Dave Castro
Registered User
The Evolution of Pro by Dave Castro
Dear PESGaming Members & Guests,
Amigos, this is my first post which I supposes means that right now I'm loosing my forum virginity. Some of you might actually take part and others will just watch. Whichever group you happen to be, I hope this self indulgent mini essay brings as much pleasure to you as it did to the first girl I had sex with. For one thing, it has already gone on much longer…
I have been a voyeur on these forums now since the release of Pro Evo 2009. For the most part the discussions seem to be conducted in a very friendly matter. Well, that is until someone dares offer an alternative view on the latest Evo release from Konami or an opinion on why FIFA is better. At this point certain people become a tad abusive or dismissive in their replies which is a shame because after all, it’s an opinion and as such cannot be right or wrong. Unless of course you are actually suggesting that FIFA is a better football simulation which is just downright ludicrous. If you believe that then you deserve to be put up against the wall and shot in the head three times. (Calm down, I’m only joking. Once would be sufficient…)
Let’s get the “I’ve been a playing Pro Evo since its ISS days…” out of the way. I’ve played and owned them all expect of course that bastard child of a release called Pro Evo 2008 which for me was just FIFA in disguise. Thankfully with the release of 2009 there actually seems to be an Evolution happening again within the franchise. Up to the best game yet of the series in Pro Evo 5, this gradual evolution was apparent. Number 6 while still a good game was a step backwards and 2008 was like the fat girl that we’ve all boned – it may have happened but she exists only as a bad memory. With 2009 things are beginning to move in the right direction once again. I am of course referring to offline single player mode, and in particular the Master League, as I haven’t played online for various reasons: the best one being I didn’t have an internet connection.
My major complaint about Pro Evo and the Master League was it was just too easy. The computer would back off and give you ample time to pass the ball around until you could pick the right pass. Not so in 2009. The computer presses you making the execution of my particular playing style, not dissimilar to Arsenal’s I may add, a little more difficult. Add to that now the fact that when you press X it doesn’t fly pinpoint to the feet of your nearest player, that so called “easy passes” go astray and that players don’t always make the smart runs into space you can begin to see the beginnings of a real football simulator.
Now maybe I’m dreaming a little to think that this was the intention of Konami rather then bad code but if it was then I applaud them because for me, we are edging closer to what a football simulator should be. It ain’t all about whooping the computer 10-0 every game, having your CF bang in 40 plus goals a season. Sure, it’s nice when you get those games when everything seems to go right and the goals fly in but Pro Evo has been missing those games when it doesn’t go right, when you have to actually change your favorite formation to try and win a game since its birth. For most people on earlier Evo’s it was the fact that you has missed your 20+ chances that came your way that you lost points. The smaller teams played better then the names. With 2009 though, they seem to have upped a level. The big teams are evidently harder to beat. Teams do seem to actively change their formations in an attempt to stop you. Christ, if the AI finds a formation that you seem to have difficultly breaking down half the teams in the league adopt it. It’s frustrating but it’s how it should be.
The game has its faults. I can understand when people get upset about the computer taking over control of defenders and giving away fouls but this hasn’t happened to me for a long long time. I found out that this happens when you take control of a player to tackle someone then change to another when you are close to the ball. The previously controlled player continues to run on and make a tackle that 9 times out of ten results in a foul. You want to stop this? Then pick the player you want to tackle and stick with him. If you are going to change then don’t do it too late otherwise the player will continue his mission so to speak. And that like that fat girl we were talking about earlier on, even though he knows it’s wrong, he’s still gonna do it. As for the complaint about the forward runs of your players when you have the ball that is for me justified. I wouldn’t like to see them making perfect runs all of the time but some of the positioning of the players when attacking can be woeful. The way around this is to use the 1-2 pass and make them move but the complaint is still a valid one.
The game is harder. It is different from its previous incarnations, but once you find your way and discover the formation that works for you (although like I said, it won’t work all the time!!) I believe those of you who aren’t enjoying the game but have enjoyed the previous Evo’s will find peace within 2009.
I’m currently playing my second season of ML with Ajax using a similar formation to the default one with a few tweaks here and there, a 4-5-1 and a 4-4-2 for my Formation A and B settings just in case and doing really well. Won the 2nd Division (after a dreadful start) and Cup, got promoted and now top of the League after 16 weeks with 38 goals scored and 5 conceded. Got put out of the League Cup mind in the first round and have lost 1 league game and drawn 1 so it hasn’t always been plain sailing. Real are only 3 points behind. And yes, it is and always has been on Top Player.
“But you said it was hard Boss…”
Yeah but I was talking to you. I’m the shit.
Dear PESGaming Members & Guests,
Amigos, this is my first post which I supposes means that right now I'm loosing my forum virginity. Some of you might actually take part and others will just watch. Whichever group you happen to be, I hope this self indulgent mini essay brings as much pleasure to you as it did to the first girl I had sex with. For one thing, it has already gone on much longer…
I have been a voyeur on these forums now since the release of Pro Evo 2009. For the most part the discussions seem to be conducted in a very friendly matter. Well, that is until someone dares offer an alternative view on the latest Evo release from Konami or an opinion on why FIFA is better. At this point certain people become a tad abusive or dismissive in their replies which is a shame because after all, it’s an opinion and as such cannot be right or wrong. Unless of course you are actually suggesting that FIFA is a better football simulation which is just downright ludicrous. If you believe that then you deserve to be put up against the wall and shot in the head three times. (Calm down, I’m only joking. Once would be sufficient…)
Let’s get the “I’ve been a playing Pro Evo since its ISS days…” out of the way. I’ve played and owned them all expect of course that bastard child of a release called Pro Evo 2008 which for me was just FIFA in disguise. Thankfully with the release of 2009 there actually seems to be an Evolution happening again within the franchise. Up to the best game yet of the series in Pro Evo 5, this gradual evolution was apparent. Number 6 while still a good game was a step backwards and 2008 was like the fat girl that we’ve all boned – it may have happened but she exists only as a bad memory. With 2009 things are beginning to move in the right direction once again. I am of course referring to offline single player mode, and in particular the Master League, as I haven’t played online for various reasons: the best one being I didn’t have an internet connection.
My major complaint about Pro Evo and the Master League was it was just too easy. The computer would back off and give you ample time to pass the ball around until you could pick the right pass. Not so in 2009. The computer presses you making the execution of my particular playing style, not dissimilar to Arsenal’s I may add, a little more difficult. Add to that now the fact that when you press X it doesn’t fly pinpoint to the feet of your nearest player, that so called “easy passes” go astray and that players don’t always make the smart runs into space you can begin to see the beginnings of a real football simulator.
Now maybe I’m dreaming a little to think that this was the intention of Konami rather then bad code but if it was then I applaud them because for me, we are edging closer to what a football simulator should be. It ain’t all about whooping the computer 10-0 every game, having your CF bang in 40 plus goals a season. Sure, it’s nice when you get those games when everything seems to go right and the goals fly in but Pro Evo has been missing those games when it doesn’t go right, when you have to actually change your favorite formation to try and win a game since its birth. For most people on earlier Evo’s it was the fact that you has missed your 20+ chances that came your way that you lost points. The smaller teams played better then the names. With 2009 though, they seem to have upped a level. The big teams are evidently harder to beat. Teams do seem to actively change their formations in an attempt to stop you. Christ, if the AI finds a formation that you seem to have difficultly breaking down half the teams in the league adopt it. It’s frustrating but it’s how it should be.
The game has its faults. I can understand when people get upset about the computer taking over control of defenders and giving away fouls but this hasn’t happened to me for a long long time. I found out that this happens when you take control of a player to tackle someone then change to another when you are close to the ball. The previously controlled player continues to run on and make a tackle that 9 times out of ten results in a foul. You want to stop this? Then pick the player you want to tackle and stick with him. If you are going to change then don’t do it too late otherwise the player will continue his mission so to speak. And that like that fat girl we were talking about earlier on, even though he knows it’s wrong, he’s still gonna do it. As for the complaint about the forward runs of your players when you have the ball that is for me justified. I wouldn’t like to see them making perfect runs all of the time but some of the positioning of the players when attacking can be woeful. The way around this is to use the 1-2 pass and make them move but the complaint is still a valid one.
The game is harder. It is different from its previous incarnations, but once you find your way and discover the formation that works for you (although like I said, it won’t work all the time!!) I believe those of you who aren’t enjoying the game but have enjoyed the previous Evo’s will find peace within 2009.
I’m currently playing my second season of ML with Ajax using a similar formation to the default one with a few tweaks here and there, a 4-5-1 and a 4-4-2 for my Formation A and B settings just in case and doing really well. Won the 2nd Division (after a dreadful start) and Cup, got promoted and now top of the League after 16 weeks with 38 goals scored and 5 conceded. Got put out of the League Cup mind in the first round and have lost 1 league game and drawn 1 so it hasn’t always been plain sailing. Real are only 3 points behind. And yes, it is and always has been on Top Player.
“But you said it was hard Boss…”
Yeah but I was talking to you. I’m the shit.
