Archive for November, 2008
Posted by francis in PES 2009 News on Sat 29 Nov 2008
My Definitive Pes ’09 + and – Write Up!
Firstly, apologies for the delay in blogging for the last couple of weeks. I’ve decided to make this a bi-weekly blog (one released every fortnight) so as to publish blogs I can be proud of and enjoy writing, rather than trying to meet a deadline so to speak. I do listen to your comments and I hope there shall be no more blogs from me which you deem to be ‘scraping the bottom of the barrel!’
I’m very much of a first impressions kind of guy; this is the reason why I hate every new version of Pro Evolution that comes out. “Whoa! Stop right there!” I hear you say. But don’t fret, I realised a few nights ago why I love the game Pro Evolution Soccer and every edition which comes out – a month or so after I’ve had it in my possession! It’s because every new edition is quite different to the edition I’ve had in my grubby little mitts for the previous twelve months, so I can’t quite get the feel for it until maybe a month or so of playing it.
Last night I cracked it – a kind of epiphany if you will. I set the default camera on the new version to ‘Wide’ and then played two matches, as England vs Germany on the ‘Top Player’ skill setting. I won 6-1 and 7-0, and realised that the reason for this was because I had finally got used to not just the general gameplay and controls of Pes ’09, but because I had the feel for it! I find that those who have been playing Pro Evo for a few years will be able to tell for themselves whether the shot their striker has just released is going to hit the bottom corner of the net, or whether the goal-bound free-kick they have attempted to curve into the top right hand corner is going to either go in, or hit the post/bar. This, I believe, is what I’m going to call having ‘the feel’ of the game. When I know I’ve hit a cracking shot, it’s not really the animation of the player hitting the shot, but how long I’ve held the shot button and what I’ve done with the analogue stick (or directional pad) – you know that moment when your thumb does exactly what you wanted to happen. Anyway, in case people think I should be sent down to an asylum, I’ll stop right there.
So, down to the nitty-gritty; I’m not going to organise the plus and negative points into any sort of order, but simply list them in bold then talk about them slightly just underneath. Please note these are just my opinions, and it’ll be interesting to see who agrees and disagrees with which!
+ Game Speed
Despite having got used to and enjoyed the game speed of PES ’08, I like the speed of this year’s edition even more. It’s far more realistic, and I think that in this point I should also include my praise for the speed and realism of long balls across and up the pitch, as well as mentioning that the speed of passes, long balls and through balls are all very realistic too.
- Goalkeepers
So, this year goalkeepers again seem to be an issue for me. Both with their seeming inability to catch the ball maybe three or four out of five times, and with the terrible way they run towards an opposition’s ‘over the top through ball,’ the goalkeeper positioning and play is definitely shading towards poor, and is an issue which needs a bit of an overhaul. Of course, Goalkeepers aren’t infallible, and of course if they make mistakes then it can lead to a large turning point in a match, but at the Premiership/Championship/Country level of football, goalkeepers are – most of the time – very solid players. This isn’t very well represented in Pes ’09, in my opinion.
+ Slide Tackles
Slide tackles seem to be a lot more ‘crunching’ than in any of the previous versions, and I prefer it. Konami seem to have got it spot on with whether a slide tackle is a foul or not, and – this is evident if you watch replays of ‘dodgy tackles’ – you can see for yourself whether the tackler’s foot touched the ball before either of the tackler’s feet/knees/shins touched the player he was attempting to dispossess.
- Bringing Back Play
As mentioned in DougieDonut’s list to Konami, the referees simply do not bring back play if a foul is made after the player has passed the ball to a team-mate. This is one of the things that Fifa excelled on this year – whether to let play go on and bring it back if a suitable time arose – or to let play go on and then book the player after play has stopped. This is a simple rule in football, and one which PES ’09 seems simply to have overlooked.
+ Headers
I like what Konami have done this year with the headers. You have to accurately time your jump and there is a realistic representation of what happens between the two competing players (if in this scenario, two midfielders are competing for a goal kick landing in the centre of the pitch), or from the attacking player if he’s heading towards goal. Taking the midfielder’s scenario: I find that if you’re the player in front – trying to head the ball from your own goalkeeper’s goal kick – back to a defender or another midfielder, you have to push into the other player, and time your jump so as to make a good connection with the ball. If you’re the defender trying to clear the ball, (so the other player in this scenario) then you need to attempt to push the other player towards his own goal so as the ball goes over both of you, or you manage to head it to one of your own players – that is, if you timed your jump correctly! Obviously trying to word a scenario like that is hard, so forgive me if it’s a little hard to understand.
- Linesmen
I’ve given the linesman a bad rep for this year. For example, I just scored a goal from a through-ball which was clearly offside, the lines on the pitch helping when I looked back at the replay and my player’s foot was about two boot lengths offside! This year’s edition of PES seems one of the least accurate on the linesman/offside front. Maybe they’re going with realism over third eye technology…!
+Body Positioning
I like how body positioning has the ability to affect how powerful your shots are, and how accurate your passes can be. This is something I feel Konami have always excelled at, and they’ve bought it into the ‘next gen’ editions with style. For example, if you hit a shot with Gerrard or another generically powerful player whilst they’re slightly hunched over the ball as in real-life, he can strike a really powerful, accurate shot. This also goes for if you’re passing the ball around in midfield, and you try and pass to another player with your weaker foot, or whilst you’re still turning, then the odds are that your pass will be intercepted.
- Players Standing Still
…After taking a free-kick or a corner, the player who took the set piece simply stands still! Another one which was flagged in DD’s list. This means that the player cannot react for a rebound or tackle which needs to be made.
- Online
Obviously, the big one. I just went online now to try and do a quick match against someone (‘il polipo’ if you’re out there…) and firstly, couldn’t connect to the servers. Then I was matched up, and although not as bad as when Pes ’09 was first released, there is still a large amount of lag, with players teleporting, terrible defence, and unplayable gameplay.
I then played Pes 6 with the same connection, and played a match which was 98% lag free. What I noticed, is that when it happens to occasionally lag on Pes 6, it only really happens when a goalkeeper is about to take a goal kick, kind of like the game steadying itself. Coupled with the fact that if it lags, it lags the same amount, and just slows down for both players until the game manages to catch its breath, means it’s head and shoulders over the online experiences for either Pes ’08 or ’09.
What I can’t understand, is how Konami managed to get it so right for Pes 6, and then so wrong for Pes ’08 and ’09. I understand that the latter two were designed to be ‘next gen’, but they’ve had two years, and a huge amount of disappointed feedback. I have a feeling next year is going to be crunch time.
+ Pitch Shadows/Goal Nets
A simple and quite self-explanatory one here – not something that particularly interests me, but a lot of people are very interested in the small details like these, and untucked shirts. The way shadows are shown and respond exactly to what’s happening on the pitch is quite a nice detail, as is the way that goal nets bulge in certain places (not an innuendo…) , and then other times the ball bounds right off as if it’s hit a support bar.
-Dribbling with Speed
One thing that’s quite personal with reference to preference (like that one…) is how fast the players can twist and turn whilst in possession with the ball. I personally don’t like the way that players seem to be able to turn and dribble in three of the 8 directions you’re allowed to go in, within two seconds. Konami seem to have gone for realism for Pes ’09, and the speed at which the players can perform turns and twists are slightly too quick for my liking, and undoes the game’s good work with attention to the speed and realism of actual football.
+Introduction of the RT/R2 control
Pretty self-explanatory, but I do like that if you hold the RT/R2 (360/PS3) button whilst attempting to control a ball – normally used if trying to control a long ball – then the player seems to have a lot tighter and closer control of the ball,
That’s your lot for the plus and minus side of the article. I hope it draws out some debate, and I didn’t really want to make it much longer, but as usual I hope you guys keep the opinions comments racism-free, friendly and respectful.
Two new features which are going to be appearing in this new-improved bi-weekly column, are going to be;
1. Goal of the Month.
What I’d like to do is run a Pes goal of the month, with the winner receiving Konami ‘goodies’, as yet to be confirmed. If you wish to enter, then I think a link to a YouTube video would be best, but as of today we’re trying to work out how, or whether people can record video from 360/ps3 without using a video camera. This should be starting in two weeks time, so get scoring!
2. Pes Lookalikes.
Including but not only limited to Pes, I’d like to start a feature where people email in players from the football world who look like other celebrities. Comical as well as astounding will be welcome! I’ll give two examples next week.
If anyone knows how to embed videos in Wordpress (the publishing software we use) as well as pictures, then that’d be of great help.
As always you can email me at francis_newall@hotmail.co.uk and comments on your preferences to what I talk about, whether you liked it, or just general comments on the article, are all very welcome.
Thanks,
-Francis
Posted by dougiedonut in PES 2009 News on Thu 27 Nov 2008
Hey guys
I am going to be compiling a list of all online complaints reported on this site by you guys over the weekend. So this is a final call to everyone to please register your issues quickly.
Please notify other PES gamers that you know of who don’t normally visit this site.
The more info we get, the more we can pass on to Konami.
Cheers
Dougiedonut
dougiedonut@pesgaming.com
Posted by dougiedonut in PES 2009 News on Thu 27 Nov 2008
I’d like to start this week’s article with an apology to everyone for not polishing up the full list of improvements when I sent them to Konami. I have a full time job, and a demanding social life, especially of late, and so didn’t apply as much professionalism to the submitted list as I think I should have.
For all those that don’t know, we at PESgaming.com “work” on this site as a hobby. It is not a paid position, so we have to make time to work on this site. (I’m currently way past my bedtime writing this now!!).
I can assure you that in the meeting I didn’t come across as an 8 year old, as one comment suggested, and that I believe I made a good representation of the PESgaming community with our concerns for the game.
Going forward, any more information I submit will be a lot better presented, I can assure you.
Whilst I respect that there are very many views on the plight of PES out there, I have to say I am beginning to take exception to the dissenting voices out there. Particularly those posted as comments to articles on this site. Like millions of people out there, I’m a PES fanatic. I have an emotional attachment to the game, which some would describe as being somewhat unhealthy. But my passion for PES that means I took up this blogging post to attempt to do something about PES.
Like many of you guys, I am concerned with the general problems the current versions of the game have. I know that there is the general view that we should really just pay for the best incarnation of the game, be it PES or FIFA. That loyalty to a brand is really not healthy, and conducive to producers really not doing their utmost to truly deliver in their annual instalments of games. I totally understand this sound argument, and logically I seriously do agree with it.
But there’s something inside me that can’t just let go of the PES brand. I can’t embrace FIFA. I know FIFA has improved a lot now, and currently delivers a better overall package, but I can’t just switch off and devote any meaningful energy to it. I will not buy FIFA, probably because I can be a stubborn git, but I would say that I would give it a bash if it fell into my lap. Maybe I am too biased against the history of FIFA games, which I think shows them ripping people off in the past in particular with shoddy updates. I did give the demo on the 360 a shot, but felt a 4 min game (2 mins each way) was nowhere near acceptable to get into the game to make any kind of judgement on it. I thought why did EA even bother with a demo that short? What harm really would there have been in allowing people to play a full 10 minute game?
I think that would have given us enough time to get a feel for gameplay and make an informed decision on just how good it was. But I couldn’t get into the game and when you’re only playing for that short a length, I can’t say it appealed to keep having super quick games to get into it.
I do fear that next year FIFA will snatch the footy king title away from PES with both hands, and that would leave many of us in a very difficult situation. It is for this reason that we at PESgaming are doing whatever we can to try to influence the production of PES2010, and who knows – beyond that title too.
When we get the range of negative, pessimistic views on the site, saying things like – Konami don’t care about us, and there’s no way they will implement all the suggestions we came up with or whatever, it grates with me. Rather than just sit there and moan continuously about how poor PES is (especially online, which is the bane of many) can I ask these sorts of people that do nothing but moan – how will that change anything for the better?
I’m not ready to throw in the towel on PES. I’ve grown up playing the game for years, and nothing has given me more pleasure in gaming terms than this game. I have very many fond memories of offline single player games, two player games with friends as well as online matches.
As I’ve described to many friends, it feels like someone is telling me to switch allegiances from the team I’ve grown up supporting to support a bitter rival – because my team isn’t doing so great, and this rival team is. You all know how wrong that would be. I know this is going to be considered a poor and invalid analogy to draw up for PES and FIFA, but in my mind, and I’d like to think in the minds of many other PES fanatics out there, it is on the money.
I truly believe in trying to improve situations I am not happy with. If I fail, then I feel I am well placed to bitch and moan should nothing improve. It’s a mindset thing – being negative from the off isn’t good for you in my opinion. My closest friends would vouch for me when I say I can really complain when I want to, and perhaps I may end up doing so if PES still inherits many of its current faults in PES2010. But until then, I’m going to strive for a better PES, as are the many positive contributors to this site.
I’d like to end this sermon by giving a very big thank you to the PESgaming.com team for their support and kind words that they have given me, and also to the very many positive kind words from you guys out there. It makes it all worth while.
I will be forwarding on the infomation collected on how poor the online side of the game is, along with the general facts about people not having online gaming issues with most games. Since the online aspect of the game is crucial to its appeal and success, we will aim to really hit this point home with Konami.
Finally, please be aware that abusive posts are going to be vetted and IP bans will be applied. Just to clarify, it is perfectly acceptable to disagree with anything I have said, or others have said – but please show some respect to one another. Any derogatory offensive comments will result in instant bans.
Posted by Dan Bolas in Interfering With Play on Tue 25 Nov 2008
IWP League Champion 2008: Martin Ginnelly (River Plate)
Welcome to this week’s Interfering With Play. PESGaming.com has been dominated this week by the list of suggested improvements for the Pro Evolution Soccer franchise, posted by Double D several days ago. The list, for those who have been under a rock or are new to the site, was presented to a Konami representative as a way of expressing the ‘concerned’ views of the PESGaming.com public and indeed the views of the general Pro Evolution Soccer community. My opinion of the topics covered in the list is not important either way, but I feel a pat on the back is due for Double D, who spent his free time going to do something about these issues he personally felt needed addressing. It would be wrong of me not to give him the kudos for putting the effort in, and hopefully Konami will take these issues on board in some way, shape or form during the developmental stage of the next Pro Evolution Soccer title. Simple point that I felt should have been brought to everyone’s attention before we go any further, so let’s crack on with IWP.
“Shine, Shine Like A Star”
Another quite basic point to start up this week’s column, and it is one that I would love anyone to shine any light on. It is regarding the trophy feature on PES2009 for Playstation 3, which was promised in an official statement by Konami prior to the games release. 360 will be sitting smug at this point, with their full X Box Achievement points being earned on every game they play and every target they hit, but those using Sony’s console are still waiting for the PS3 equivalent, trophies. I don’t want to go into the technicalities too much, as I have mentioned this a couple of times before, but for those who are unfamiliar, Achievements and Trophies are targets set by completing various in game tasks, and doing so earns you either a designated number of gamer points (360) or a Gold, Silver or Bronze trophy (PS3). This basically allows for bragging rights within the online gaming world, and a way of lengthening a particularly enjoyable title with a set of different goals.
All 360 games (as I have been corrected!) feature these Achievements and at the current moment, maybe one third of current Playstation 3 titles have trophies, but Pro Evolution Soccer was meant to feature a trophy system for the PS3 version and it appears to have been forgotten by Konami. Those familiar with the PS3 will be more than aware that games using trophy patches, in other words all titles updated to feature trophy compatibility, do not feature backwards support, meaning as soon as that game updates, you have to complete all the tasks again to achieve the trophies. Something like winning a Master League or your first International Goal on Become A Legend mode is not a small task, and as from playing 500 games from scratch, this is an issue that could cause a great deal of annoyance to PES gamers using the black box. I ask tonight if anyone could shed any light on whether or not this patch will arrive, or have Konami simply scrapped the idea? I know as of January 2009, trophies will be a mandatory part of Playstation 3 titles, so the next PES will have to feature them, but will they be involved this year? Anyone who knows anything, aside from the rumours, please feel free to get in touch via the usual means.
“A Little More Time, On You”
One thing that has been banded around slightly too much on these blog comments the last few weeks is the term hardcore gamer, or in particular, hardcore football gamer, if there is such a thing. Reading the views of individuals regarding their own personal take on online gaming following last week’s column has posed some pretty interesting questions, which no doubt will be addressed over the coming weeks and months but the bottom line that has come out of the whole online gaming debate is the huge shift in what is classified as a hardcore gamer nowadays.
Six years ago, the term casual gamer would have suited me, like many others, down to the ground. I would pick up the yearly instalments of PES, Fifa, Football Manager/Championship Manager and Smackdown Vs Raw, along with the latest Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy or Grand Theft Auto, and would be quite content playing those titles. I think the majority of gamers would have done the same, especially taking into account issues such as limited income and other financial constraints. For me, a hardcore gamer in that period would be the likes of those sat on first person shooters on their PC’s, locked away with their online gaming memberships, their headsets and their experience points. There was very little middle ground, with online gaming being seen as something that required a powerful PC and a shed load of time. If you only purchased a few games a year, and stuck to those exact titles, how can you be called a hardcore gamer, been definition of the word, you weren’t gaming in a hardcore fashion, simply playing the same set of games each year.
Of course the arrival of games like Guitar Hero, Sing star and then the Nintendo Wii completely changed the way gaming, and in particular casual gaming was perceived. Gone were the days of gaming being limited to simple hand eye co-ordination or lightening reflexes, as those who haven’t been brought up playing games began to find a whole new world. Instead of even touching a controller, you can play a game like Sing star or by holding something very similar to your TV remote, games like Wii sports. The casual gamer has become anyone, of any gaming ability, who play games on social occasions only, with mates, at parties, without a subscription fee or memory card in sight! On the other hand, seemingly hardcore elements of gaming have become much more widely seen as mainstream. Features such as online gaming and headsets have been brought onto our consoles with very little fuss, membership fees have been scrapped and features like experience points and unlockable items have been seemingly dumbed down to make them easier to understand. Gone are the days of the teenage gamer in his dark room playing Quake 3 online, here are the days of the 25 year old businesswoman popping innocent victims on Call Of Duty 4, or the couple who play World Of Warcraft together as a way of bonding, and spending quality time.
At this moment in time, Tom Clancy’s End war is available on the next generation consoles, and is known as the first game that can be played solely by voice alone, quite a daunting thought of the location in which gaming is heading, but proves the question, what nowadays makes a hardcore gamer? With a PS3 game collection of 40 titles, a respectable number of trophies, and a decent online reputation on games such as Warhawk and Little Big Planet, I would nowadays consider myself more than a casual gamer, but still not quite hardcore yet. I have a busy work and social schedule that means I can maybe dedicate 2 nights a week to gaming, 3 on a quiet week. I would therefore like to ask the question to the PESGaming.com community, do you see yourself as a hardcore gamer? How many hours a week, on average would you say you spend playing games? And out of that time, how many different titles would you say enter your console or PC? This is a topic that will no doubt run further, and I will address the term, ‘hardcore football gamer’ in due course. Comments and e-mails to the usual address!
“To Feel Something So Real”
As I mentioned at the very start of this column, I am not going to pass my own personal judgement on the list of features suggested by Double D to Konami. I think the majority of gamers, irrelevant of their views about the current title, would be happy to see at least a handful of those implemented in the next version, and very few would complain if any were. My point, however, address the claims to make certain features of the game ‘more realistic’. I would like to start this section with a brief story.
During the design and production of Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward (the games developers) spent time with real soldiers and military personnel, trying to capture as much realism in the title as possible. Everything from weapon weights and reload times were tested and transported into a gaming environment, and those who have played the full game would have to testify it is an exceptionally good interpretation of modern warfare, or as the media and news have depicted the current state of war. But certain features were changed, edited or even removed from the testing time prior to the games final release. The example that always sticks in my mind was the fact that hand grenades take 5 seconds from the point of pulling the pin to point of explosion. This feature was simple enough to implement on the game, but during testing, the developers changed the time down from 5 to 3 seconds, because in a gaming environment, 5 seconds is too long! Realism was easily obtainable, but developers made a conscious and informed decision still to change it, for the sake of the gaming experience.
The same issue was raised in the review of Fifa 09, regarding players taking an extra touch. In real life, a player like Rooney can go from one body position to the next almost seamlessly meaning he could have three touches then thread a perfect through ball. In a computer game, the issue of the pass becoming available on the screen, the gamer pressing the button on the controller and the action being played out on the pitch is one that takes a longer time period than in real life, and although it was a commendable attempt from EA Sports, eventually, the passes that were on when Rooney had his second touch were no longer available when he had the third. As gamers, the majority of us want a realistic gaming experience, and feel that an accurate, textbook translation of the real life version of the game would best provide this. A lot of the time, however, developmental and gaming companies need to take this creative license, as the real life alternative would just not work within a gaming environment. Realism within gaming is a tricky subject, and sometimes, making something ‘more realistic’ could be a negative action as opposed to a positive one, on a gaming front at least,
“Don’t Dream Its Over”
Final point for this week’s column, and one that is itching for people’s opinions. It’s a pretty straightforward question, so I will leave it as that. Should Konami leave the Playstation 2 behind and start concentrating solely on the next generation consoles? Would you prefer they concentrated solely on PS3 and 360, forgetting about PC and Wii versions too? Or are you a traditionalist, and believe there should be one footballing franchise (Pro Evolution Soccer) for Playstation and a different one (namely ISS 64) for X Box 360, both made by Konami?
That’s it for this week. Registration for the IWP league is still open; if you’ve already got in touch, expect an e-mail in your inbox just after Christmas. Registration will be open until Tuesday 16th December 2008, with a view to a second period opening in 2009. Thanks as always go to Dave O for the IWP logo, and feel free to comment either by hitting the comments button, or simply e-mailing on interferingwithplay@hotmail.co.uk. If you enjoyed this column, please take the time to check out www.thefootballforums.com for my other article, This Is Roberto Carlos Territory.
Thanks for Reading
Posted by dougiedonut in PES 2009 News on Thu 20 Nov 2008
Guys, this is the complete list of items I submitted to Konami. My apologies to everyone that doesn’t see their suggestions in the full list. I had to categorise and refine the suggestions a little, especially since I was told by Konami what their overall priorities for the next game would be.
Problems with PES 2009
1. It’s possible to foul a player that has just passed the ball away, without any repercussions from the referee. This is plain wrong!
2. Trick stick – bring it back! I think its fair to say we’ve seen the “casualisation” of the control system – this has got to change back to normal – or at least offer the choice.
3. Take the PES6 control system – you could do the basic controls easily, but would have to use a bit of effort to pull off tricks – a direct effort-reward system which is fair. Now, any old Joe is pulling off fancy stuff – I think this detracts from the game. Advanced players are now penalized for their abilities on the ball.
4. Free kick taker: why does a free kick/corner kick taker totally freeze for around 4 to 5 seconds after they’ve taken a kick? I’ve had numerous occasions where players take a kick, the ball hits the wall, comes back to him, but the player remains frozen on the spot. You then miss the opportunity for a shot on the rebound.
ONLINE MODE ISSUES:
1. Everything is slow when play is stopped. It takes a while to move from a ball going out, to play resuming, be it throw ins, free kicks or goal kicks. It really detracts from the experience. As a point of reference – please check out PES6 or just PES2009 offline. Play is restarted a lot quicker.
2. First and foremost,ONLINE,it is paramount that is fixed,to a point where it is playable.Currently it is almost unplayable despite an improvement visually from last year
FIFA can handle 10 v 10 online. PES doesn’t even manage 1 v 1 properly, let alone 2 v 2. Online issue must be addressed immediately, or risk losing lots of people to FIFA next year. Konami risk losing their huge fan base if the online element is not fixed.
Improvement Suggestions for the PES Series
Game engine:
1. a new graphics engine! Bring PES to the next Generation of console playing! Stop using an improved PS2 Engine, COMMON!
With that new Engine you could see rain on players faces, sweat on the kits, dirt on the kits and/or on the shorts, a pitch that suffers from the game, particularly in the rain, add snow, more water effects on the pitch, maybe some small wounds, if two players clash heavily.
They don’t need to license everything, but they could offer more leagues, foremost the first and second league of each country, which does not have to be licensed if you can do all that stuff with the editor.
2. The players in pes feel to cartoon they need to make it look more real!
3. Bring back that “individual ability” of players why only have 4 diferent kinds of dribling?or shooting and passing?this is one of the most important things for me in terms of gameplay if im playing with robinho or cr7 or ibra i want to do things that only with them i will be able to do and in this game only messy feels diferent!
4. The way the ball seems glued to players feet now
5. Let me choose if I want a quick free-kick every time
6. Please – some new tackling animations
some more shooting animations – much improved but more please
Please give us more than 8 directional movement – it just limits options and makes game stiff. We should have atleast 16 way movement, if not 32!!
7. PES just doesnt feel fresh anymore – it needs wholesale changes – not to the gameplay, that just needs tweaks – I mean to the game as a package
8. General player movement. Lets face it, fifa does have good player movement and player reaction. Players feel as though they are running and moving how a real person does. with fifa u do feel as though u are fighting for the ball when two players are running for it.. or when someone gets kick down, he reacts from the way he was tackled.. pes, does lack some conviction in this area.
9. add more dribbling styles – more player animations are required.
10.more realistic player movement and game build up play.
11. Implement the way that player time headings like they do in FIFA09! Here you actually have to time your pressing of the button, to jump up and head to the ball at the right moment. It’s much more realistic, difficult and awarding when timed perfect! (Instead of now whenever a highball is in the air, all you have to do, is hold the pass-button right away, and you’ll almost win every heading “duel”)
12. Another FIFA09 ripoff (but hey! They’ve copied PES with almost everything these last few years!). The penalties!!! Shooting should be with powerbars. Less power means shots not as close to the posts and slower (and safer for actually hitting the goal) – while more power means a greater risk for missing the goal, but at the same time making it almost impossible for the keeper, inside the frame.
Also implement the accuracy-shoot button for penaltykicks. They are far more precise, but again not as hard in power and thus a greater risk for the keeper to snatch it. But that way you’ll be able to actually hit it inside the frame everytime!
And then the small lob-shot in the middle of the goal. All these features are in FIFA09 for penalties – and makes penaltykicks so much more fun and realistic with a huge variaty and control!
13. The option to choose away shirt, shorts and socks if the kits are too similar of both teams.
14. If a player gets tackled hard, they could actually break their leg (like in real football, or cut their head open)…and be out of the game for weeks, months, perhaps years…ITS REAL FOOTBALL
15. Passing – again, the computer AI just doesnt seem to use any common sense 2/10 passes. you have a man open, making a goal scoring run, yet it passes to the player being marked by 3 defenders. Surely a simple logic based coding could solve this? (or the direction you are pressing the controller in actually make a difference).
16. Make keepers able to defender a chipped through ball and not lie down under it
17. Gameplay needs an overhaul, Passing, player movement, player positioning, shooting, freekicks, penalty’s, throw ins, the shape and size of the pitch in relation to players on it all need renovation.
18: Free kicks- When you receive a freekick in your own half in 2009 there is no player movement, or players looking to make runs and stretch the opposition defence, players just stand there pulsating up and down. Therefore player movement needs to be added to give you options to pick out a pass rather than blindly punting the ball forwards, or passing the ball to the nearest player just to make sure you keep hold of it. This would add more skill to the game and would give you more options adding to the game dynamics. Its the same with Freekicks in the opposition half, how about an option in the editing mode to be able to design your own freekick moves and corners ect. You could have preset ones that Konami had designed, but adding your own trick moves and deceptions would be excellent, like the Teddy Sheringham corner, or crafty runs into space for a dinked ball over the top when everyone else thought you were going to have a go at goal.
19: Throw ins- More options are needed when taking throw ins and as Dougie mentioned invisible barriers need to be removed. Players don’t moves when taking throw ins, they just stand there. Why don’t Konami add player movement at throw ins, so if one player runs in and is marked at the press of a button you could spark player movement, where either a different player would run in, or create AI that will actively look for and create space for themselves, to give them a better chance of receiving the ball.
20: Penalties- one of the areas where Fifa is ahead of Pes is penalties. In Fifa 09 there is a power bar that depending on how long you hold the shoot button, dictates how far in the corner it is. This adds more depth to the game, because not only do you get top pick which corner to stick the ball in, but also how far in the corner it is. If the power bar is too low you kick the ball too close to the keeper and he can save it, but if you hit it too hard you run the risk of missing the goal altogether. This means you decide whether the ball go’s in, is saved, hits the post or crossbar, or misses altogether rather than some random factor. Konami could easily implement this as they use it for freekicks already.
21. As Dougie mentioned return of the trick stick. Tricks worked very well when the right analogue stick was used for 360 spins, when the flip flak was on the R2 button along with drag backs, step overs ect. The change of this to the D-pad hasn’t worked and I find my players pulling of 360’s of flip flaks when I haven’t instructed them too. If it aint broke don’t fix it, the moves on the trick stick should be expanded and implemented so they work properly, unlike Fifa where the skills look good, but don’t really work, so bring back the trick stick and lets see alot more skills added.
22: Invisible barriers – why, why, why?? You don’t have barriers in the real game! Why can’t I stand in the face of someone taking a throw-in, or a defender when a goal-kick is about to be played short? Its called pressing the play – why provide an easy route for people to being passages of play. Why can’t defenders move into space to call for the ball?? Perhaps keep the invisible barriers on the easiest difficulty level for casual/new players.
23: Chanting: absolutely nauseating! Playing the same chants over and over and over again is awful. Who play tested this game??
24: Why not introduce better crowd dynamics such as:
a) Spells where the home fans are quiet and the away fans are singing their hearts out.
b) Away team scoring to mostly silence, apart from the away fans who would be heard relative to their position from the goal end scored at.
c) Dodgy tackles getting the crowd on the back of players – with boo-ing of the dirty players in a game – or just at Ashley Cole whenever he plays.
25: Camera angles – a major issue for me – why can’t we have customizable camera angles? Even FIFA allows you to zoom in and out on any of their preset camera angles.
26: Why not go one better and give us total control over the camera angles?I really used to love the overhead camera angles of footy titles of old. I would love to have an isometric overhead camera angle, which was zoomed out to my preference.
27: Why are we still restricted to a handful of angles? We get total control of angles during replays – why not be able to do that in game?
28: I think more should be done with hothead players. If you have Joey Barton in your team, then you know he is likely to stud someone when the chips are down. Do you stick with him, because you know he could turn the game, or do you sub him and play with a less volatile player? There should be more risk/reward dynamics with players.
Equally you could have a very talented prima dona of a player, who walks around the pitch when he doesn’t get possession of the ball, and sulks. This would then mean that you either pander to his ego and give him the ball, or you sub the player.
29: Dribbling: Does anyone remember Dino Dini’s Soccer on the Megadrive? The dribbling ability was fantastic. The faster you choose to run, the less control of the ball you have. You hit the ball out further from your body when running fast. If you can implement this into the game, that may change the way we play. There would be no need to double tap a button to hit the ball away from yourself. If you choose to dribble slowly, the ball remains under your control better.
30: New concept: Team Confidence
This is me going out on a limb, but introducing “Team Confidence” (trade mark applied for) would be fantastic.
Stringing more than 10 passes together in your opponent’s half(not all in defence!) would swing a confidence meter (could be displayed next to the radar at the bottom of the screen) in your favour would be brilliant. This would encourage you to gain possession of the ball quickly and get that guage swinging in your favour as your players are more galvanized and will have better chances of scoring. Equally when your confidence is not high, when you do gain the ball, the chances of keeping it are harder until you string passes together. This could also help with league games where if you get into a run of games, your players respond a bit more than usual.
This could be applied to devastating effect in the Master League mode as well as online play.
Equally, go on a losing streak, and you’d have to mix it up to try to get your players to break out of the losing run, and to go on from there. This would mirror real life team dynamics too.
Teams at the top of the league get into winning habits, and teams at the bottom lose their way. Which mirrors what happens with teams in real life. This would affect the formations you choose to try to break teams down etc. I think it could introduce a whole host of meaningful tactical decisions to the game.
31. No more running at right angles without changes in pace and control!
Goalkeepers:
1: Goalkeepers – power bar for throws out/kicks out.
2: Why not give the goalkeeper the ability to throw the ball under-arm or over-arm, depending on how YOU want to??
3: Being able to control goalkeepers fully. Goalkeepers should be able to pass the ball to whoever they want, and for the goal kicks to go wherever you choose to put them.
4: Goalkeepers reactions being quicker when they break up an attack. They should be able to kick off a counter-attack quickly. Too many times the keeper takes an eternity to do anything when they have the ball, leaving you frantically pressing the button to kick/throw the ball out before he eventually does.
5: I’d like to see keepers get there hands to a lot more shots, even when you score eg keepers getting fingertips to a ball and tipping it on to a post or into the top corner. They should also spill at lot less, even though this has been improved since 2008.
Scenarios:
1: Having scenarios would be fantastic again. Some suggested scenarios could be:
a) You’re down to 10 men with Stoke and are 1-0 up against Man Utd at the end of the first half. Cling on in the second half.
b) You’re at the bottom of the league with 10 games to go and low on morale. You need no less than 7 wins (and praying teams immediately above you drop points)
c) An older player is close to retirement, but is on 999 goals. He has 3 sub appearances to make it to 1000. (this could be in Become A Legend Mode)
d) Come back from 2-0 at half time.
e) Come back from 3-0 at half time
f) Come back from 4-0 at half time
Beta testing: COD games are the leaders on this front. Why not give us the opportunity to help get the online side of gaming right? It would help us to get an early sight of the game, and also to ensure the online experience is spot on.
Master League improvements:
1: Hopefully konami can put some effort for master league, its really get me bored, the concept of the master league just repeat and repeat as previous version. I won’t demand too much of this, but at least can give me some feeling that i’m control and build a football team that will challenge with the world great team, just like the real soccer live ( i’m really like fifa league concept).
2: Embed the Champions League, the UEFA Cup and the UI Cup into the ML and the national cups as well. As I said, they DO NOT need to be licensed, but the way the cups are built should be correct for each league. And there is no CUP in the second league :-)
Well, that’s enough for a first shot, I hope that we will see some of those changes in the next PES.
3: Things like proper money for transfers etc doesn’t really bother me that much but if it was introduced then it would probably have a positive impact.
Referees
1: There seem to be too many random bookings for slide tackles. You fear getting booked every challenge you make – even the normal safe ones that shouldn’t result in getting booked.
2: Bring back the advantage rule! You can foul a player hardcore and if one of his teammates gets to the ball, nothing happens. NOTHING! In PES 5 the play continued and you were punished/booked afterwards.
Pitches
1: Stadiums – all the pitches were exactly the same colour – a bland green.I was looking forward to an assortment of shades of green and patterns mowed into the pitches. They’re all bland.
2: Bring back the pitch variations from PES2008. Different shades of green and various pitch patterns too.
3: Divets in the pitch from where a challenge has dug the turf up. Passes along the ground should be affected by the bobbles in the pitch.
4: There is no diference playing in the rain or at the sun
5: It would make the game more realistic if pitches collected wear and tear in the most used areas, even more so in bad conditions.
6: Where’s the dynamic weather effect?
7: MUCH BETTER ATMOSPHERE!!!
Corners:
1: We need the option to make freekick/corner combinations. Just like the pre-set strategies in the formation options.
Editing:
1: Complete free reign to editing would completely change the look of the game.
2: to be able to edit leagues logo(by importing the real English premier league logo “the lion with a foot on the ball”)
3: to put imported emblem or logo anywhere on team players jerseys/shorts
4: Improve face-scan option to allow more of the face, be able to add facial hair over the top.
5: unlimited slots for emblems/kits/faces/players/leagues (limit is the HD-space)
6: I dont realy care about the unlicensed kits as long as we have the full editor but there was something about the pes on ps2 editor that was much more exciting BRING THAT BACKK THE PS2 EDITOR.
Become a Legend mode:
1: I personally would like to see the challenge training return & probably implemented into the BAL mode whereby doing these training drills could help the stats of ur created players.
2: BAL scenarios: take your created player and test him in BAL scenarios.
Is he up to taking a free kick in the dying seconds of a game to equalize? Can he score a second half hat trick?
3: Be a legend mode is sh!t you only get one touch of the ball through the first game and then someone signs you straight after the first match
Commentary:
1: Crowd cheer when passes are strung together, boo players who do bad tackles
2: Get some new interesting commentators
3: Introduce Jap commentary!
4: Mark Lawrenson! you could not have picked a worse person. He is dreadful. Not only are the phrases used terrible but there is no timing in raising of voice pitch levels or general excitement at the right times in the game. Its like they are watching something else.
Champions League mode:
1: Champions League Mode- I’m probably not the only one who would love to see past great club sides of the European cup and champions league added. It would be amazing to have the chance to relive the 68 European cup being a UTD supporter, or have the chance to play these sides against the present crop of players. 68 UTD VS 99, or 2008 UTD would be excellent, I bet there’s loads of fans out there that would love to relive, play against or with great past teams from the competition, in either a relive the 1968 competition or which ever competition the fan would like to relive. Konami already add past players to the game, why not implement them properly, or just add the teams or players and allow us to custom build the competitions, name them, and then post them on-line for others to play.
Low priority improvements:
1: More cutscenes in game.
k) The pad rumbles when you rattle the crossbar, hit the post
2. A 5-A-SIDE indoor gamemode for multiplayer purpose. A smaller pitch with barriers around the entire pitch. Makes it more fun for all 10 players, since everyone can play an attacking role this way! Alternatively make the pitch without barriers as in “Footsal”.
Posted by dougiedonut in PES 2009 News on Thu 20 Nov 2008
I’d like to start by thanking everyone that has responded to my questions about their connections. I would also like to apologise to everyone outside of the UK who may not have readily understood my questions.
I understand that there are a lot of ISPs out there, but we would like to collate information on just how widespread the problems are, and to also show Konami that we’re not the problem – they are! I am still collating information from last week, and would urge people who haven’t already responded to please do so. Please tell your friends who don’t normally visit our site. The more instances of people making it absolutely clear to Konami that these online issues are clearly their problem/fault, the better.
It is great to know we at PESgaming.com have a truly global following, and that PES fans can unite via our website to air concerns/views to Konami collectively. I would like to thank everyone for their appreciation of what we are trying to achieve here.
I have received a couple of emails as well as a few comments from people asking what the actual list of improvements were that I gave to Konami. I have listed them at the end of this article, which means this week’s column is going to be very long.
I received an email from a Mark Williams who feels that the recent update we’ve all had on PES2009 has changed the game speed. He feels the game has become a lot quicker, and does not enjoy playing as much now. I would be interested to get more feedback from other people on whether they felt the same way or not.
Personally, I can’t say I’ve noticed a difference in game speed. But so far, I’ve been playing in ML mode mostly, with a team of primarily unknown players with relatively poor stats. So the game speed, and player speeds aren’t really too much of a problem for me so far. I will give the CL mode a bash, and see if the speeds seems to have changed from when I last played in it.
Last week I came across a news item about a forthcoming FIFA 2009 update. Apparently they are releasing some update to a couple of gaming glitches which their fans have been experiencing. What impressed me most was the fact that there were flaws that fans have highlighted to EA, and they’ve acted on them pretty pronto.
Something we all wish Konami would embrace to fix those annoying issues like the game being fixed on “Beginner” when playing online. Fixing this issue would be a quick patch that wouldn’t take long at all to do, and would generate so much good will from the fans…
I am going to post the list of improvements I submitted to Konami in a separate post, as there seems to be an issue with the length of this post, if I include everything in one hit.
I can be reached on dougiedonut@pesgaming.com if you’d like to get in touch with me.
Thanks for reading.
Dougiedonut
Posted by Dan Bolas in Interfering With Play on Tue 18 Nov 2008
IWP League Champion 2008: Martin Ginnelly (River Plate)
Welcome to this week’s Interfering With Play. I would firstly like to point you in the direction of the reviews of both Fifa 09 and PES 2009 in the post below. As you can probably appreciate they took a great deal of time both in research and in writing to produce, so if you have an opinion on anything you read, positive or negative, please make your voice heard. I chose filefront to upload the reviews because of the complaints about me using rapidshare before. Now I have people asking for them to be uploaded via rapidshare, proof that even on a matter this trivial, it is impossible to please everybody. If you send me an e-mail on the address below outlining your problems, I will do my best to sort out the issue, allowing you to download the reviews of both games. With that said, I am avoiding responding specifically to anyone’s comments about the reviews until next week, giving a proper opportunity for all the regulars to have a read and get their two cents worth in. The comparison article will, all being well coming along over the next few days, but will be no later than the end of this month, giving it as the perfect tool to compare the games for Christmas. If you are a gaming fan, and would be interested in writing reviews on other games, please get in touch, as I am involved in another project you may be interested in.
“Its Friday Night, And I Ain’t Got Nobody”
Although this is not specifically related to the review comments, it is an issue that has been raised over the last few weeks in various formats, and therefore once again needs to be addressed. Writing this article over the past 14 months or so has made me realise that there are so many different opinions that people seem to believe in so much, they are not willing to take anything else on board. This is perfectly fine, and I personally agree with people who stick by their convictions, but it is both naïve and unfair to state someone’s opinions as wrong just because they differ to your own. If you honestly believe that Pro Evolution Soccer hasn’t improved on the next generation consoles, the very simple solution, as I have mentioned before is to play previous editions. With backward compatibility supported on the PS3 (some versions) or 360, it’s not too much of a challenge to simply slot the old game in and play. The argument that Pro Evolution Soccer hasn’t evolved can be taken on so many levels, but it costs nothing to go back in and play an old version of the game, and if you want to update it to this years teams and stats, all the more realistic. The same has to be said for people who play Fifa, with the simple issue being by all means get on with it. It is by no means a poor game, as the review I have written will attribute to. The majority of fans are set in their ways anyway, and would rather stick to what they know, be is an older version of a title or another franchise.
I use a real world example from this Saturday just gone. At a party with mates, a PS3 was present, and in the 30 or so guests, about 12 were males, who are regular gamers or used to be at some point. Of course, the party games such as Rock Band and Sing Star took centre stage, but the one game that was in the system more than others was Pro Evolution Soccer 2009. I did not once play the game, I had Fifa 09 in the games collection with it, and I just sat back and let people pick their own games. Even the Fifa fans were more interested in playing Pro Evolution Soccer, perhaps out of curiosity, maybe simply to fit in with the mode, but no one throughout the night even put Fifa in for a quick game.
There will be people who claim they, and all their mates, think the new PES is rubbish, awful and a step backwards, but what should be taken into account is its simple the opinion of a group. By the same boat, people who love PES and are infatuated by the new one need to take on board that others may be less than impressed, which is perfectly fine to. The thing about moaning is that after a while, people stop caring what gets said, and valid points do get missed, and sometimes your better off simply picking your battles, and giving views when they are needed. We may get stick for being a positive PES site, but that’s perfectly fine by me, we are 100% independent, can say what we want without having to answer to a higher power and obviously the people enjoy playing PES are the people who post here!
“Take A Chance”
I am still traipsing through the World Wide Web searching for the best option file available for Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, and the one I have found so far would have to be the one Winning Eleven Next-Gen blog supplied. Unfortunately, the site has been down for the past week or so, making it impossible to access it for downloading. The file updates all the kits for English and Spanish sides, but does not affect the transfers made by the version 1.20 update. If anyone has an alternative file, feel free to make me aware of it, and I will test it and give the relative publicity.
“I’ll Stand In Your Line”
For those who have read the reviews, or for those who have experienced it for yourself, the online mode of Pro Evolution Soccer is very poor. I have already gone into levels of detail regarding the shocking Konami ID set up, with the lag and menu screens being unacceptable and outdated respectively. Recent comments have also heard games like Gears Of War 2 suffering a similar fate; a feature, which I know, will anger many 360 fans out there. So the question I am raising this week is ‘just how important is the online aspect of gaming to you?’
My experience of online gaming stems back to playing PES 4 online on the PC, as up until that point I had very little desire to pit myself against the world on any game. I was more than happy to try and defeat the generated AI, and even on games like Worms World Party, I would prefer to play against mates than step out into the unknown. Since console became more geared towards online with X Box Live and the Playstation Network, I have become more and more involved with the online seen, and can now be found on games like Warhawk and Burnout Paradise on a regular basis. I know for others, games like Call Of Duty and Halo are simply all about the online, with the career modes playing second fiddle. On the other hand, there are games like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto IV, which although having respectable online modes, are more commonly played to work through the story mode. In the middle of this, there is the next generation of gaming, such as LittleBigPlanet, which encourages online gaming and the story mode to seam together almost effortlessly, completing one level online, then the next on your own.
Sports games are always going to require some sort of online feature, as the sheer nature of sport is compete against others, and the more you play a game, the easier the AI will become. Pro Evolution Soccer has just used its last chance when it comes to online gaming, with PES2010 being the final straw for the franchise in an online capacity. If they fail next time, they would be better off knocking the mode on the head altogether, as its lack of innovation and playability makes it almost pointless for the majority of gamers. If they succeed, it will open up a whole new world of gaming features as well as a decent level of competition for everyone, from beginners to the best of the best.
So I revert back to my question ‘just how important is the online aspect of gaming to you?’ Are you someone who never ventures online, and simply uses your consoles online services for updates and demos? Are you someone who likes to test every aspect of the game offline first, before pitting yourself against the best of the rest? Or are you an avid online gamer, choosing to play online every night and are not fussed if you ever complete the generic story mode? As always, views and opinions are highly important, and can be added via e-mail or as a comment below.
“Do You Hear The People Sing?”
In spite of what has just been typed above, I know there are many people who still play Pro Evolution Soccer online, and for this reason, I am informing everyone that the Interfering With Play league will be running for its second season in 2009. The league is scheduled to start mid to late February, and will be played on the Playstation 3 version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009. The plan will be to initiate a world cup style competition on the X Box 360 version of the game at some point, potentially to run in tandem with the league, meaning there will be room for everyone to get involved.
More information, along with a snazzy new website specifically for the league, will be available in January, which is scarily only 6 weeks away! But I am giving the opportunity for anyone who hasn’t already expressed an interest in taking part in this league to do so over the next few days. At the moment, I have over 30 applications in and all those people will receive an e-mail in due course, but if you would like to be added to that list, and haven’t already applied, please send you Name, Location (City/Country) Age and Console, to the regular e-mail address. The league is played completely online, so please take issues such as lag, Internet connections and disconnection problems into consideration when applying. If you have applied already, and wish to have nothing to do with the league anymore, for any reason, feel free to send an e-mail with the subject header Opt Out, and I will remove you from the list.
That’s it for this week’s Interfering With Play. Firstly, a huge thanks to Dave O for his IWP logo. Secondly, thanks to everyone who has read and responded so far regarding the reviews. The link to download both reviews is in the article below, and of course, as with all IWP content, is totally free. Thirdly, a huge thanks to everyone who has got involved with my other column, over on www.thefootballforums.com. If you’re a football fan, take a few minutes to go and check the site out and read the forums, it’s free to join and is an ever-expanding community. Finally the place to reach me is interferingwithplay@hotmail.co.uk or you can just send a comment if you want to be public.
Thanks for Reading
Posted by Dan Bolas in PES 2009 News on Sun 16 Nov 2008
After many weeks of playing, remaining as unbiased as possible and trying to get all my opinions down in a format that makes some kind of logical sense, I have finished writing the reviews for Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 and Fifa 2009.
I own a PS3, and whilst have had games on the 360 versions of both titles, I am writing these based upon my experiences on the Playstation 3 editions. I would also like to point out that the PC version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 uses the same game engine as the Next Generation consoles, whereas Fifa 2009 on the PC uses the game engine of the Playstation 2. Hopefully this will help PC gamers make an informed choice about each title, and what their system can play, specifications wise.
My final little point is that although I have, and will continue to critisize reviewers who seemingly get swept up in the hype of certain titles and provide fake scores, I have a certain level of new found respect for their ability to keep deadlines and get all their points into short articles. I have not given either game a score, as they will only be compared to each other, and that would kind of make my comparison article pointless!
The files are in winzip, and require Adobe Acrobat to read them. Each is around 6 pages long, so I recommend printing them off!
Comments and queries to the usual address
http://files.filefront.com/Reviewszip/;12373346;/fileinfo.html
Posted by dougiedonut in PES 2009 News on Thu 13 Nov 2008
My meeting at Konami took place last Friday afternoon and I felt it went quite well.
I think we have definitely marked a defining period for fan power, as I represented you guys to Konami, and they were willing to listen!
As I said last week, my main focus really was to established channels of communication, as well as to give them some feedback on what we thought of PES 2009.
So the big question is, how did the meeting go? Well, its going to take the best part of a year to answer really! I have to say that the mere fact that I was able to gain an audience with Konami speaks volumes on their part. The real question is will they act on what we think PES needs?
I put across our ideas (just a few general ideas, rather than a full exhaustive list) to get some reaction, which was fairly positive. I was told that they were more than happy to feed our ideas into their PES 2010 planning meetings due to take place shortly. This does not mean automatically that all the ideas will be incorporated. All we can do is attempt to influence the decisions they make, and I hope our ideas will be taken onboard.
I have compiled a full list of most of the ideas that we came up with, with a focus on the ideas primarily relating to the game engine, game play, player animations/routines and online play. They made it clear that their focus will be to address the fundamental issues we have with the series, rather than focus on the more superficial improvements.
They are now in possession of the list, and we shall have to wait for feedback on how well they were received in the meetings.
One area which I believe Konami definitely needs us to shout frantically about is the online side of life. I don’t think they totally understand just how much of an issue it is for gamers.
At the moment I’ve not gone online all that much, purely because I’ve been concentrating on learning how to play it properly. But its been a pretty much hit or miss affair when I have attempted to.
I would like to get some more feedback from you guys on how you are finding the online game. Konami felt that some of the reasons for lag may have been that people perhaps were sharing their net connection with a PC downloading stuff, which would compromise the connection. Or their providers just not being particularly useful. So I would like you guys to please reply back with answers to the following questions:
1) Can you please state who your ISP is, and whether you have any general MP lag issues on other games?
2) Can you please confirm you don’t have anything else running over your connection which would compromise your online experience?
3) Do you find the interface for online play intuitive?
4) 2 vs 2 mode: is it easy to set up a game with a mate on your side, against online opponents?
5) Do you play 2 vs 2 with 3 other mates? (just want to check to see if you want a 2 v 2 game with just one mate, whether you both get to choose to be on the same team or not)
I would really appreciate it if you could put the word out to your mates to read this article, who normally wouldn’t do, to provide us with additional feedback. The more people we have formally registering their answers for these online issues, the more likely Konami will make more effort to fix it.
I understand that Konami will be keeping an eye on PESGaming.com going forward too, so your comments will not be made in vain.
Once we have got sufficient replies, I will be collating and sending them on to Konami again, to ensure they have a proper picture of what we gamers are experiencing.
Whilst FIFA games can brag about 10 v 10 modes, we’re struggling to get consistent 1v1 games. This is a totally unacceptable situation, and one which Konami must remedy. They will be made aware by us that they can’t afford to mess up any more with us.
Finally I’d just like to say to everyone, can we all please stick to the topics in the comments to this article, and try not to provoke anyone, sparking mini arguments.
We do watch the comments being posted, and anyone found spoofing other people, especially if they do so in a derogatory fashion, will be banned from commenting.
We’re on a mission here at PESGaming.com to reach out to Konami and fix our PES.
If you’re of a cynical disposition and don’t want to positively contribute to our effort, then please take your business elsewhere. We are aware that the odds are stacked against us in trying to get PES fixed, but we’re trying to do everything in our power to get our message across. If that doesn’t work, then we’ll be joining you in the pessimism surrounding PES. Until then, let’s take the fight to Konami and show them how much we need PES sorted.
If anyone feels the urge to contact me, then you can email me at dougiedonut@pesgaming.com.
Thanks for reading.
Dougiedonut.
Posted by Dan Bolas in Interfering With Play on Tue 11 Nov 2008
IWP League Champion 2008: Martin Ginnelly (River Plate)
Welcome to this week’s Interfering With Play. A big week in the history of PESGaming.com is upon us, as I am sure like many of you, I am greatly anticipating the results of Double D’s meeting with the Konami representative. Whilst the actual meeting itself is only a small step, it is great to see that PESGaming.com and its huge community are receiving the recognition it definitely deserves. It is a testament to the die hard, day in day out posters, which express their views in an honest and mature fashion. The thing that sets this site apart from all the other Fanboy sites and those sites that simply promote a negative opinion of the game is that its community is split pretty evenly, and the majority of people here are gamers who posses both a sense of humour and an element of realism about what is expected from a gaming company. This time of year, especially as fair-weather fans start to die off, I would like to pay a huge tribute to those regulars out there, who, regardless of opinion, make this site the genuine success it is! On another quick note, the reviews of both Fifa 09 and PES 2009 are pretty much complete, just a quick read through required on each. In order to give Double D his opportunity to post his feedback from the meeting, I will be posting the reviews to download over this coming weekend. Even if you own both games, please take the time to read them and feel free to offer any relevant feedback. This perhaps is the longest introduction ever, so lets get rolling with this week’s IWP.
“Life Is Full, Of Surprises”
So, as was posted first on this website, version 1.20 of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is available for download. See below for basic instructions on how to use the download. The long awaited update has actually arrived three weeks and four days following the official EU release of the game, which is not far off Konami’s initial estimate of three weeks from its release date, Even the most cynical of PES fans, who love to hate the game, would be hard pressed to criticise this latest update too much. The transfers are 95% spot on, and those that received clearance after the deadline (Fellani to Everton being a much publicised one) are pretty much easy enough to sort out. Granted, the update has done very little to change the online gaming experience or indeed the actual game modes, but this little file is a huge improvement from Konami, who are seeming to show the after service for their title that so many gamers were craving this time last season!
With this update in tack, the stability and security of edited data has become a bit clearer. Basically, squads and formations will be overwritten by the update, but kits, logos and music are pretty safe when applied. Therefore the hunt for the ‘perfect’ option file is truly on. What we are looking for is a file that will give all the correct Premier League and Spanish team names and kits, as well as the option of edited League B into a division of our choice, the Bundesliga, Championship or collection of other club sides. I have been sent a couple already, and over the next few weeks will be trying them out and offering my recommendations. If you are using one, feel free to send me a link to where you found it, or an actual copy of the file itself. At PESGaming.com, we don’t believe in charging for Option Files, and therefore please resist paying money for ones you may find on EBay. The best ones out there will be available to download for free, and links will be made available on this site as and when we have found the best of the best.
I will put to you the next question though, which would simply be, what would you like to see in the next update, or version 1.30. Whether it is possible to implement new stadiums or boot packs via the patches will be dependant totally on how Konami have set up their update system, but other that that, which features do you feel could be added. As always, any mature, sensible and relevant comments are welcomed.
“Finally, It’s Happened To Me”
Biggest shock of the week goes to the e-mail I received from Konami last Tuesday evening. They sent an apology on behalf of their PR department and offered me a promotional copy of PES2009, if I required one. Having already reviewed the game, I thanked them kindly for the offer but declined; upon the grounds I have no need for a second copy, but am impressed they have taken the time to get in touch. This, coupled with the meeting Dougie has had, gives the impression that for the first time, Konami seem to care about the consumers, and with no new Metal Gear Solid on the horizon, and the company need its mainstay Pro Evolution Soccer audience to stay sweet. As I mentioned, I thanked them kindly for their offer, and also stated that this time next year, I would be looking for a promotional copy of PES2010, to which they responded one would be provided.
The EA PR machine has also been on fire this week, provided me with a couple of top new titles to try out. I am providing them with a copy of my Fifa 09 review, and a copy of my PES 2009 review will be sent to Konami. Again, this can only be a positive thing for football gaming, as the competition becomes fiercer, the quality of games will simply just continue to improve. This is a good thing for the consumer, in other words us!
Taking a deeper look into the gaming industry, there aren’t too many of these kinds of battles going on. With some of the specialist titles, for example Gears Of War 2 or LittleBigPlanet being console exclusives, and with franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Call Of Duty simply being head and shoulders above their nearest rivals, the football gaming category is one that could be hugely lucrative if dominated, yet is probably the most difficult to monopolise, with so many die hard fans for their respective franchises. The only other pound for pound battle going on at the moment is Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero World Tour, and if your into those kind of games, may I strongly recommend Rock Band, which is without doubt the better of the two franchises. If anyone can think of any pound for pound battles of this nature going on, please feel free to leave them in the comments section of this article, along with your opinions of the better one. My comparison of PES 2009 and Fifa 2009 will be, more than likely, live this time next week!
I would like to quickly point out, following both the excellent showing of PR from EA Sports and the excellent intentions shown by the Konami team, that PESGaming.com is still 100% neutral, unbiased and totally self opinionated. We don’t answer to any higher power, and can write whatever our personally views dictate! I wouldn’t be comfortable writing a single word for a site that was being forced to provide rose coloured remarks, and simply wouldn’t be writing Interfering With Play unless all the views within it were my own!
“Wasted Words In Lower Cases And Capitals”
A small point that has been featured on many people’s e-mails over the past months is the seemingly unjustifiable option to make every name within PES capital letters. This has occurred since the start of the next generation era, with looking back to PES5 backing up this theory. Even TV coverage shows players names in the correct case, and I am just wondering if maybe from a programming or technical standpoint someone may know a reason for this. It does give the in game screen a bit more of an arcade feel, which is not necessarily a good thing, and whilst it may be used as a way of making text easier to read, surely it’s a bit excessive for every single name on the game. If you have any views on this feel free to express, as I know a great deal of gamers out there do. If you simply don’t care, let the community know too, because I am not kidding when I state that I have received loads of e-mails on the subject over the past few months.
“Flavour Of The Week”
As promised last week, I would give a section to games that I feel are going to be big over the upcoming Christmas period. The general view from the forums was that Gears Of War 2 is going to dominate proceedings over the next few weeks for 360, whilst LittleBigPlanet is the hot tip for gamers who own a Playstation 3. Elsewhere, both Far Cry 2 and Fallout 3 have been receiving rave reviews, and gamers who have played them recommend both. Personally, I am always interested in looking at games the redefine a genre. Quantum Of Solace, the latest in the 007 series, is reportedly meant to be of a high standard. However, living in the shadow of N64 super-game Goldeneye means that the QOS is going to have to totally redefine to the Bond genre in order to become the greatest of all time. Games like WiiFit, Buzz and Sing Star are also shoe ins as Christmas hits, for the simple family factor, but the games I am looking forward to probably most of all over the next few months are Mirror’s Edge and Tomb Raider. Mirror’s Edge is a totally new concept and something that may be the future of first person gaming, or may simply fall flat on its face. I will be keeping my ear to the ground for reviews of it, and anyone who can provide personal opinions of it are more than welcome to do so. Tomb Raider is a franchise that has been through a complete overhaul over the past few episodes, and was one of the best PS2 platformers as the console was peaking. The next gen offering for both PS3 and 360 has a great deal of hype to live up to and competition to beat, but you can never quite write off Lara, and I look forward to playing that game on Christmas morning! Any other recommendations, perhaps for handheld or PC gamers would be greatly appreciated, along with any of your views about the games mentioned above. I do appreciate this is a PES site, but I will go out a limb and say that the people on here play more than just one game, irrelevant of how good PES is!
“Have You Heard The News Today”
Finally, a little bit of personal promotion for a new website. The eagle eyed amongst you may notice the fact that in recent weeks, I have shied away from discussing the workings of the real football world. This has been mainly due to the sheer volume of PES related information, and the fact I wanted to make my columns as PES focused as possible during the busy release period. However, I have recently been approached to write a column for a new site, called thefootballforums.com. The site is a place to discuss the latest footballing news with likeminded people from all over the world, and my personal column, entitled ‘This Is Roberto Carlos Territory’ is published every Friday evening. If you’re a football fan, enjoy reading IWP or simply just are an opinionated soul who likes to express their views on the latest goings on, check the site out and sign up to the forum. It’s a relatively new site, so contributors and members will be welcomed with open arms. www.thefootballforums.com
That’s your lot for this week. Next week will hopefully see the comparison article between PES and Fifa become public, along with the latest news regarding the Interfering With Play online league. interferingwithplay@hotmail.co.uk is the place to send e-mail to, should you wish to get in touch, and a huge thanks, as always, to Dave O for his IWP logo design.
Thanks for Reading
