Interfering With Play 21/08/07
By The Bolder
I am very pleased to now be a featured writer on pesgaming.com. As I have said before, I truly believe it is the best place for Pro Evolution news and information, and am now proud to be part of the team. With the football season underway, and with the imminent release of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, these are exciting times for those fans of football, and indeed football gaming.
Accusing The Wrong Man?!
My first talking point of the week is about the start Manchester City, and Sven Goran Ericsson, have made to the new football season. I will be one of the first to admit that after the World Cup in Germany, it was in the best interests of English football that Sven left his post as England Manager/Head Coach. He had got it wrong on several occasions, taking Theo Walcott to the 2006 finals being the final nail in a coffin that was already full to the brim. He was doing a job that most 10 year olds could do, picking the eleven best English footballers and putting them into a team. The majority of the coaching sessions were led by one Steve McClaren, a boss who at club level had a less than convincing record. So we move on 12 months, Sven has left and England are now under the watchful eye of the same McClaren. Sven is currently leading a bunch of unknown stars to sit top of the premier league, whilst McClaren is calling upon players whose international career he personally tried to kill (Beckham, Campbell, and James) to save his bacon. My point is who really was the problem at the World Cup and before? I am not for one moment saying Sven didn’t play his part, as the buck does stop with the manager, but McClaren has far from set the world alight during his first year of international management. At the time of writing, I am 24 hours away from watching England face Germany in a pointless Friendly. I know the result means nothing but I like seeing England play well and entertain. With McClaren in charge tomorrow night, I expect another watered down performance culminating in a low score draw or loss, followed up with a speech about how much Steve has learnt about the players, and how we tried some things and they didn’t work. For me, the problem wasn’t the Wag’s, or Beckham, or even Sven, it was McClaren, and whilst he is England manager, he will remain to be the problem.
Scared To Give A Penalty
Watching the last few weeks of football, I have been shocked by some of the decisions refs are giving, or not giving. I appreciate that refs have an exceptionally difficult job, controlling players who move and think so quickly. The discussion of TV replays is an ongoing one and that is a topic for another week. But over the last few days in the Premier League, there were some major decisions that were missed by officials. Sunderland conceded two penalties against Wigan, both of which were defiantly the correct decision. They also had four more appeals, 2 of which were probably more obvious than the ones given. Birmingham had one given against them; they should have had one given against them before that. Kanu may have gone down theatrically for a penalty at Fratton Park, but he had a perfectly good goal chalked off for no reason in the first half. This is coupled by refs getting in the way of play more than ever. The amount of times I have seen the ref be hit by the ball when the attacking team has a good opportunity is ridiculous. I would understand if it meant they were getting their decisions right, but more often than not, they are missing key points that cost managers jobs and clubs a lot of money. These men are professionals, and suppose to be the best this country has to offer. Too often, they end up centre of attention in games that should be enjoyed for the players on the pitch, not the man in the middle.
New Screens, New Information
I am delighted to see some of the graphical advances that Konami have brought in for PES 2008 on the next gen consoles. The master league, in my opinion, is still one of the finest ideas in sports games (coupled with the fantasy draft option on NBA 2K7) and it’s nice to see they have given it a much need update in terms of menus and navigation. Whilst there has been a lot of talk about the currency and points, to be honest it’s a tiny thing to worry about. Yes, it would be nice if it was done in £’s but I would much rather have an extra stadium, or a new trick in the game than a little pound sign in front of a players wage or value. I am still eagerly anticipating the first videos of the game, and will write much more about its features once more information comes to light.
Where’s The Demo?
One of the certainties of a new Pro Evolution game was the release of a demo disc, or downloadable demo a few months before its due release. I personally spent more hours playing France vs. Brazil demo of ISS Pro Evolution 1998 than I think I did any other game I had! However, the last couple of seasons have seen less Demo discs before the release of the game, and I did not play PES6 until I had a copy of the full game in my hands. To be honest, it’s not a big thing from where I sit. Most people know that Pro Evo is going to be the top football game for all formats for the next 12 months. Most people will buy it on the day it comes out or within a week or two of its release. The demo just wets the appetite, which is why games like The Darkness, Heavenly Sword and Lair all have them. Pro Evolution Soccer is a well known meal that keeps people coming back for more, so just sit back and wait those extra few weeks for the main course.
As always, any comments or topics are welcome. Either reply on here, or mail me directly on [email protected].
Thanks For Reading
By The Bolder
I am very pleased to now be a featured writer on pesgaming.com. As I have said before, I truly believe it is the best place for Pro Evolution news and information, and am now proud to be part of the team. With the football season underway, and with the imminent release of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, these are exciting times for those fans of football, and indeed football gaming.
Accusing The Wrong Man?!
My first talking point of the week is about the start Manchester City, and Sven Goran Ericsson, have made to the new football season. I will be one of the first to admit that after the World Cup in Germany, it was in the best interests of English football that Sven left his post as England Manager/Head Coach. He had got it wrong on several occasions, taking Theo Walcott to the 2006 finals being the final nail in a coffin that was already full to the brim. He was doing a job that most 10 year olds could do, picking the eleven best English footballers and putting them into a team. The majority of the coaching sessions were led by one Steve McClaren, a boss who at club level had a less than convincing record. So we move on 12 months, Sven has left and England are now under the watchful eye of the same McClaren. Sven is currently leading a bunch of unknown stars to sit top of the premier league, whilst McClaren is calling upon players whose international career he personally tried to kill (Beckham, Campbell, and James) to save his bacon. My point is who really was the problem at the World Cup and before? I am not for one moment saying Sven didn’t play his part, as the buck does stop with the manager, but McClaren has far from set the world alight during his first year of international management. At the time of writing, I am 24 hours away from watching England face Germany in a pointless Friendly. I know the result means nothing but I like seeing England play well and entertain. With McClaren in charge tomorrow night, I expect another watered down performance culminating in a low score draw or loss, followed up with a speech about how much Steve has learnt about the players, and how we tried some things and they didn’t work. For me, the problem wasn’t the Wag’s, or Beckham, or even Sven, it was McClaren, and whilst he is England manager, he will remain to be the problem.
Scared To Give A Penalty
Watching the last few weeks of football, I have been shocked by some of the decisions refs are giving, or not giving. I appreciate that refs have an exceptionally difficult job, controlling players who move and think so quickly. The discussion of TV replays is an ongoing one and that is a topic for another week. But over the last few days in the Premier League, there were some major decisions that were missed by officials. Sunderland conceded two penalties against Wigan, both of which were defiantly the correct decision. They also had four more appeals, 2 of which were probably more obvious than the ones given. Birmingham had one given against them; they should have had one given against them before that. Kanu may have gone down theatrically for a penalty at Fratton Park, but he had a perfectly good goal chalked off for no reason in the first half. This is coupled by refs getting in the way of play more than ever. The amount of times I have seen the ref be hit by the ball when the attacking team has a good opportunity is ridiculous. I would understand if it meant they were getting their decisions right, but more often than not, they are missing key points that cost managers jobs and clubs a lot of money. These men are professionals, and suppose to be the best this country has to offer. Too often, they end up centre of attention in games that should be enjoyed for the players on the pitch, not the man in the middle.
New Screens, New Information
I am delighted to see some of the graphical advances that Konami have brought in for PES 2008 on the next gen consoles. The master league, in my opinion, is still one of the finest ideas in sports games (coupled with the fantasy draft option on NBA 2K7) and it’s nice to see they have given it a much need update in terms of menus and navigation. Whilst there has been a lot of talk about the currency and points, to be honest it’s a tiny thing to worry about. Yes, it would be nice if it was done in £’s but I would much rather have an extra stadium, or a new trick in the game than a little pound sign in front of a players wage or value. I am still eagerly anticipating the first videos of the game, and will write much more about its features once more information comes to light.
Where’s The Demo?
One of the certainties of a new Pro Evolution game was the release of a demo disc, or downloadable demo a few months before its due release. I personally spent more hours playing France vs. Brazil demo of ISS Pro Evolution 1998 than I think I did any other game I had! However, the last couple of seasons have seen less Demo discs before the release of the game, and I did not play PES6 until I had a copy of the full game in my hands. To be honest, it’s not a big thing from where I sit. Most people know that Pro Evo is going to be the top football game for all formats for the next 12 months. Most people will buy it on the day it comes out or within a week or two of its release. The demo just wets the appetite, which is why games like The Darkness, Heavenly Sword and Lair all have them. Pro Evolution Soccer is a well known meal that keeps people coming back for more, so just sit back and wait those extra few weeks for the main course.
As always, any comments or topics are welcome. Either reply on here, or mail me directly on [email protected].
Thanks For Reading