Maybe I've been a bit too harsh on PES09 when I say it's an "embarrassment of a game". But to be honest, I do think PES09 is average at best.
The size of the pitch, it feels never ending, it isn't realistic at all. If anyone bothers watching a real Football match on TV, they'll notice that running the Length of a Pitch doesn't takes that long.
The thing that takes time is creating that space, opening up that space.. which is mostly about Tactical Play and Timing. But in PES09 they literally stretched the pitch, which is why running the length of the pitch is an Unrealistic Long process.
The immense time and space on the pitch dampens what would've been a fairly decent game. Because of it, the game lacks a lot of Timing and Responsiveness. And also, the Pace of a player ends up playing a mayor role in the game.
This coupled with the poor animations and movements, it makes PES09 feel even more outdated than the old PS2 versions. PES09 may Look better, but it Feels more outdated.
PES always was about that feeling and the gameplay. It never was about the graphics or licenses.
Anyways, here is a closer comparison between the Next Gen PES09 and the Old Gen PES6:
PES09* Too much Time and Space on the pitch, be it for the actual length of the pitch, or for the lack of responsiveness from players, or both.
PES6* The length of the pitch looks more or less the same as in 09. But running the length of the pitch takes less time, you have less Time and space on the pitch. And as a result, the game is more realistic and responsive, because you get a greater feeling of Timing, which is essential in Football.
PES09* Twitchy Animations and Movements, it makes for a rigid feeling, it makes PES09 feel even more outdated than the old PS2 versions.
PES6* Although the animations and movements look arcadey, the Feeling of the dribbling movements was very fluid and responsive. It felt more realist¡c, it may not look the part, but certainly Feels like it.
PES09* Too much "lucky" goals per game.. countless goals from corner kicks, from CPU conceived penalties, from spills by the GK, from things out of our control. PES09 feels even more Scripted than the PS2 versions.
PES6* Although the Com also cheats, it's less obvious. You don't get the same amount of "lucky" goals, and you have more control over your players.
PES09* FIFA-Like goals that weren't possible before. If you time a Long Through Ball right, chances are you'll end up one-on-one against the keeper, which ends with the easy tap-in.
PES6* In this version the "long through ball" or "lofted through ball" was quite useless for most situations. This game forced you to play through the ground for the most part, although crossing the ball was another effective way of creating goals.
PES09* The "Shielding" of the ball is one of the nice touches of PES09. If you stop moving and hold the R1 button -the- player will shield the ball with his back.
But you have to be in a stationary position, which makes it less useful. And you only shield it with your back, something that again, lessens the use of this option.
It can prove effective in some situations, and if further elaborated it could turn into a Highlight of the game.
But again, it haves negatives.. for one thing, every player more or less shields the ball with the same effectiveness. It seems as though the Balance Stat doesn't haves much say in the R1 "stationary shielding".
And besides this, players tend to loose the ball too easily when they are in movement. I mean, if I'm using Riquelme and I'm moving at a slow pace, then I would expect him to protect the ball with his back. This doesn't happens, not with Riquelme or any other player.
If the holder of the ball is in movement, he will not protect the ball with his back.
It seems like the only way of Shielding the ball in PES09 is when you are Not Moving. Which CAN be useful, but diminishes the use of something that could be a highlight of the game.
PES6* The "Shielding" in this version is more intuitive and useful, because you can actually use it whilst moving. If you are moving without pressing the R1 (sprint) button -the- player will hold the ball better.
This makes Slow players with good Balance very useful in the game. Individuals like Carlos Valderrama, good passer of the ball, slow, great balance. With players alike the shielding option is Significant, because you can hold possession and then slip that killer pass.
You could also "shield" the ball by letting go of all the controls and then pressing the R1 button, just like in PES09. Although the "stationary shielding" works better in PES09.
And though it isn't apparent at first, the shielding feature adds a great deal of depth and replay value to This version of PES. Coupled with the Balance Stat it established a fundamental difference between players like Kaka and players like Juan Roman Riquelme.
PES09* The Defensive Play is one of the lowest aspects in this game. It looks like a bunch of children running after the ball as if their lives depended on it; two and three players running into the same gap, another two or three players covering the same area, etc, etc..
PES6* The Defensive Play isn't particularly good, but you rarely have three players running into the same space as if their lives depended on it.
PES09* The Dribbling controls do Not feel intuitive anymore. Complicated controls, it isn't about Thinking When and How to dribble anymore. Now, if you do master the New dribbling controls, you can get through a whole team regardless of the How and When.
If you master the dribbling tricks, you don't even have to Think about your next move, you just simply tap those directions.
Unlike in PES6, where the dribbling tricks are intuitive and tactical, where you had to master When to use a certain trick -PES09- is all about mastering the controls, and simply dribbling your way without even thinking at all.
PES6* The Dribbling Controls where easy to use and intuitive, and though seemingly useless at first, all of them had a particular use for each different situation. It wasn't about mastering complicated dribbling controls. It was about knowing How to Time the dribbling tricks correctly and When to use them.
And because it was about the WHEN, even when you had it mastered, you could not get through a whole team by just tapping directions without even thinking.
You could not get through a whole team by pulling off some outrageous dribbling moves like the "Tevez Roulette". The Old dribbling tricks Depended on the How and the Timing. Meaning that you had to use realistic tricks to dribble your way through a team.
And because you had Different tricks that could not be mixed into One unrealistic move, Individual tricks that worked differently in every Situation.. because of this You had to Think.
Instead of just tapping your way into a goal without even thinking, like I'm usually forced to in PES09.
This also gave Defenders a chance, because if you anticipate it correctly, chances are that you can actually Defend against most of the Old dribbling tricks. It gave one-on-one play a more Tactical approach.
Bottom Line??
Between PES6 and PES09, I would say PES6 is the superior Football Sim.
It gave you subtle and yet significant things to master. It gave importance to the How and the Timing. The Time and Space on the pitch was closer to Reality, forcing you into Thinking Faster. It was a more responsive, realistic, and fluid Football Sim.
