World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 International

""And it;s a hat-trick for Team Konami!""

Pro Evolution Soccer 3: The Definitive Review

The review is split up into seven sections.

Graphics
Controls
Gameplay
Sound
Lifespan
Replayability
Overall

Now for the introduction to the review.

“And it’s a hat-trick for Team Konami!”

FIFA vs Pro Evolution Soccer 3. It’s always been the same since the year 2001. Pro Evolution Soccer was released to the PlayStation2 from the makers of ISS on the PSOne. Konami. International Superstar Soccer Pro was the best footy game on the PSOne, but when it was released for the PS2, the limits were not reached. OK, the graphics were impressive but the game was overall too hard and slow. Now the third in the series is released… And it’s a hat-trick for Team Konami!

Graphics - 9/10

Some of the greatest graphics I’ve EVER seen. The players faces now show emotion when they score or miss, unlike the predecessors. The ball spins in the air and the light reflects off them truly in the wet weather. The different weather effects are spot on. If it’s during the summer and it’s raining, you can tell. If it’s absolutely bucketing down, you know it’s winter. Unfortunately the snow does not set on the pitch but other graphical improvements make up for that. The boots and gloves don’t look so...so... fake now.

The Adidas Predator boots are spot on and the stadiums (especially the big ones) are graphically impressing albeit the crowds still look like cardboard cut-outs.

Now onto the actual players.

The more famous stars are recreated perfectly, their more individual celebrations are recreated, looking as awesome as they do in real life. Even the way they run is dittoed as well. The way Beckham brings his crosses in, the way Carlos curves his shot with the outside of his boot are amazing graphically. Plus the slowdown is minimal, if there is any at all!

Controls - 9/10

Why Pro Evo Soccer is liked so much world-wide. They are very simple and most players are not just fans of this one game, but all of Konami’s Soccer titles, so they know the controls like the back of their hands. It’s un-original yet more...simple than most football games. X equals pass, Square equals shoot and so on.

Crosses are easier to do than most other games, yet more unrealistic as all you have to do is hit O. I’d rather control my cross and pick my target. Using the menu interface is simple too. It tells you what to do at the bottom of the screen. Un-original and again very simple. I knocked the mark off because I like FIFA’s passing system SO MUCH BETTER than PES’s.

Gameplay - 10/10

The selling point of the series. So easy to use and yet so damn good. The movement and passing is fluid, the goalkeepers life like reflexes are amazing and the more ‘famous’ stars have their own unique playing styles. So easy to jump in and have a quick game before you go to the pub.

The skills are easy to pull off (R2 or Right Analogue) and you’ll be a master in no time at all. Hopefully Konami will insert online next year so I can kick all your asses!

Anyway, this isn’t a button masher either. Simply press your required actions button once and it’s done. Don’t mash for headers, just one press will do. Also the injury system works well. If the player falls badly then you’ll know that he’s injured. You can just tell. The AI is wholly improved!

Were you sick of your dumb-ass players running the ball out of play as they collected it? Not anymore!!!!!! You can stop them from running it out. Also your fellow team-mates will run into space for you making it a little easier. But adding FIFA’s Off the Ball™ system would’ve been awesome.

Sound - 2/10

Really bad commentary. It’s too repetitive and one of the only things FIFA has over PES. Trevor Brooking = BIG MISTAKE. Oh god. He’s so numb... well he’s a Hammer isn’t he? The commentary AI is daft too. You come so close to scoring a goal for 20-odd yards out: “Oh! He should’ve done better from there!” Sometimes I feel like ramming his microphone down his throat. RRRR!

The pitch and crowds sounds are nice. Some of the official chants...some not. I think the commentators call the teams by their fake names? Not sure, I have the commentary turned to Spanish. It’s so funny when you. Don’t understand a word like but...

LifeSpan - 9/10

It’s a sports game! It’ll last forever! So many things to do, so little time. You’ll be playing for hours trying to earn big PES points to unlock everything. Online Play would’ve made this the game I’ve clocked the most hours into ever, especially with the PC version...aww well.

Replayability -10/10

It uhhh... never ends. You’ll want to restart ML so many times…you’ll probably take a quarter of the 40 to 60(!?! Sorry...) or so club teams through it!

Overall -9/10

I never give any game a ten. ‘Cos that’d mean no game could ever beat it. It would be the ultimate... when it’s not.

Pro’s:

Long lasting
Brilliant gameplay
Simple
Fun

Cons:

Lack of authentic stuff
Poor commentary
Poor fans graphics

Rent or Buy?

BUY! NOW!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/17/04