Silicon Fusion >> Reviews >> Pro Evolution Soccer 2

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Review:

12th November 2002:
Pro Evolution Soccer 2
The beautiful game gets a second treatment, Germany 1, England 5.
Posted by John Wasabi - PlayStation 2 - UK and Europe

I'll be honest, I am not a massive fan of football, I know the rules, I watch the matches, and I attempt to play the game down the local park on weekends (sorry ladies, I still cant bend it like Beckham) but I am not fanatically devoted to it like some of my work colleagues. However, I requested to review Pro Evolution Soccer 2 simply because I needed to know if an ordinary Joe such as myself could appreciate PES2.

Lets begin with the camera angles available in PES2, although there are a lot to choose from, our personal favourite was the more distant camera view. It gave us a lot more time on the ball as we got the chance to strategically plot offensive and defensive set pieces. Unlike any other football video game, PES2 rewards players keeping possession and finding chinks in the defence rather than the frenzied action experienced in the FIFA series where goal after goal can be scored. Losing the ball can be devastating; PES2 is all about holding the ball and breaking down defences until you find an opportunity to slide that ball through the opposition. It really does feel like the real thing. Lets just say PES2 is one of those games that anyone can pick up and play with the relative of ease but to master could take a lifetime.

PES2 controls add plenty of freedom as well as a new dimension to a player's movement. The analogue controls and pressure sensitive buttons help all this. Here is a brief run down of how it works, if a player puts too much pressure on the shoot button, the shot will most likely end up missing its target and sail pass the cross bar. Like the real thing, you have to keep calm when taking aim to shoot and pass, a tad too much pressure due to sweaty palms will most likely result in a miss shot or pass.

One factor that has gone in favour of EA's FIFA time and time again is possibly due to PES2 not having all the big licensed names; we found we had to change a few Brazilians names such as Ravoldo and R.Larcos to the real thing (Its so minor you'll hardly notice, but if it bothers you, the names can be changed and saved). Trust us though, its no biggie, PES2 representations of the players are all here, visually you'll spot them a mile away. From Beckham's style of taking free kicks to Zidane's bald patch, there's no escaping their likeness to the real thing. Heck even little touches to the stadiums are in place such as drifting confetti, glowing flares and team banners, it's very clear that this game was meticulous designed with passion and enthusiasm from the developers.

Character animation is spot on and fluid, PES2 is the most beautifully animated football game available, credit has to be given to Konami and their development team for not only bringing us the best looking football game but they have also delivered the gameplay to go with it.

So the gameplay is there as is the graphics, how do the sound and commentary fair you ask? Well, to be brutally honest, this is the one department that lets the game down. Commentary is repetitive and sometimes late in its delivery, you'll notice sometimes that when a foul is committed or when a shot is taken the reaction time is so slow, the pace of the game would have moved on already and you'll be left thinking 'Didn't that happened 10 seconds ago?'

PES2 features quite a number of game modes, exhibition, League and Master league being the most prominent. Exhibition is a football junkies quick fix, it's a one off match allowing players to tweak rules, weather conditions, crowd behaviour just to name a few options. League is a competition that runs for 30 matches and points are given for a win or draw and none for a loss. The eventual winner is the one with most points at the end of the 30 matches. Master league mode is rather special; it allows transfers, buying, selling, training of players etc. It really gives you the feeling of being a manager, as the welfare of your players needs to be looked after and the appropriate formation and tactics need to be implemented in order to perform well. Master league is split into 3 divisions so regimented training and a keen eye for new talent is top of the agenda as you strive to create your very own Real Madrid.

To top it off with the icing on the cake, you get your a character edit option allowing you to create new players or edit existing ones. Believe me when I say the amount of stats you have at your disposal to play with will put most RPGs to shame, I kid you not, I was washed away in a sea of skills and abilities to tweak and create as I saw fit.

With amazing graphics, fluid animation and incredible gameplay, we concur that PES2 is the best football game money can buy. PES2 is the most impressive sporting experience available on any games system; I am not the biggest Football Zealot in the World, I find myself quite the Ordinary Joe when it comes to Football and I just cant physically stop playing PES2. If you love football, this is the game to own, I promise you'll be playing it for months or years to come.

John Wasabi

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Review Summary:

If you like/love football, buy this now. With game modes and options that will have you playing to the next millenium and beyond, PES2 is the definitive football game on any system.

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