Archive for February, 2010
Posted by dougiedonut in PES 2010 News on Sat 27 Feb 2010
I’d like to being this week by answering a few questions asked of me from last week’s comments.
Q1: “How can you sit in your chair and say PES2010 is the best installment of PES and then openly admit that it doesnt even hold the mantle of being the best football game on the market.” From BarcaFC
Thank you for your comments BarcaFC, but just because this is the best incarnation of PES to date, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the very best a football game can be. PES is getting back on track after a couple of very wayward years. But in my opinion it still requires a major rethink in direction. There are so many different concepts of footballing which neither PES or FIFA address which I will discuss further later, but many of you will understand what I mean already.
I totally agree with you that Seabass said that they had tons of ideas which the PS2 architecture just couldn’t cope with. And yes, we’ve still yet to see anything truly groundbreaking from PES, which really uses the computing power available on today’s consoles.
FIFA hasn’t changed much in the last few years – FIFA 09 was the defining version, and from now on I fear there will only be tweaks to their concept of football, rather than truly advancing future versions. PES has had it’s period of stagnation, but I truly believe and hope that Konami have turned a corner. I don’t want to bore people with repeating myself, but PES2011 is going to be the true make or break year for many of us hardcore PES fans.
Personally speaking, I’d go so far as to say that should PES2011 be a minor update to the current version, I will give up on current gen football games altogether. I don’t like the FIFA school of football games, and unless they improve many things in the game, then that’s never going to change. This may just help me finish many games that I traditionally never complete due to PES!
Q2: “How can you seriously say that fifa10 is boring and predictable and hasnt moved the genre on when its clear to most football purists and the hardcore that it clearly has both in gameplay and cosmetic terms” From Dopecoil
Firstly apologies for nearly causing you to choke! I hear what you’re saying about FIFA being a decent game, but I argue they’ve merely beaten PES to becoming what we expected of PES! But I strongly beleive that PES should have been streets ahead in terms of gameplay today, than it currently is. So FIFA should have been the inferior product by virtue of PES’ progress. There’s just so much wrong with FIFA for me, that I can’t get into it.
Sorry but the player animations, the same bog standard cut scenes, the lazy high def cut scenes to glamourise the game all stink of corporate crap! It’s formulaic football. I can’t find spontaniety in it’s play. Goal variety doesn’t happen for me. PES gives me variety, a wide range of goals, unpredictability and goals that have me getting up out of my seat at times – particularly the late, late equalisers or winners. This is of course my take on FIFA, I’m sure others will express whether they can relate to my opionons.
Q3: “What are you going to dream up next how cod4 is more story driven and less linear then bioshock.Wake up and smell the coffee bud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” From juventus
I hear what you’re saying about Seabass apparently being impressed with the FIFA game engine, but if you re-read my article from last week, you’ll notice that I’ve actually said that both EA and Konami haven’t really taken the genre to the next level. I hope Seabass isn’t going to try to just mirror FIFA and think that will suffice for the PES masses.
If FIFA is the future, then I’ll be taking up knitting!
OK, question time over.
This week I was going to ask a simple question of you guys. Who would welcome the entry of a third football title to compete against the big two? There have been unsubstantiated rumours for a while now that Ubisoft are planning to enter the genre. Whether or not they do, who would want a third game? Would you want a game which attempted to do what both PES and FIFA are doing with their football concept, or would you want a different kind of football game?
Personally, right now I think the genre needs some serious reinvigorating. Some of you may laugh, but right now, I would back a game which was a cross between Dino Dini’s Soccer mechanics with Sensible World of Soccer’s depth. I think many of us would rather have a game that had game play variety with instant response to player movements/dribbling and shooting. I don’t care about the graphics and having players that are the spitting image of their real counter parts. Playing an overhead football game again would make player likenesses easier to deal with, as they’d just need accurate hairstyles! As much as we have enjoyed the graphical upgrade to PES, it’s not essential, and certainly not something which is important to us.
An overhead game which allowed you to zoom in/out to your preference, and had ball physics which had the ball behaving like a real entity, and players battling to control the ball and play the game is what I think would really do right now for me.
Now before I get asked what the hell I’m doing on a PES site if I’m saying I’d rather play a Kick off like game, than PES – I’d like to point out that this is a “what if” scenario. Having another game which just tried to do what PES and FIFA do right now would be pointless. But a game that went in a different direction and concentrated on realism and fun would be the way to go.
I hope I don’t come across as someone losing faith in PES either. I really do hope that the next version answers it’s critics big time. But how likely that is, is the big question. Noises so far from Konami have been positive, but then we’ve been there before. There is a lot of pressure on them to perform this time round, and we’re only a couple of months away from seeing the first glimpses of the next version.
So for now, I’ll keep my knitting needles safely locked away.
By the way, before I go, I’d just like to say that I’ve just had an impromptu online session with wayneos on my www.pesgaming.com community on PES, and the games played were fantastic. Wayneos lost his connection for some reason part way through our first game – something he assured me has never happened before. But after that we had around 4 games of uninterrupted, highly responsive online games. No button lag to be seen.
I’m not sure if the latest update had anything to do with it, or whether the online game is just better generally.
If you haven’t played online recently, then I’d urge you to try it again now, and see if it’s improved at all.
You may also want to sign up to the www.pesgaming.com community online, and perhaps take me on.
Thanks for reading.
Dougiedonut
(dougiedonut@pesgaming.com)
Posted by Dan Bolas in Interfering With Play on Tue 23 Feb 2010
Welcome to this week’s Interfering With Play. I am writing this on Sunday evening this week, so should any outstanding developments occur in the world of PES over the next 48 hours, I assure you it is not ignorance, it is simply time management. I am pleased to see so many people agreeing with my comments surrounding NBA 2K10. I do not for one second claim the title to be ground breaking, nor expect 2K Sports to become a leading title in the world of football gaming, but instead appreciate the level of commitment to detail the company show in the presentation aspect of their sports titles. Presentation in any game is a key aspect of the end product and should be taken into account when looking for the complete package of a title. As I said, it is very interesting to see so many people who agree with the aspect of the way 2K Sports deal. On a slight side note, I am looking forward to picking up a copy of MLB ‘The Show’ to see if it agrees with the hype. With that said, lets crack on with quite a hectic Interfering With Play.
“You’re Big In Japan”
My first point this week is actually thanks to PESGaming.com’s contact with Konami. I have said from day one that we are still very much an independent fan site (something which I hope my next topic will validate) but we do have people from Konami who we are in regular contact with. However, there will still be people who will read that first sentence and claim we have sold out or don’t care about the game anymore. That’s fine, but those people can stop reading right now, because obviously I am a liar!
Still with me, ok, good. Following a fair few e-mails from various communities members, I have been in touch with Konami about getting a copy of Winning Eleven 2010, the Japanese version of Pro Evolution Soccer. The word was that the game was superior to PES in a number of ways, and was a better product. Having heard this, I found myself angry that Konami were treating the EU gamers with contempt and releasing a weaker product in the West. Konami responded, and a couple of days later I was holding a copy of WE2010, complete with Japanese instruction manual and unreadable case!
May I go on record saying, that during the several hours I have spent with the title, there have been no major noticeable differences at all. The game feels near enough identical to Pro Evolution Soccer 2010, with maybe a slightly different animation or two. The only one of these I noticed was one when a player was reaching out for the ball when dribbling to change direction. This animation seemed slightly more fluid. The other difference was the inclusion of the Superstar difficulty, a feature which MUST be included in the next instalment of PES.
On Superstar difficulty opponents defend realistically, goalkeepers react much better to certain types of shots and attacking players try different ways of getting in behind your defence. I have never seen the AI use the long ball tactic as much in PES as I have in one game of WE, especially when losing the game. The defenders still do silly things (head the ball back into their own penalty box) and there is still no blatant penalties being awarded, but at least the game is challenging to a veteran player, something which is slightly lacking in PES 2010.
Of course, people are fully entitled to their opinion, and if having spent a lot of time with PES, you buy Winning Eleven and prefer it, all the more power to you. In my opinion, I am quite good at noticing when something isn’t there, and I don’t see much difference at all between the two games. If you can get your hands on a loaner copy, or have money to burn, it is worth trying Winning Eleven simply for Superstar difficulty, but other than that, the core game play, graphics and AI is the same. A huge note to Konami, and the one that I will include following playing WE is that Superstar difficulty has to be included on future PES and a minimum, and maybe even one more level above too!
“We Are Broken”
For those of you that are unaware, the latest downloadable content was made available by Konami last week. You way wonder why it wasn’t reported on PESGaming.com’s main page, but the simple reason is, it’s a complete waste of time. Most people will have done more transfers themselves in the January window than Konami managed with an actual development team, and the new pair of boots is quite simply embarrassing. The whole update reeks of laziness and quite frankly incompetence on the developers part, and it would have been better not doing an update at all that offering what they have done so far.
Tottenham were active in the January window, with players like Robbie Keane, Kaboul and Hutton all moving around. None of these transfers have occurred on the update, and if you made these changes yourself, the update moves the players back to their old clubs! Konami even put upon downloading the update the warning that ‘not all transfers are up to date’. That is ridiculous. It is like buying the box set of a DVD and when you get to the counter, the cashier saying ‘there are some scenes missing on this DVD’.
Now I am a realist. I know that boot manufacturers are holding off releasing their new lines, as the World Cup is only a few months away and they have the best PR opportunities available during this time. That’s perfectly acceptable and whilst the one pair of boots from Konami isn’t great, at least they have offered something. I also understand the DLC is free, so it’s not like we have had to pay for it. But these are not excuses for incompetence. If you have not downloaded the content yet, and don’t play PES online, I strongly suggest you boycott the download until Konami ‘pull their finger out’ and provide an update worthy of your time. Personally, updated Champion’s League squads and even new licensed teams would go along way to appeasing my frustration about this recent offering, but as I said, I am a realist, so all up to date transfers is a start.
“Must Be Something In The Atmosphere”
Does anyone notice anything different about any of the stadiums in PES when you take away the graphical appearance? I know this is something I have discussed before, and will do in greater detail another time, but to me pitch sizes are all the same, ground textures are all the same and even crowd noises are all the same. The variation occurs by the teams playing not by where the game is taking place.
Playing Ashes 2009, you know when the game is taking place in India by the atmosphere, the weather, the pitch, the outfield and the fans. You play on a different golf course in Tiger Woods, you feel the difference in the way the ball moves and rolls. You go to Wimbledon on Virtua Tennis; it feels a heck of a lot different from New York. So why are football games so backwards? Looking at the San Siro, it’s a completely different prospect to a half full Reebok Stadium. Going to Moscow or Zenit is a much colder experience than travelling to Brazil or Spain, yet on PES, they could all be the same thing! Your comments on this are greatly appreciated.
“It’s All About The Game”
I was going to hold off writing this final piece until next week; however I believe Double D’s column has lead onto it nicely. I have spent a lot of time over the last few weeks with FIFA 10, hoping and trying to understand where all these people were coming from. I have more years of gaming experience than I care to remember. I was the kind of person who would sit for hours in front of the text screens of Championship Manager 93/94. I was the one who would wait 20 minutes for the cassette to load on my spectrum to play just one game of Emlyn Hughes Soccer. I love my football games with a passion, irrelevant of who develops them, and what format they are played upon.
Last year, I wrote a review saying that I believe FIFA 09 was the best the franchise had ever produced and I thoroughly enjoyed certain aspects of the game. It had improved immeasurably over the past few years, and that is was simply a matter of opinion as to whether or not you preferred it to PES, which had improved, but by no means at the same rate. So, along comes FIFA 10, and for the first time, I actually looked forward to a FIFA game. Gone were the buzz words of the PR campaigns and new features that you knew would be on the scrap heap the following year. ‘Let’s FIFA 10’ Simple, to the point, and watching the PR videos, I was optimistic. Do not get me wrong, if FIFA 10 was my preferred video game, which is the one I would be playing, not PES. I have said before, I am not going to waste my free time doing something I don’t enjoy just to be stubborn. It really isn’t my style.
There are certain features on FIFA 10 I love. The set piece editor is something that makes a huge difference as it adds a completely new dimension to the game play, especially when playing against your mates. Now, you know that if you get a corner or a free kick, you have a specific plan from scoring, and will be able to outsmart your opponent. Get good at doing this, and you can build an entire game plan on being a side like Villa, sitting back, counter attacking and knowing that from set pieces, you are going to get your chances. I am more than willing to say I wish the feature was in PES, and it is a feature that Konami need to copy from EA Sports.
I also am a huge fan of the way FIFA has developed its online modes, in particular its Be A Pro mode. Personally, I feel that EA Sports, Konami or a third party need to dedicate an entire gaming franchise just to this one player on the pitch experience to truly get the best out of it, but for the time being I find FIFA’s offering to be much more advanced than the one featured on PES, which still feels far to arcade like.
But onto the pitch, and this is where my view remains the same. I feel FIFA 10 and FIFA 09 are all too similar. Yes the introduction of 360 movement adds something, but for me, I find FIFA to be monotonous and at times, a little boring. I have turned a number of games off half way through for the simple fact I wasn’t enjoying playing them, and these were games I was winning! I find the way the AI attacks unrealistic and bland, and find myself playing the same way with every team.
Of course, these same criticisms can be thrown out into PES as well, but the difference is for me, I enjoy playing PES. My opinion of FIFA is that it is still not as enjoyable to play as PES, either short term or long term, and this can not be confused or mistaken as fact. A fact would be that FIFA has improved over the past few years, due to its new features and game play. A fact would be that FIFA outsells PES. But my feelings and opinions make me find PES a more enjoyable, playable and even realistic football gaming experience. I believe that in PES, I can choose whether to place the shot, chip the shot or go for power, using the shoulder buttons. I can chose which foot my player strikes the ball with depending on my angle of approach and on the % success rate based upon my positioning in relation to the goal and space/time I have. I personally find FIFA’s shooting bland and unrealistic, and find the % of chip shots on one v one opportunities rivals the homing missile on the great Worms 2!
I fully respect everyone’s opinions, whether they differ from my own as some people’s do, or are pretty much the same. As I said, I am not playing blind, I have spent a fair amount of time with FIFA and find it a good game with some nice features, many of which were available in FIFA 09. I don’t believe myself to be a fan boy because I will only play PES as long as I feel it offers me the best football gaming experience. I welcome people discussing all aspects of football gaming on this website. I know Double D’s opinions may differ too, but at the end of the day, football gaming choice is totally down to the individual, and you can’t really argue to change that, it’s not something you or they can be write or wrong in.
That’s your lot this week. Quite a bit to read and digest there and I expect to be writing a follow up to the FIFA section next week, regarding a variety of views. interferingwithplay@hotmail.co.uk is the place to direct your e-mail to. I am always up for a little one on one discussion about topics on that e-mail address via MSN Messenger too. As I mentioned last week, I am still looking for contributors for a new project, in particular PES fans, so if that is something that might interest you, make sure you drop me and e-mail on the above address.
Thanks for Reading
Posted by dougiedonut in PES 2010 News on Sat 20 Feb 2010
Once again it has been an absolute pleasure to have instigated a discussion, which has seen many good, structured arguments with a sense of maturity. It’s something I’ve been striving to achieve on this site for quite some time. I’ve had to wield my ban hammer many times, but finally there’s some pay off.
I’d like to start this week’s column off by having a go at both EA and Konami. I think both Konami and EA are guilty of not advancing football games fundamentally beyond the PS2 architectural era.
FIFA2010 plays ok, but is very predictable, boring and fundamentally is a superficial game. Yes it has better individual player movement and passing control, but I argue it’s very similar to PES in how it plays the game. They’ve both not advanced sufficiently given we’re very comfortably into the current generation of consoles. FIFA I think are resting on their laurels and it would seem like they think they’ve not only hit on the right formula for a football game, but given Konami’s inability to stand up squarely to them, I think FIFA feel they’ve achieved their goal of becoming the number one football title. Now that they are number one, I can’t see them progressing the genre much more than they already have. Perhaps they’ll tweak the animations, improve some aspects of control, and heaven forbid they ever work out ball physics.
The list of features that they listed for the World Cup edition of the game due out shortly was for me, real evidence of where they will be looking to just add joke features to the franchise. Adding features such as the hats fans wear in stadiums, throwing of paper onto the pitch, and it remaining there for the game, as well as a whole list of other ambience related additions just stinks of milking the formula further. I can’t see FIFA2011 being much of a jump from FIFA2010 which was a marginal jump from 2009. Perhaps they’ll add off the pitch crowd trouble, or streakers for good measure.
In the meantime, we have an ideal opportunity for Konami to make the comebacks of comebacks on to the scene. I recall some comments recently from some EA goon referring to Konami as a small company challenging their superiority. It had the hallmark of that charming man Peter Kenyon all over it. If ever there was a time for the pheonix to rise from the ashes, this is it. EA not only are celebrating their success, they feel they are invincible, and have dismissed Konami as some old has-been.
There have been some noises made about a Famicom interview that Seabass gave which hinted at some serious overhaul of the game for this year. Now the cynical amongst us, and I have to say even I am beginning to join them, will be thinking we’ve heard this line over and over from Seabass for a few years now, and will not pay much attention to this.
If the fact that PES2010 was very poorly recieved in Europe, has truly hit home with Konami, then there is real hope that we will see more than mere cosmetic changes for PES2011, as nothing else will do.
Konami are now guilty until proven innocent in many people’s eyes. They’ve got a real battle on their hands, and nothing less than a mammoth effort on their part will suffice for many of us.
Don’t get me wrong, I have been working with Konami throughout last year, and will hopefully continue to do so this year, but I have to say we didn’t see as big a leap in the game last year as we would have hoped. Will we again see a small set of minor updates to the game this year, or will there be a clean sweep of genre defining features for us to enjoy?
As we approach the next three months of development of the core game, we can only hope that they do incorporate more fundamental improvements into our beloved game. Last year they did implement some of our ideas, but looking back, I’d say that most of the ideas implemented were around the periphery of the game, and not as much at the core of the game.
This year, they have already got plenty of feedback via not only their questionnaire, but also through the official forums they have on specialist PES sites to use. They will of course also feature more periods of improvements using direct improvement from us again later, but hopefully that won’t be too little too late.
For the record, I am personally very optimistic and excited in the build up to the first trials of the new version, and have faith in Konami to truly produce the real deal for us. I am behind them, which is why I’m writing on this site, and causing/having arguments about the game. But there is a niggling doubt in the back of my mind, that our ideas may be lost in translation. Hoepfully this is just fear for the sake of fear, and that they really produce this time, because they’ve used up 99% of our goodwill to date, and this time we demand justice for PES.
Thanks for reading.
Dougiedonut
(dougiedonut@pesgaming.com)
Posted by Dan Bolas in Interfering With Play on Tue 16 Feb 2010
Welcome to this week’s Interfering With Play. Some great discussion last week regarding the ‘genetic’ problems with PES. Some of these are quite obvious, namely issues such as online and animation problems, whereas some of the others are things that no doubt only bother specific people. All of this information is golden when speaking to Konami about the future, and I am hoping to get dialogue going over the next few weeks, something which I know Double D likes to take the lead upon. This week’s IWP will drift away slightly from the topics raised over the previous weeks, however, I will be returning to them next time round. I also hear quite a lot of talk from people regarding FIFA being a far superior product. In my personal opinion, especially having spent some time with FIFA over the past two weeks, I don’t see it, but I am going to carry on my month long run with the game before writing any more on the issue. Finally, due to a very busy personal few weeks in the real world, I have had to put a slight delay on the IWP League. I haven’t forgotten or neglected the competition at all, but the initial e-mail and set up phases take several hours, something which I have been unable to spend in front of my laptop this year. The league will still go ahead, but it is running slightly behind schedule. With that said, lets crack on with this week’s Interfering With Play.
“Just Enjoy The Show”
This may seem like an old topic, and one that has been discussed on many other sites, but when it comes to presentation in sports games, it is not Konami nor even EA Sports that know how to put on a show, it’s the US franchise 2K Sports who are the definitive market leaders. Recently, I managed to pick up a copy of their yearly basketball franchise, NBA 2K10, having missed out on the previous two years. For those of you who haven’t tried it, I strongly urge you to either buy or rent a copy. Even if you don’t like Basketball, the design and presentation within the title is worthy of your appreciation.
From the starting menu, the fixtures are accurate to the day, meaning instead of playing random or meaningless friendly games, the matches you will be playing are the games that the real life teams will be playing over the next few days, This means all the in game stats such as league tables, player stats and scoring charts are bang up to date. It also means that when the game breaks for a time out or pause in play, the charts that pop up on the screen are real life accurate representations of the sport. LeBron James top scorer for the Cavaliers, no problem that’s there, you opponents keep on scoring three points, a quick check of the stats will tell you which players are the most dangerous from ‘down town’. Just like EA Sports Live Season, these stats are updated on a daily basis, but unlike FIFA, its all free and part of the package.
The in-game presentation is like watching a TV show. I know this is a claim that I made regarding NBA 2K7, but I must retract this after viewing what 2K10 has to offer. Whilst some of the graphics aren’t as good as they should be, the way the game uses replays and stadium atmosphere gives the true illusion you are playing a real game of Basketball. At the end of each quarter, the game puts together an accurate highlights package of the best dunks, shots and interceptions, and accurately follows each player. At the end of the game, you can select a player, and watch his personal highlights, be they rebounds, blocks or points being scored. Just imagine being able to do that with Wayne Rooney or Didier Drogba, something which Sky Sports and Match Of The Day both do. Also, the in game branding feels very natural too. Never mind tagged on adverts for ESPN or whatever is Konami’s flavour of the week, features such as the T-Mobile half time report, Sprite players to watch out for or the Gatorade stamina bars probably earn the franchise as much money as any Konami do, but also feel genuine and part of the game.
Of course, I understand the numerous differences between Basketball games and Football titles, and nor do I believe 2K Sports would be the right people to create a Football game. At a push, there are 50 teams, each fielding a squad of 15 players. These stats can be tripled and doubled respectively for a weak line up in a football game. This makes stat tracking much more difficult. Also, the NBA is limited to one licensed league, whereas PES currently has a mix of licensed and non-licensed teams spanning over 15 leagues. Take into account editing, and you suddenly begin to lose a way of keeping track. However, production values can not be taken for granted. The 2K Sports team have produced a franchise renowned for it without sacrificing realistic and addictive game play. This is the blue print for football gaming to follow within the presentation field, and I urge anyone to check out NBA 2K10, as it sets the bar for where I believe both PES and FIFA should be heading in the presentation stakes. Your views, especially those of people who play NBA 2K10, are greatly appreciated.
“Calling All Cars”
My next point is a personal one. I believe we have some very creative minds on this site, but more importantly than that, I feel we have open minds too. I know there are a group of people here who are die hard PES fans, whereas there are others who can see the gaming world objectively. I know we have FIFA fans who visit the site, and I am also aware that we have some people who would claim themselves to currently not be into football gaming due to the current selection available, I also know we have many fans of the Football Manager franchise, we have fans of Retro football games and I am also pretty sure we have a fair few flitted in between.
In spite of my strong PES roots, I have owned every instalment of FIFA football since its inception, and spent time with all the major franchises such as Sensible Soccer, Actua Soccer and This Is Football. I like to believe I know my football gaming. I am looking for a couple of good people who know their football gaming as well to take part in a new project I am currently working on. The roles are very much open, and I am looking for fans of all franchises, both past and present.
If this seems something that may interest you, please contact me on the usual e-mail address (posted at the bottom).
“It’s Not For Gaming”
I am constantly speaking to different people regarding football gaming at the moment, and I was just wondering a simple question. How many of you guys play your PES on the PC version of the game? Personally I used to own the PC version each year alongside the PS2 version, as it was an easy way of playing online, adding new teams and creating a more visually realistic experience. However, now I am a laptop user, I have stopped updating my PC making it borderline redundant for gaming (bar Football Manager). I just wondered, mainly by a show of posts, if there are many if any PC PES gamers out there. Make yourself know, either via e-mail or comments, as I have a few pieces of information regarding PES on the PC. However, I am not going to waste time on it if it’s falling on deaf ears.
“Was It Worth It After All?
Finally this week, I go back to an old gripe, trophies. For those of you new to the site, I am a huge fan of trophies/achievements. I feel they add an extra dimension to some games, and add lifespan to others. When done properly, and linked with unlockable content, they can make completing a game all the more rewarding. To earn a Platinum trophy (on ps3) requires a level of skill and commitment that takes it one step further than just completing the game and spending loads of time on it, something which I can testify to with my recent 100% completion of Assassins Creed 2. Other games require a huge commitment to the online portion, something which quite honestly I don’t have the time for, but understand the developers thinking when including these trophies.
For the first year of including trophies in PES and the fourth year of having achievements, I must say Konami have come up with the blandest and boring set of potential trophies. Very few of the trophies actually relate to your skill as a player, as they can be achieved on any difficulty setting, and what’s arguable even worse, most require simply playing the game for a set period of time. Dedicating so many trophies to the Master League and Become A Legend section does show that not only are Konami being slightly lazy with their trophy choices, they are not actually taking into account what’s going on with the football.
Looking at FIFA trophies, you have a range of options from editing to uploading to physically playing the game and scoring specific goals. Going even that one step further and back to NBA 2K10, there are player specific trophies. Score at least 29 points with LeBron, with 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Difficult to achieve but worth it when you earn it. Imagine a Xavi trophy for having at least 40 touches of the ball, setting up at least one goal and having a pass completion ratio of at least 80%. You have to complete this with Xavi playing for either Barcelona or Spain. Then you could have trophies for ‘lesser’ players, requiring gamers to be forced to use weaker teams in order to earn these trophies should they want them. It seems simple, yet I have a horrible feeling that Konami will once again cop out and offer a very poor selection of trophies.
I asked last year, but I will open it again. If you have a suggestion for a good trophy or achievement which is both fair and tricky, please leave it in the comments section below. If like me, you have a fair few ideas, e-mail them through to me, and I will try to compile a dream list of potential trophies and achievements. Of course, some may depend on a mode being in the game (enhanced training mode or scenario mode) but as we stand, think of ideas that would work on PES 2010. The more we get, the better the selection will be, and I hope to have a list to show you guys prior to sending it through to Konami.
That’s your lot this week. As promised, I diverted away slightly from the long lists of improvements, to give both myself and Double D opportunity to ensure we don’t miss anything. intereferingwithplay@hotmail.co.uk is the place to direct your e-mails to, should you wish to speak to me direct. If you would like to be involved in this new project (and for that, I look towards those individuals responsible for the longer comments), please contact me via e-mal direct. Comments or e-mails are welcome for other subjects.
Thanks for Reading
Posted by dougiedonut in PES 2010 News on Sat 13 Feb 2010
It was good to see such a variety of responses to my opinion about PES2010 being the best installment to date. Sure there are plenty of people who disagree with me, but that’s never an issue with me. What is interesting is when people take the time to explain why for them the game is not good to them. It’s more objective than the more basic replies some people leave which just typically is a quick rant with no attempt to justify what they think. Given we’re about stimulating discussions and trying to get across all the different sides that we all see to PES.
I was particularly impressed with Amateur’s contributions this week as he talks about very salient points such as a CPU dictated scripts, manipulated off the ball movement, and the fundamental game not being different from the very early editions of the game. It’s a very valid point, as the core mechanics of the game are over 15 years old, and they need to go. It was a winning formula for a game 15 years ago, and over the years it was tweaked and refined, with the experience getting better and better for us. Whereas now, I think it’s fair to say that most experience PES fans are tired of the formula, and want a footballing experience worthy of the current generation of consoles.
Whilst we were using older generation machines, we were aware of their limitations, and so our own ambitions for the game were somewhat curbed as a result. Seabass himself used to say during the golden PS2 era that they had lots of ideas they wanted to implement which just weren’t possible back then, but I don’t think we’ve necessarily seen those ideas come to fruition over the last few years on the PS3 or 360 or PC.
Perhaps we’ve seen the best of Konami’s vision of what football games should be like. I know that when I first started playing the old ISS/Pro games many moons ago, the gameplay blew my socks off, compared to all other football games back then. It was revolutionary, “realistic” and hell of a lot of fun. So the formula back then was worked on, but the fundamentals were kept in the game.
Now that we want to move away from this core mechanic, perhaps the idea of having a different model to base the game on is too revolutionary for Konami. Which is kind of funny, since the game is know in Europe as Pro Evolution Soccer, and evolution seems to be the issue!
If Konami change the fundamental formula, and the game is say almost unrecognisable, and very difficult to get to grips with, then what? What if it takes weeks/months to get to grips with how to control the game and play effectively? Would people abandon Konami for making an unrecognisable game, or would we applaud Konami for having the balls to venture outside of their comfort zone, and embrace the new game – even if it meant having to wait another year for the control to be tweaked to be more accessible?
Another issue for them would be the casual versus core gamers. Just how many casual gamers play PES, and how many core gamers play PES? Are Konami at risk of alienating one demographic of gamers, if the game gets very different and harder to play? Personally I think that it’s us core gamers that count, as we are the main reason why the game has been so successful, but perhaps it’s the casual gamers that number more. Therefore they’d have to ensure it’s more accessible to them.
I’ve said many times in the past that casual gaming is ruining the gaming industry as a whole. Games are getting shorter and easier generally and I hate that. But the casual market is easy money for companies, so they will always be looked after now. My gripe is that this seems to be coming at our expense. Take the PES control system being simplified for tricks – it’s there to allow newbies to be able to pick up and play - totally bypassing the effort:reward ratio that core gamers understand and respect.
I said last week that I think that I think that PES is on the verge of greatness to some ridicule. Well I stand by my statement. The reason for this is that last year we began presenting the fans’ views to Konami, and they are listening. I would accept that our calls for changes will have had to impact their plans, and so require changes to how they worked on the game. Since then I’m hoping that they’ve learned how important our demands for changes are, and will be working on what we want. Yes this demands a leap of faith on my part, but I’m willing to go on another journey with Konami this year. For me, ~I’ve seen enough evidence to suggest that changes will happen.
Posted by Dan Bolas in Interfering With Play on Tue 09 Feb 2010
Welcome to this week’s Interfering With Play. This week has seen a fair amount going on in my personal life, along with a couple of new side projects I have on the go, and therefore this week’s IWP will be slightly shorter than usual. I would like to open up by saying I am looking into sorting out a copy of Winning Eleven to review, and hopefully will be able to provide some video footage of any improvements or ‘better’ features found in the game. This is following several e-mails I have received from Japanese / Asian visitors who constantly claim that PES is a weaker version of their franchise. I know that with exceptionally high import prices and the lack of ability to read Japanese, playing Winning Eleven simply isn’t a practical solution for most PES fans, but I am going to try and do my best to act on the community’s behalf and see just what the western world is missing! Stay tuned for more information! With that said, lets crack on with Interfering With Play.
“It’s Better The Devil You Know”
To start off this week, I am going to play a little Devil’s Advocate. Personally, I play a lot of passing football on PES. I believe football should be played on the ground and when watching sides like Arsenal & Barcelona in the ‘real world’ I always try to emulate their styles on Pro Evolution Soccer. When I have my Master League, I always look to build a team of technically strong players with a good first touch as opposed to just pace players, as a way of ensuring my style can be emulated correctly on the pitch. A style like this (short passing game) requires a strong midfield who have the ability to dribble as well as pass the ball quickly and accurately. It also requires the ability to create space, and when the moment arises, pick the killer through ball or hit the perfect shot. By reading the comments from the regulars within the community, I can see gamers play a similar style to myself, and therefore they want to see the midfield as the issue worked upon in future PES.
Last week, I mentioned the defensive aspect of the game which I felt needed to be improved if not completely overhauled, and yet people still believe that the midfield is the issue. In my opinion PES allows for the option to play good passing football through the middle if you so wish. PES also allows for the option to play a single target man, and hit long balls all day long looking for flick downs. Playing as Paris St. German, my tactic of hitting Hoarau with the long ball to allow for a knock down to Guily has produced many goals, and is a fully acceptable way of playing the game. Playing as Sevilla, I tend to work the ball into wide areas, to allow for Jesus Navas and Adriano to get 1 on 1 with their full backs. I would class this style of direct play, followed by them delivering the ball into Luis Fabiano and Kanoute as a genuine tactic, and one that is just as valid as any other.
By spending time overworking the midfield passing game, the fear will be that all gamers, and in turn all teams will end up playing the game through the midfield, which as a reflection of real football, quite simply isn’t the case. By starting on the defence, it allows the variety of different tactical styles a base on which to build. Upon winning the ball back, you players would then react in accordance to your tactics, be that spreading wide and long quickly in order to set up a counter attack, or flood the centre of the pitch to allow for a ball out into feet. Until defending becomes a skill as opposed to merely a side note, the development of other aspects of PES can not improve.
At the moment, chasing the ball with every player still brings up too much success. If John Terry came charging out of defence to win the ball, and it was played back, he wouldn’t carry on going in real life. Yet, on PES, the risk of bringing Terry out isn’t great enough, and 7 times out of 10, simply charging around after the ball will ultimately see you regain possession before the attacking team gets into an area whereby they can hurt you. Knocking a ball into the abandoned space would be a realistic tactic, but one the AI refuses to use. This would all relate to a more difficult game and more challenging defensive system. Do you leave the space at the risk of being caught out?
Playing on Top Player (there you go Dave O!) I have conceded 26 goals in around 100 matches. This is playing against a variety of teams ranging from top sides to less popular clubs, whilst in the same token I have scored around 200. This alone implies defending is still too easy, and whilst we all are asking for a more threatening, attacking opposing AI, a more realistic and difficult defending system would provide a genuine challenge and improvement in the gaming experience.
“It’s Genetic”
A very interesting point raised on the boards. At the time of writing my internet is actually disconnected, so I can not give credit by checking who said the exact quote, nor from which week it was from, but it ended up being something along the lines of “FIFA will always have Gameplay issues because of its genetic problem. The issues have plagued FIFA for years are still present in 2010, and will be in 2020.”
As I said, I can’t check the exact quote, but hopefully that gives you the idea of what is meant. Basically, FIFA, and indeed PES will always be burdened by the same issues. This takes it further to people who have been saying in the comments board for the past 18 months that PES is a dated game, and needs to be updated for the next generation. So my question is to you, what are these genetic disorders that make PES struggle nowadays?
The big two that seem to have come out are the animations and the AI. These are both things I can jump on board with. I mentioned the animations in my PES 2010 review being both dated and stale, and that Konami need to revamp all the old animations to keep up with some of the new ones that have been added. I personally love the Drogba heel flick that has been added to the game, but it looks very out of place with the before and after running movements. I will take a great deal of time to discuss animations in future weeks, and the AI is an issue that will be addressed at length too, but what, if any, other genetic issues are present in the current PES, that maybe were still giving you grief 5 years ago. Issues such as real player names have been since sorted out by Konami, and licensing, whilst still far from perfect, is getting better. The biggest genetic issues for me (other than the above) are the fact Konami constantly removes features, and that online is still not good enough. But I will leave the floor open to you guys, and we will hopefully look into it next week.
“Headstrong, I’ll Take You On”
Anyone who gets the link between this topic and its heading can have a pat on the back from me! Finally this week, I am going to just introduce a brand new concept to the world of football gaming, and indeed sports gaming. With people discussing old features such as the old one two systems in various PES and ISS games (which for the record, I pretty much despised) I looked back at a couple of my first posts in the PES Gaming forum (around 2003). One issue I spoke about was the way the ball was controlled by players and the way indeed players trapped the ball.
I am sure we have all been there. Playing PES, and the ball bobbles off your striker just before your about to pull the trigger. Of course, you blame the animated Defoe or Rooney; it’s not your fault it’s totally theirs. And you’d be right. There is no way of determining how your player controls the ball, and it comes down to a combination of body positioning, technical attributes, ball physics and seemingly in some cases, blind luck. In general, the better players do seem to control the ball with more consistency than say a Wolves centre back, but the ironic issue is that controlling the ball is pretty much out the gamer’s control.
This can be taken a step further to passing. When playing a first time pass on PES, it feels like the ball has travelled two motions as opposed to one. In other words, when passing the ball first time, it seems that your player has controlled the ball and generated the power for a new pass with the same accuracy all in one touch, something that in real football is far from the case, especially when angling a pass over a 90 degree angle. It is far too common in PES to play a ball into a CM from your CB, and have him play a first time pass to your striker whilst facing away from him, and it arrives with accuracy and quality.
At first, this may seem like an issue of centre midfield play, but it affects all styles of play. Having control over a high ball could be the difference between a target man choosing to flick the ball on or bring it down on his chest. It could be the difference in having your centre half control the high ball or hoof it into touch. It could be the difference between crossing the ball first time and taking that touch to ensure a more accurate delivery
My suggestion would be to use R2 or the right trigger as a button for controlling the ball, thus making ball control a conscious decision the gamer has to make. It is unique as no other sporting game offers this. In basketball games, players catch the ball automatically, in Cricket simulations, the fielders pick the ball up by themselves. But especially in a football game, the moment you receive the ball is the difference, and having control over how your touch is should be paramount. Imagine, as the ball travels towards your player, you press the shoulder button. Dependant on your timing, the ball may stick to your feet or bounce straight off you. The better players will have a greater margin for error, whereas the weaker player you are, the more accurate your timing will have to be. This means you will still be able to control the ball with Jody Craddock, but it is more likely he will miss-control a ball than Deco. The longer you hold the button down, the further you may knock the ball out your feet. Providing you get the initial press right, this may mean you can beat a defender with your first touch, or cushion a ball up for a volley, dependant on the height you receive it.
This would also bring hand balls back into the game. Miss-timing controlling a high ball would result in it either bouncing off your player, or your player using a hand to get the ball down. Again, it means the error is in your control, and again, there is a genuine risk reward method or choosing to control the ball as opposed to just putting your foot through it, or heading it away.
Of course, this would rely on a great detail of implementation, and ultimately would require an ultra responsive gaming system, but at the same time, it is a mode that would redefine football video gaming, and offer an entire new dimension to the way everyone plays the game. It would mean that skill and technique would have to be practised, and that even playing with Barcelona would require practise to ensure you controlled the ball before you went on a mazy run.
This is an issue I have a great deal upon, and have researched to quite sad levels, so if anyone has any questions about it, please get in touch. What I will say is I know there are gamers out there, the ones who cry for changes, may hate this idea, but it is this kind of thinking that is going to revolutionise gaming by physically thinking about the way we play the game. I am not saying this is the answer but it’s a start!
That’s your lot for this week. Slightly longer than planned but sometimes it just writes itself. Thank you as always for getting in touch, comments are always welcomed. interferingwithplay@hotmail.co.uk is the place to direct any e-mail to and if you have read anything you feel you can contribute to on PESGaming.com this week, please do not hesitate to get involved.
Thanks for Reading
Posted by dougiedonut in PES 2010 News on Sat 06 Feb 2010
Looks like I couldn’t muster much enthusiasm from you guys about PES2010 last week, judging from the low number of comments left. Surely there are still people out there who do find some level of enjoyment from PES? I still consider PES2010 the best PES to date, as I stated with my review of it, and it’s surprising that there has been such a huge backlash against it.
Yes Konami have had a hard time adjusting to the demands of gamers for the current generation of machines, but I truly believe we’re on the verge of greatness with the next installation of the game. A while ago, I did say that in my estimation that PES would require two years to really deliver the total package to us. So this next edition of the game should reach the heights of popularity that the game has been famed for. Naturally I think we all are going to have a huge part to play in order to get the best out of the game.
I am yet to have a proper chat with Dan to organise our joint feedback initiative, including a new venture for us in communication with the masses – a chat room for us to get some banter going with fellow PES fans. We are aiming to try out a few new things on PESGaming.com to try to evolve how we operate. We think it would be a great idea to get a bit more interactive with people ahead of the key period later in the year when we are on the verge of the final release of the game. We’re still a good 5 odd months away from getting invitations to get an early taste of the latest installment of the game, so we’d like to have a decent set of communications tools established for then.
I recall reading a comment to an article a couple of weeks ago from “old enough to know better” who made a very intriguing point about perhaps PES needs to stop trying to deliver a game with so many sub games. It’s a very intriguing idea and it’s really made me think. Currently we have League modes, Cup modes, BAL mode, Master League and of course the online game.
I wonder how many modes of the game are still relevant to most gamers today. Do people play the standalone League modes?
Or the single player Cup modes? I know people have had moans about having offline multiplayer participation where players can take control of CPU teams. But the point is, could Konami shave off some features to help them spend more time on the core modes that interest us?
I think the online mode and Master League modes are the key modes of interest, as well as offline multiplayer modes.
But I haven’t mentioned the much missed training mode that used to be in the game, where you could hone your single player skills, as well as the now distant memory of the scenarios mode which provided hours of entertainment. There are so many facets of the game which can start arguments about what is missing from the game, that perhaps we need to consider talking to Konami to prioritise the modes that matter. I’d be interested in hearing from you guys which modes we think are no longer relevant and so could help to focus more attention on modes that do matter.
Finally I’d like to say a big thanks to everyone that has joined the PESGaming.com community on PES2010. I have been very busy for the last couple of months and have neglected arranging sessions for the members. I will however be shortly looking to arrange weekend sessions on the game. So please do join up the community if you can, as we would like to use the mode properly and see what improvements we can come up with.
Thanks for reading.
Dougiedonut
(dougiedonut@pesgaming.com)
Posted by Dan Bolas in Interfering With Play on Tue 02 Feb 2010
Welcome to this week’s Interfering With Play. Before even begin this week, I would like to once again reiterate a pretty crucial point. Personally, I receive no reward, be it financial or any other kind, for writing and contributing to PESGaming.com. Some people seem to think that due to the number of sponsors on this site, I am rolling in the money, which is far from the truth. One of the reasons I can be so brazen and open about my views regarding PES is that I don’t have anyone to answer to, no pay packet to keep rolling and no perks for doing what I do. I simply do it for the love of the game. I know there are many other people out there who contribute to this site in a variety of forms in exactly the same boat, and therefore understand the reason I do it for free, but if PESGaming.com is making money off sponsors or on site adverts, I am not seeing a single penny of it, and the powers that be have it. As I said, I do this site for enjoyment, and nothing more. If you like my posts, or have something to say about something you have read, you get involved for free too; I believe this is how a fan based community should work! Hopefully, that clears up some of the confusion out there. With that said, lets crack on with this week’s Interfering With Play.
“Sometimes, I Feel, Your Not, Listening”
Some absolutely amazing posts over the past seven days, pretty much outlining everything I have been looking to discuss over the next few months. I don’t really tend to mention just how good some of the ideas are by people on this site, but there are some genuinely impressive and implement able ideas in there, it is just making sure that these are the ones Konami hear, amidst all the moaning, criticism and backwards thinking by people. However, I do believe there is one issue that is the real road block between us, as a community site, and directly influencing the majority of aspects of the PES franchise.
I am not an expect in Japanese business, but I believe that the culture in the Eastern business world tends to rely less on market research of Westerners, and more on their own personal whims, almost turning certain companies into inward thinking shells. What I basically mean by this, is that Japanese companies in general seem to not want to take on board advice from their fans, and no more is this the case than with Konami. The European representative from Konami is a genuinely good guy, and our contact has always been excellent with us, yet you feel that the powers that be, above his head sometimes don’t take these suggestions as seriously as they should do, which is ridiculous when you take into account some of the more popular ideas that have been implemented into the franchise have been spoken about on this site for years. Custom play lists, multiple chants, upload able images for edit mode, downloadable boot packs, transfer updates and even features such as Community Mode and Become A Legend were all discussed on this site months or even years prior to Konami including them in PES, and pretty much all have been met with praise and appreciation.
When I discuss this particular aspect, I look more to features than game play itself, an issue that will be discussed in great deal over future weeks, but features such as a training camp, scenario modes, indoor or 7 a side games and custom managers, refs and stadiums would all be easily implement able into the existing system, and yet add a new dimension to the game. Yet for the past few years, the Japanese business culture has seen ignorance at times stand in the way of progress.
I can not stress enough that this is not because of myself or Double D, or the EU side of Konami’s PR, who are always improving and looking for new ways to get involved, but it is the culture of Konami itself, and unless a culture evolves, it ultimately dies out. Konami have a huge opportunity here to get ahead of the game, hit the Western world for feedback and actually use it. I just genuinely hope they do this time.
“Here’s, My, Bright, Idea”
So following the excellent feedback mentioned above, I have decided to employ the following tactic. Each fortnight, I will open a new topic for debate, ranging from AI to Graphics to Features to the dreaded Online, and leave you guys to rule the roost on that topic. I will also include a chat room which myself and Double D will regularly attend over the course of a week, to get your ideas ‘face to face’ in real time. This chat room will appear, all being well, on the regular site as if it were a post, and have opening times whereby you can meet and chat with other PES gamers.
By doing this, I hope to achieve a couple of things. Firstly, by speaking to myself or Double D directly, we can get the exact issue you are trying to raise, and not miss out on anything. It will also act as an opportunity to bounce ideas off other PES fans, and maybe pick up on something you have missed or overlooked. The opportunity to comment and e-mail will still be there, but by adding a third option, it may appeal to those people who like a slightly more human touch! The first topic will be announced later this week!
“The Real Thing”
The final one from me this week and one that has been building up for a while. Following a couple of excellent posts by regular contributor ‘Amateur’ I have been asking myself a little more about how realistic does football gaming need to be, and more importantly, how more realistic is it going to get. I may use a couple of quotes in the following topic, and I apologies for not sourcing the original contributors, however I feel it is better to just let this piece flow a little bit more. I am also going to discuss the topic regarding the PS3, X Box 360 and PC generation, and not look into the future of 3D gaming or motion sensing that may occur in years to come.
It has been a claim by some that FIFA 10 is a more realistic gaming offering that PES, a statement I am less than convinced by. On one hand, I have logged some hours on FIFA 10 and therefore can quote that in my opinion, FIFA plays more like a video game and less like a game of football, yet I have not played for the same number of hours as I have on PES, so my judgement can only by my own an not a recommendation. However, for me, it is important that football gaming still maintains an aspect of exactly that, and that the game can offer a variety of challenges and doesn’t become predictable or boring. If we take away the aspect of difficulty levels for a second, the idea of a perfect football game would seem the AI play the game using different styles in relation to the team it is controlling. PES currently sees the AI play a lot of nice attacking football passing in the middle third, but no real penetration in and around the penalty box. This is very realistic when your playing Arsenal or Chelsea, but when Bolton are keeping the ball for minute long spells at a time, you have to question the realism. Playing styles are definitely a must if we are going to talk about realism.
A second issue regards time. I know people have said that games should last longer, maybe have a minimum of 10 minutes per half, but simply this is an option that is going to isolate as many gamers as it will draw in. I know for a fact there are gamers out there that will end up playing less games of PES, simply because they haven’t the time. By the same token, simply adding to the match duration alone won’t alter the way the AI or a gamer will play, and that the option for longer or shorter matches shouldn’t play too much of a deal on the game itself. However, if you alter the physical game speed of the players, and the actual size of the pitches, then you may start to have a situation whereby a longer time frame would actually be required, as to travel with the ball.
A third issue would be the ball physics. In my opinion, PES had the best ball physics for years, going back to the Playstation one days of random deflections and spin. However, since its inception onto PS3 and 360, the physics do seem to have suffered some what, particularly when it comes to dribbling and in block tackle situations. It is crucial to remember that the ball in the most important part of football, and that Konami or whoever should be focussing on making that roll, bounce and look as realistic as possible, and definitely not be as oversized as the FIFA in game ball.
But my biggest issue of all is how the gamer is made to experience when playing a football game. In the past, we have had complaints the game is ‘cheating’ or becoming ‘unbeatable’ at certain points. However, this is something that needs to be examined more closely. Gamers may have to start getting used to spending long periods of a game defending as opposed to always attacking, and here in lies the key to creating realism. I have asked before, but how many times do you sit back and let your opponents attack you when playing PES? Or how many times do you just smash the ball anywhere when defending? Most people I know who play the game will always try to dribble the ball or pass the ball out of defence. Most will start pressing as soon as they lose the ball, and the only goals they concede are when they have simply ran out of players to press with.
This is not me being over the top, as I am guilty of it too. I rarely hit the ball long when defending to allow my team to regroup, and I rarely lose possession in my own box when being defending by simply passing it around. To increase realism, attacking teams need to make sure that if you give them half a chance, they make you pay. The risk vs. reward ratio of messing around in your own area needs to be much greater, and you would be much wiser just to hook the ball clear, put it out for a throw in and allow yourselves to regroup. This can be taken further to give away free kicks to slow down the play, or even pick up tactical yellow cards.
To improve the realism of PES, defending has to become as equal a part of the game as attacking, and not just something you do in-between attacks. It was said recently that football is like a game of chess. If you’re watching a top side working the play from one side to another, this is a statement I can agree with. The tactical movements of playing in and out, diagonal and square to create space. However, in realism, most football teams play a direct style of the game. They look for their target players early and build attacks from there. They try and win free kicks and hit the ball into the area. It’s kind of like throwing all your chess pieces at the king, and is as much a part of football as the slick passing game. And irrelevant of whether you’re a smooth passing team or a dogged long ball mechanical team, you all have to spend periods of a game defending, and therefore have to clear your lines to wait for the next attack.
That’s my two penny’s worth on the issue. If we talk about improving realism of PES, before we look at ways of improving the passing system or even new tricks and turns, the issue to address is making the game a more defensive one first of all. I don’t want to be playing out a 0-0 draw every match, but if I am Burnley and I get a 0-0 against Liverpool, I want to feel like I have earned it, not that I have just not managed to score myself following tens of shots on goal. I hope what I am trying to say makes sense, because as soon as you establish a solid defensive base, you can start looking forward to playing different styles, be that having a deep sitting playmaker who comes off the defence to receive the ball, or a centre forward who plays as an out and out target man, or overlapping full backs who provide width to a narrow midfield. Your views on this issue would be greatly appreciated, as at the moment, the defensive part of the game is far too mechanical and one route, which makes the realism levels drop.
That’s your lot for this week. A fair bit to mull over and I haven’t even mentioned my crushing cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool. interferingwithplay@hotmail.co.uk is the place to direct your e-mails to, or just leave a comment as so many people have been doing over the past few weeks. The suggestions from previous PES’ have been logged, and will make interesting reading in future weeks when it comes to compiling some sort of list. And if Konami are reading this and want to take a punt, I have no problems flying first class to Japan and working on some ideas to make PES 2011 the best ever!
Thanks for Reading
