player, for example Bellamy’s erratic temperament or Cristiano Ronaldo’s incredible tricks. This is masked by standard pieces of text for each player with certain ability, for example ‘This Player Is Hard To Shake Off The Ball’.
Compare this to a non-football specific game, such as NBA 2K10 (Yes I know I kiss it’s ass but it deserves it). Here with a game that takes the well known facts of the majority of its stars and then recycles them at relevant points throughout the game. A 30 second blurb about Kobe Bryant’s shooting ability or Shaq’s power in the paint makes for not only a more realistic broadcasting of events, but also breaks up from the monotony of simply calling the action on pitch. Of course, it would take more time, but it would require research into commentary styles and actually looking at the scripts as opposed to just writing what people ‘think’ sounds like football commentary.
Of course, I know it’s all a moot point, as I would be very surprised if Jon Champion even records any new commentary for PES 2011. Whatever happens, I believe, like many of you 90% of his comments from PES 2010 will be included in the game, with Jim Beglin having to just work around it. Feel free to carry on your issues with this, and hopefully we will hear a little bit more about what kind of commentary PES 2011 in the coming weeks.
“Here’s Johnny”
I like Jon Murphy, and I think he does genuinely care about the PES product. I think like many of you guys and I, he gets frustrated when things don’t occur as planned, and then ends up looking like he is contradicting himself at times. This is one of the main reasons I have personally avoided posting the interviews he has put up online over the past few days. The fact is, he is the man responsible for giving information to the English speaking markets, and without being legally allowed to give too much away, this results in the majority of his comments either being 1. Misconstrued/twisted into being something they are not, or 2. His comments sounding the same to different questions and as a result making everyone very angry!
Closer to the release of the game, I will post a few of these interviews with the Konami staff, and will keep all official press releases coming through, but at the moment there is far too much out there that is being speculated, and we have always tried to run PES Gaming as a place for official news not rumours. At the moment, there is no news, and therefore making stuff up, scrapping barrels and pushing rumours doesn’t benefit anyone.
“It’s A Matter Of Fact”
I find it pretty amazing that even now, 9 months after their release, the debate about FIFA 10 vs. PES 2010 still rages. We have done it to death on this site, and whilst I openly admit to owning FIFA 10, the football title that I choose to play is Pro Evolution Soccer 2010. I enjoy the experience much more than I do playing FIFA, and I know many people out there are the same. I do not begrudge people who play FIFA, they are welcome to do so, and it is a decent game. It is not perfect, it is flawed, but so is PES. The crux of the matter is that I choose with my free time to play PES.
The problem is that some people in this debate still choose to confuse fact with opinion. It is not a fact to say PES is better than FIFA or vice versa because it is simply a matter of taste. It is a fact to say that online on FIFA runs better, because that’s true, and it is a fact to say PES has a much more in depth edit mode, because that is currently true. However, I go back to my initial point, do not argue using a statement that is not a fact and pass it off as one. It belittles your arguments and ultimately makes them invalid. The majority of people on this site have always understood this, and hence we have some excellent comments scribed on a weekly basis, but to the few that are missing the point I ask you to reflect on your comments before posting, they are totally valid as long as your opinion is stressed as exactly that, your opinion!
At the same time, I very rarely defend myself on this site, but I will continue to mention FIFA if I feel it is appropriate to do so. Ignoring the presence of the only other major football game would be short sighted and an insult to the community’s intelligence. This site is PES based, but I try and make it honest too, blind support of a product is wrong and if I personally enjoyed EA Sports’ game more, you can be damn sure I would say so!
That’s your lot for this week. Some amazing comments left last week that I simply don’t have time to discuss. As always, I am more than willing to give one of columns or new ideas a try on this site, so if you have wrote a long comment or a piece you would like featured on the main page, please get in touch via e-mail on interferingwithplay@hotmail.co.uk and we can take it from there. I will post the new news regarding PES 2011 on Friday, all being well, and we will have Phil’s Do I Not Like That Column on Thursday too. I am off to put on my floral dress and play Buffy The Vampire Slayer, whilst listening to Ellie Goulding. Apparently!
Thanks for Reading
Posted by Dan Bolas in Do I Not Like That on Thu 08 Jul
2010
Welcome to this weeks edition of Do I Not Like That….
First off, apologies to those on PESGaming who missed out on last weeks post which wasn’t published through no fault of my own. First off, to recap on a point made last week; if anybodies tried to use Germany on PES they will know that they are 100% not as fast or fluid as reality would suggest. Going back to my column a few weeks ago, this is one of the teams I pointed out as having stats which may not play quite true. I’d be interested in having a few games with a Ghana or Uruguay if the stats reflected how they play; as a team. I’d hazard a guess the English, Italian and French teams still have a high teamwork ranking on the next edition of PES and FIFA. Apologies for copying that from last week but I am interested to hear how the PES community feel about the team stats and playing style in game vs real life?!
It’s a screamer……
I know we’ve all scored some good goals in PES, without a doubt. However, a frustration of the game for me is the lack of ability to just put your laces through it from distance. If we look at Van Bronkhorst’s goal or Forlan’s strike, they are not easily scored in PES. Don’t get me wrong, I know these goals aren’t scored every week, but if your running onto a ball from the wing like Gio did against Uruguay, you wouldn’t shoot in PES because it invariably goes into row Z or is more like a back pass, perhaps it’s the match ball I’ve been using… In fact the only goal I’ve scored from that sort of distance this season is a cross which looped into the far post. This didn’t provide the same enjoyment as being able to smash a screamer in from distance. I score probably 30% of my goals from a distance similar to Forlans goal, but they rarely seem to look and feel as good as perhaps they should, or is it just me wanting more…..
What are your thoughts about shooting from distance? It was virtually none existent last year and 2010 was certainly a step forward, but I’d still like to see a way of instructing your player to smash it when you feel the time is right.
Its written in the stars…..
As we know there is a much debated point about PES being scripted which many refute and many concur. I’m of the belief the game, certainly in ML mode, is very scripted. As I’ve won most of the honours available this season and the game is pretty much life expired apart from when we have a league night, I thought I’d test the theory. My experiences of scripting only seem to occur in big games near the end of the season, like if your going to be promoted and win a cup in your first season. My ML campaign was at the semi final stage of the champions league, I’m 1-0 down to Arsenal and the return legs at my place. I turned off my ‘no cheating’ option and played the game five times. Three games finished with me winning 4-3 and going out on away goals, with their third coming in the last ten minutes every time; two finished 1-0 to them. I should probably add this arsenal team includes Ronaldo and Aguero, I’d love to know how they sign them when my biggest signing in six seasons is Klasnic, anyway, I digress; The scripted game made Vela walk through my defence with a goal ghosting through my keepers arm and also in every game, Gignac was brought on between 60-70 minutes, maybe Rafa was manager. So what are your thoughts, with my playing abilities being kept out of it, have you experienced any scripted games??
Recap….
1. Some points from last week: The lack of news about the on-line side of PES is becoming a worry for me. They have commented upon the master league overhaul, again, and obviously we haven’t heard the end of 360 control, which was allegedly 2010’s selling point. So will they deliver? It doesn’t really need saying again just how woeful the online play has been over the past few years which is a major disappointment as its certainly something I’d enjoy playing more of. I’ve tried probably five times this year and each time has been a disappointment with one of us suffering an obvious lag of some description.
2. Would we like to see dodgy decisions brought into the gaming world or are we happy playing with modern technology? I think it’s part of the game and I’m not suggesting they should be in the context of Frank Lampards ‘goal’ but certainly more off side situations like Tevez’s first goal would perhaps be an option. I agree you would NOT be happy when on the receiving end, but if its in there as ‘one of those things’ it would create plenty of banter, I know from league nights something like that would in all honesty be hilarious… if it didn’t happen to me, obviously…. Any thoughts??
Apologies to those on Soccergaming reading some of last weeks content again, well its over to you lot now, feel free to join the debate on the comments section or get in touch at doinotlikethat@hotmail.co.uk
Until next week
Posted by Dan Bolas in Interfering With Play on Tue 06 Jul
2010
Welcome to this week’s Interfering With Play. Slightly quieter week on PESGaming this week. Whilst grainy and unclear videos are being made available on various websites and forums, at the moment I am personally waiting to see what Konami offer next. For the past 3 years, we have tried to second guess how PES will look, feel and play and ultimately, been lead down garden paths. I am hoping that as the development stage progresses, more information will be released officially, and hopefully coupled with more HQ videos too. We don’t generate lies in our blogs, instead we discuss the facts and hopefully provoke debate on both Footballing and Video gaming issues when PES news is running dry. With this said, there is still plenty to talk about on PESGaming as we address the issue of goal line technology, speak about the quality of PES commentary and then finally the angle of PES 2011 With this said, lets get on with this week’s Interfering With Play.
“Talk Is Cheap”
It’s now pretty well documented that Mark Lawrenson has left the PES franchise, and has been replaced by ITV (UK) colour commentator, Jim Beglin. After hearing this, I spent some time going back over old copies of PES, and having a listen to arguably some of the most woeful examples of play by play commentary I could ever wish to hear, and I have been watching the World Cup on the BBC! With EA Sports providing the kind of audio coverage at home on Sky Sports, the age old question remains, do Konami really have the foggiest idea about football commentary?
The main issue facing any video game audio is the script. If you play any game that features repetitive actions, you are ultimately going to get repetitive audio triggers. There are few better examples than Buffy The Vampire Slayer on X Box. Here is a game that featured the vocal talent of many of the TV show’s stars, and had a witty and well planned script. However, after you have heard all the one liners a couple of times when killing an enemy or struggling to solve a puzzle, the quips became tedious. This is only magnified during football games, whereby the same actions may appear 10 or 12 times in a single game, and that repetition is ultimately inevitable. This is a development issue, and not strictly the fault of the commentators.
Following on from this, it is the placement of the sound bytes and what exactly triggers each action is a huge let down for Konami. “The Keeper’s Failed To Hold It & His Defence Has Had To Help Him Out” is one of the more common sayings, when the actual in game action has seen the stopper make an excellent point blank save. “Both Teams Haven’t Made Any Changes” is another belter, following half time, yet I had made one change due to injury in the first 10 minutes! Having a decent script is one thing, yet using the right pieces of audio data at the right time is equally important!
Another gripe is pointless information! Yes, commentators are renowned for talking rubbish from time to time; about the stadium, the city, the fans or a player’s taste in boots, but at least all these things are the truth! “The Wind Has Gotten Considerably Stronger During Half Time” is a complete waste of time. There is no wind on PES, it doesn’t affect the game, and Jon Champion may as well have said, there is a 26 foot alien standing just outside the stadium eating fish and chips, because that is just as accurate and unfortunately, just as likely to be included in a Konami game as interactive weather!
Of course, this may be deliberate. Having listened to Mark Lawrenson a fair amount on both Radio and TV over the World Cup, there is no denying the terrible one liners, dodgy calls and awful pieces of word play are part of his every day routine. Compare this with Andy & Martin on FIFA & Sky Sports, and you have a decent baseline for what we are talking about. I am genuinely not nit picking here, as the commentary script for Konami has always been terrible, and yet each year is seems to get a tiny bit better without really improving! Whether it is simply a case of bringing in more commentators, writing better scripts for the existing commentators, ensuring the link between the in game action and the audio is more appropriate or simply a combination of all three, the truth is something really needs to be done.
I open the community to pick up their favourite one liners from the current PES, and also reflect back on previous versions of the title, leaving comments and e-mails via the usual channels.
“Don’t Forget”
I am not ignoring or forgetting the iPhone version of PES 2010. My phone has been playing up over the past few weeks and therefore I have been unable to test the game out. I expect it to be up and running in the next couple of days, and intend to post and honest review when available. If you have the game, and I know some of you do, please feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments section. Alternatively, if you would like to write an honest and fair review of the game, please get in touch via e-mail and I will have a chat to you.
“It’s A Goal”
The World Cup has thrown up a the debate once again of technology within football, or in its current state the lack of it. Incidents such as the Lampard Goal, the Kaka dismissal and Tevez goal against Mexico have all drawn attention to the fact that referees cannot humanly see all the action that goes on during a game, and that a certain amount of doubt and guess work plays a huge part in each and every decision. Some may say that these decisions even themselves out, and that ‘justice’ will be done, but surely with the money in the game at the moment, the in game ‘evening out’ may not result in financial par. Personally, I am split very much down the middle of the debate, and would like to offer both sides too the argument. I genuinely am not sitting on the fence here, but instead am looking objectively and not being able to find a point to hitch my horse to.
In my argument for, I believe that sport is evolving. We look at the majority of the world’ major sports, Tennis, Rugby, Athletics, Cricket and Horse Racing. All of these use technology to iron out contentious decisions. The money that a glaring error may cost a team, or the opportunity it may deny the side should surely not be left to a wrong decision, and there is not better example than the Ireland in Paris last November. As many people rightly pointed out, the Henry goal put France through, and had it been disallowed or simply not happened, Ireland still had to score or win on spot kicks. However, they were denied this by an incident of cheating/instinct/madness, and a goal line camera could have detected this within a matter of seconds. There was no doubt when seeing the incident on replay, even on one showing! It’s not like it is even open to interpretation, did he dive? Was he interfering with play? The incident was a blatant foul and the goal should have been chalked off. Placing two cameras either side of each goal, with a view of the goal line and six yard box, and you have cover for any contentious incidents near the goal. We all love a debate about football, but the game provides plenty of talking points without these moments of madness, and FIFA, UEFA and the international governing bodies for each nation need to come together and make a common sense decision.
On the other side of the coin, football is a game played in parks all over the world. To many it is still seen as a game that can be played by anyone with a ball and some jumpers for goalposts. As footballers become more out of touch with reality, it is important the sport doesn’t become less accessible. We don’t want non-league or amateur clubs shutting down because they can not afford the appropriate technology to keep their club in line the FIFA rules, and furthermore, we don’t want semi pro clubs fitting hand held camera on the goal lines and showing images to amateur refs, demanding they take a look at the footage! Whilst the English, Spanish and Italian Leagues all have good funding, other European and World Leagues are less fortunate, and some countries may also have trouble implanting the system due to finances. Going away to Sweden or Finland in the Europa League, to a ground which is unable to have goal line technology and then have a good goal disallowed will further raise issues, and in turn alienate the smaller leagues in Europe. On top of this, referring is a difficult job at the best of times. Your usually making a decision that will cause disagreement, and then to have the power of your convictions questioned by technology, which again still may not be conclusive will cause even more problems. If you refer an incident to the cameras and you make a decision after inconclusive video footage, the unfortunate team the decision goes against will have grounds for appeal, something players do not need in this day and age!
Please feel free to comment on the continuing issue, and keep topics clean, structured and respectful!
“What The Future Holds”
The PES Play tests will be creeping up on us soon, and in the world of embargos and cloak and dagger, PESGaming will be ensuring you receive the official news first when it is legal to do so. The question I ask now, is after seeing what you guys have done online, what are your impressions towards PES 2011 so far? Ideally, if you could sum the game up so far in a sentence (15 words or less), what would it be? I appreciate this comes from not having played the game, seeing videos and reading hearsay, but it is always interesting to gauge a reaction prior to play testing, and it will help Double D and myself structure our reviews and findings on the game.
That’s your lot for this week. A little bit to chew over there. I apologise for the lack of Do I Not Like That last week. Phil’s column will return again this Thursday. interferingwithplay@hotmail.co.uk is the place to direct your e-mail to, and as always feel free to comment or visit www.soccergaming.com for more football gaming news.
Thanks for Reading
