PES 2011 News Thread (No Discussion)

[Lami]

All PES 2011 News in here.

9.2.2010

The New Face of Winning Eleven Debuts this Year
Producer Shingo "Seabass" Takatsuka hints at major changes for this year's installment.

Winning Eleven has seen yearly installments on the PS3 and Xbox 360. But it looks like we've just been getting a preview of things to come for the series.

In an interview in the recent issue of Famitsu, series producer (and originally programmer) Shingo "Seabass" Takatsuka cited the criticisms Winning Eleven has taken over the years, particularly in Europe, and promised for this year a Winning Eleven that's been powered up many levels.

The updates will come in both graphics and gameplay areas. Winning Eleven games until now, he said, have been just extensions of the Famicom era. Players were fine with this through the PlayStation 2 , but the development staff now need to change their concepts and ideas to something more appropriate for the new generation machines like Xbox 360 and PS3.

He wouldn't give share specifics about what kind of changes to expect, but he did say that the area of the game that most clearly shows the changes is the relationship between AI and player motions.

The changes will have an effect on how the game controls, said Takatsuka. Until now, they've had a "Famicom-like" belief that good controls means fast movement. But it isn't this simple. Particularly on the new hardware, this type of thinking will lead to players being too fast. Some players in Europe have actually complained that the game's tempo is too fast. On the other hand, some players do seem to like faster speeds. The staff will be taking balance into account during the tuning process.

Despite all the changes, Takatsuka said to expect the new Winning Eleven between November and December. The game is currently 30% complete.

Source

 

[Lami]

24.02.2010

Hello everyone. It's been a while...

I wanted to update you about a few things. Firstly, we've got another free update available. It's had a feel teething problems, but those have now been sorted.

From the main menu in game, go to System Settings and then Download to update team rosters and add a new boot...we're looking to simplify that process in PES2011 by the way. You'll also be pleased to hear we've got a number of other updates planned which will keep PES fresh right up until the next version.


I've also been back to Japan to see the team. They started work on PES2011 months ago and as promised the basis for changes has been feedback from fans. The big news from me is that I've already played a really, really early version of the code and it blew me away! Obviously I'm sworn to secrecy, but what I've seen is the biggest shake up of PES ever! I'm not kidding. It's awesome, but I can't say more.

Finally, it's great to welcome the Champions League back into my life - although my other half isn't such a fan of wall to wall footie! If like me you can't get enough of the competition check out the PES2010 online Champions League events every Wednesday and Saturday nights (22:00-00:30 GMT).

Cheers,

Jon.
posted by Jon Murphy

Source

 

[Lami]

8.4.2010

KONAMI announced today that it secured the videogame rights for the world’s renowned South American Cup, known as CONMEBOL’s “Copa Libertadores” and entered into a License Agreement.

Copa Libertadores is the soccer tournament run by CONMEBOL and this is going to be the first time ever in videogame history to reproduce the South America’s highly recognized tournament in the game.

“Winning Eleven” series already carried “UEFA Champion League” mode, which is the championship tournament to decide the No.1 club team in Europe and South America. This is the first videogame to provide both tournaments all in one in the game.

KONAMI plans to utilize the right of Copa Libertadores for the Winning Eleven series with a new mode so that players can use the same team as the real tournaments.

KONAMI will continuously work with the franchise to add more depth to the realistic football game experience and relay the exciting momentum as well as aim to contribute to the football cultures.

Source

 

[Lami]

04.05.2010

PES 2011: Football Evolved

Total revamp, total freedom, total football


Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH will deliver a completely new footballing experience later this year with the advent of PES 2011, for PlayStation®3, Xbox 360, PC-DVD, Wii, PlayStation 2 and PSP (PlayStation®Portable), which sees the publisher's long-running series undergo the most radical revamp in its history.


The PES range has long been regarded as offering incredible realism and control, but PES 2011 will reinvigorate the series with the most advanced raft of gameplay additions, control options, and animations to meet the evolution of real-life football. Central to its total freedom of play, PES 2011 introduces a power bar for each player that allows the user to determine the exact strength and placement of every pass and shot. Balls can now be spread absolutely anywhere with utter precision, with long balls into space, short passes to feet and intricate one-twos allowing the player to dictate play and control the tempo of a match.

This freedom of play is also extended via new AI routines designed to place every move and decision in the player's hands. No longer will assisted AI intervene during matches; users will now need to sense and react to threats; and passes will not automatically reach the nearest player. Instead, all-new routines facilitate complete control both of the player and their chosen actions in every respect to give the player sublime control over every movement.

"It was time for PES to transform, and PES 2011 represents the most ambitious redesign in the series' history," commented Jon Murphy, European PES Team Leader for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. "We've continued to work closely with the fans to pinpoint what it is about football that PES didn't do. Total freedom was the priority and all-new animation a must. PES 2011 does both - indeed, they are directly linked to each other - and while the new game is recognisably PES at its heart, it is also the most radically improved version ever."

Key to PES 2011's new approach is a specially-designed control system that allows total control over every element of play. The triangulation of passes and making space using clever runs becomes paramount, and build-up play is everything. Likewise, dribbling and close control are tougher to master, and the days of making streaking runs through the centre of the park are over, as PES mirrors the real-life football.

The result is the most complete and realistic PES to date. PES 2011 delivers an evolved experience that still has the key PES ehthos of skill and realism at its core. Likewise, every other aspect of the game has been totally reworked, including:

* Total Control: PES Productions has enhanced the 360-degree passing ratio, offering unprecedented levels of control over every pass, shot, throw-in, through ball and lofted through balls. This allows users to pass the ball into space, and move their play with total freedom. Players must precisely weight their passes and second-guess the runs of their team-mates and exploit their movement. Players even can apply pressure on opponents to force them off the ball.
* Shot & Stamina Gauge: In addition to the generic power gauge, the Shot & Stamina meter details the player's exact level of fitness. Constantly sprinting will affect the player's movements and will have an adverse affect on his stats, with passes going awry and a loss of pace.
* New Defender AI: Defenders now hold their positions naturally, no longer chasing any ball that enters their area; preferring to close down the attacker and force them into a mistake.
* Animation and Player Physics: PES Productions has totally reworked every element of in-game animation. These additions will become clear before even kick-off, with the players enjoying fluid, natural movements, with more realistic acceleration and inertia than ever before. The physicality between players is also improved, which was a priority requested in PES forums. Jostling and blocking now looks stunning, while there is a larger variety of convincing tackling styles. Ambient animation also adds immensely to the in-game atmosphere, as players behave realistically when off the ball, and walk and run with a variety of individual styles.
* Speed of Play: The new level of control means that PES 2011 enjoys a more considered pace of play, which varies dependent on situations. The game will burst into life as counter-attacks come into play, but players can dictate the pace via slow build up or exploiting available space to surge forward. It is harder to make long runs from midfield, and successful play will depend on making quick passes to make room.
* Improved Goalkeepers: In keeping with the basis of total freedom of movement, players now have more control over their keeper. This greater control allows for quick roll-outs, instinctive saves, pinpoint accuracy with goal kicks, and precision ball distribution to make quicker breaks or playing down the clock easier.
* Aesthetics: PES 2010 showcased the best likenesses in a football game, and PES 2011 ups the ante further. Facial animation has been enhanced, but the key advances are over 1000 all-new animations which have been recreated from the ground up using over 100 hours of motion captured footage. Every aspect of player movement has been reworked, with more organic runs, turns, throw-ins, tackles, and interaction. The way players speed up and slow down is also more natural, while replays display elements of motion blur that bring your saved goals to vivid life.
* Tactical and Strategy: The sheer number of options available in the PES series has established it as a remarkably flexible simulation, allowing players to stamp their playing style on each match. The PES Productions team has implemented an all new 'Drag and Drop' mechanism that can be used in every aspect of team management, not just substitutions or formation changes. These settings are also animated to promote better understanding of the plays that have been altered.
* Feint settings: PES has always offered a wide range of subtle skills, feints and turns, but PES 2011 allows users to map their favourite move sequences to the right stick, making them more accessible than ever before.
* Master League Online: Master League will offer an all-new challenge, as users are invited to try their hand against other managers online. PES 2011 will mark the online debut for its much-loved Master League element, with players bidding against each other for the world?s best players, and attempting to build a squad that can compete with the best against online peers all over the globe.


PES 2011 also features a myriad of smaller additions, all designed to enhance the overall experience. The game's difficulty level has been upped thanks to the greater control on offer, while new camera angles showcase the game's stunning visuals and animation. Likewise, in accordance with the strong wishes of the fan base, both referees and goal keepers have been improved in both aesthetic and AI terms, while an all-new commentary process has been implemented that offers a better and less repetitive overview of the proceedings.

The game will also see the return of Lionel Messi - arguably the greatest player in the modern game - as its cover star, and the expansion of its UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League elements, and the addition of the Copa Liberadores, South America's most influential and important club-based competition.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg for PES 2011," concluded Murphy. "We have some significant announcements still to come regarding game modes and gameplay functions. The first footage of the new game perfectly showcases the new animation and freedom elements that beat at the heart of the new game. We are confident that PES 2011 will both surprise and delight football fans. They are going to have to relearn how they play, as this is a very different game, but I am confident it will blow them all away."

PES 2011 will be released for PlayStation®3, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation®2, PSP (PlayStation®Portable), and PC-DVD in the Autumn.

Source Here & Here

 

[Lami]

09.06.2010

DETAIL AND FREEDOM: PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2011 REVEALED


Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. released today more images from its forthcoming Pro Evolution Soccer 2011, scheduled for release on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Wii™ and Windows PC this fall.

Total freedom of play is the buzz-word for Pro Evolution Soccer 2011. The PES team are currently implementing a raft of new additions, including a new power gauge-based passing and shooting system, where the user is given total control over the pace and weighting of every pass, flick-on and shot.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011aesthetics are also undergoing a revolution, with the photo-realistic visuals married to all-new animations. Over 1000 new animations have been added to PES 2011 to emphasize the slickness and variety of movement that a top-level match showcases. Similarly, big game atmosphere is assured, with all-new stadium designs, with stunning crowds, and a wide range of chants and jeers tied in to the on-field action.

For Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 assets, please visit the company website at http://www.konami.com/download

Source

 

[Lami]

15.06.2010

E3 2010: Konami unveils breath-taking trailer that shows the movement and freedom set to make PES 2011 the season's hottest property

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH will show off the breath-taking new animations and player likenesses set to bring its forthcoming PES 2011 title to vivid life as a new gameplay trailer premieres at this year's E3 Expo in Los Angeles.

PES 2011 is all about freedom of movement, and the new game gives the user total control over their team. The new trailer showcases the sheer level of detail the PES Productions team has included in the new game, with the most realistic inter-player physics around allowing players to use their strength attributes to jostle players off the ball, while the results of over 100 hours of motion-capture sessions is shown as PES 2011's players effortlessly slip into moves, run off the ball, or close down the opposition. Every aspect of the game's animation has been reworked, and the result is an amazingly fluid experience.

The new trailer also shows the revolutionary new feint system linking all new tricks and skills together making one-on-one situations key to gameplay and the motion-blur effects used within replays to complement the TV-style presentation prevalent throughout the game, while fans of the South American Copa Libertadores competitions will delights in its inclusion within the new footage. PES 2011 enjoys the most extensive number of gameplay additions, control options, and animations to date - and central to these is an all-new power bar that allows the user to determine the exact strength and placement of passes, shots or throw-ins in the game.

Konami will also use E3 to showcase PES 2011's new 'Drag'n'Drop' tactical system, wherein players can alter the balance or playing style of their side in seconds. The new system gives compete tactical control over every aspect of a performance, even allowing for preset options to play defensively to guard a lead, or to go all-out to consolidate a narrow lead.

Source

 

[Lami]

E3 Trailer
YouTube - PES 2011 E3 Trailer

 

[Lami]

13.7.2010

PES 2011 - First Look Video

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has today elaborated on the many new
additions gracing its eagerly-awaited PES 2011 title.

Due for release in Autumn, PES 2011 has been astounding football fans with
its free-flowing, unfettered gameplay. Total control is the new game's
mantra, and PES 2011 delivers this with an all-new power gauge system
wherein players govern the strength and position of every pass. Total
360-degree control adds a layer of realism to the series, and Konami has
showcased this innovation with an all-new trailer.

The new footage shows the total freedom of passing PES 2011 offers,
alongside closer looks at its new dribbling, defensive hold-up play, and
jostling. Similarly, the trailer gives an insight into the new power gauge,
while also showing how feints and tricks can be mapped on to the right stick
and accessed with ease. PES 2011 utilises over 1000 new animations, and
these are also on show as the new game demonstrates its key attributes in
the footage.

YouTube - PES2011 First Look Video


Source

 

[Lami]

13.7.2010

PES 2011 - First Look Screenshots

Konami has also released a number of new screens to accompany the trailer,
and these reveal for the first time the new 'Stadium Edit' mode, that allows
users to create their own home ground for use in the game, and the first
screens for the massively reworked Become a Legend mode, where players are
cast as an upcoming starlet and strive to earn major honours and become the
world's greatest player. More information about Become a Legend enhancements
will be released in the coming months.

Spoiler

Source

 

[Lami]

13.7.2010

PESFan

PES 2011 - First Look Play Test

I’ve been a PES Fan news editor for a number of weeks now, and the only thing I needed to start proving my skills as a journalist is a story – something worth putting pen to paper for. Well, that’s exactly what I was given when I was asked to attend the PES Fan’s PES 2011 play-test... and it was definitely worth a column inch or two.

I’ve read all the major details that have been released since the Tokyo demo at Konami HQ, followed the news as it tweeted out of E3 – and watched, then re-watched every second of video that has been released over the last two months in both standard and high definition, striving to digest every little detail that this year’s release has to offer.

And in hindsight – it’s good to be clued up, but no amount of scanning the early PR materials will give you a hint of the feeling you get when you actually play the game (and despite that sentence I have the difficult task of trying to pass on my experiences to you).

It’s over a month since the first tests took place, but in no way did I feel that we were less privileged than those who sat down with Seabass et al in Japan. On the contrary, I was conscious of the fact that this version of the game would be significantly different from the one seen then – and hopefully any noticeable faults would have been ironed out and possibly a few extras added in.

Despite this being my first major piece for PES Fan and the first chance I’ve had to lay my fingers on a game a considerable period before its release date, I was quite laid back – though I’m sure my note pad may have suggested otherwise. I utilised the morning train ride to scribble some last minute notes, detailing the main positives and also the shortcomings of PES 2010; what we liked, what needed work – was there anything that stood out particularly, etc – and I eventually converted that mess into four headings: User Interface and Appearance, Passing, Keepers, and Player Movements, reactions and positioning.

User Interface and Appearance
It’s worth mentioning that we were playing an offline copy and we were locked to certain areas of the game – so I can’t give any information on the online capabilities or go into major details about the overall UI at this stage.

We essentially had two versions of Exhibition mode – the general setup-and-play that has been present in previous years’ demos with a small selection of National (Germany, Italy, Ivory Coast, Argentina) and Club teams (Manchester United, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Benfica). Alternatively, we had the option to taste the newly acquired Copa Libertadores licensing – with Estudiantes, Cruzeiro, Corinthians and Internacional all available for selection, and ready to march out to the Copa Libertadores theme – in a style similar to the current Champions League offering.

You can see the foundations of PES 2010 within PES 2011 – the entrance scenes and tunnel shots occasionally look like they’ve been lifted from the previous version, only to be polished and pampered before being delicately placed into the new incarnation. To put it simply, it looks like PES, but the picture quality looks more like airbrushed imagery that you’d expect to see coming from the marketing department rather than a moving-parts product from the development team.

The visual improvements start from the menu and stay with you all the way through to the pitch. Player likenesses have been improved even further than last years’ advancements, at least in the teams we had at our disposal – and this is highlighted with the pre-match setup. Little details catch your eye, like the kit selection screen which now features animated models – rather than stationary stars as seen on the previous iteration (I was impressed to see Eto’o run a few paces before freezing, allowing you to savour the personal detail as well as the player movements). The on-screen display when in-game has been simplified – now showing a much more minimalist, broadcast-resembling score board; simple, clean and professional.

Jon Murphy mentioned that this game doesn’t feel as “Japanese-y” as PESs of old, and that’s for sure. Gone are the bright, sparkling backgrounds that had a hint of youthful exuberance – and in comes a sleek, shiny/dark world map picture (when I say map – think ‘PlayStation Weather Channel’ on PSN as opposed to ‘school atlas’) which works very well. This PES feels like it has grown up, and the sliding main menu located at the bottom of the screen brings the clean accessibility that we can see throughout.

Minimalism seems to be the theme in this PES, and this is never more apparent than when using the new drag-and-drop system that we’ve heard so much about. Think of it like the new Google homepage, leave the options in there but don’t have them on display unless you need them, and when you do – a slide of the cursor and few button presses will allow you to do everything you are used to.

Tying in with this, Konami announced that they’ve spent a lot of time looking at broadcast standard footage with the intention of instilling the same look and feel into PES as we see when watch it on TV. The re-worked wide camera angle that moves with play is a major step towards realism. When the match kicks off the camera lowers from an elevated position to the regular viewpoint – and similarly when play approaches a goal the displays swings when necessary, with an undeniable professional smoothness.

There are some huge improvements – as well as an array of small details that add to the game, and it’d be criminal not to give them a passing mention. I spent a good few minutes in the replay section analysing the little details on the pitch in the new man-on-the-pitch camera angle (or over-analysing as the look on Fury’s face suggested). It’s not a major thing, but being able to move around the pitch at eye-level of a player allowed you to really put yourself into the action – and the grass, when zoomed in looks like it has some distinct layering and texture to it, you can see that it’s computer generated, but it’s not a long way away from the real thing.



Passing
PES has been criticised since its glory days on the previous generation machines for losing the lifelike flow that it was synonymous with. 2010 didn’t play how you wanted it to play – and you were inevitably looking for breakthroughs that were different from the natural routes. Konami recently confessed that the game’s engine has been progressively weighed down by annual additions which, though they were made with good intentions, lead to an overcomplicated mess. Things were stripped back – and a new passing system with promises of “Freedom” was built on the exposed foundations.

Three simple questions: one simple answer. Is the Passing better? Is it good? Does it feel free? Yes.

I had worries that the hit ‘n miss through-ball from last year would be completely reversed in 2011. The vast majority of passes I tried through the defence on 2010 were often played way past the bye-line, or into the heels of the defender I was looking to outpace – compare this to the E3 video and you see Pirlo, amongst others, easily playing defence splitting passes. So which was one was it – painfully easy or practically impossible? Neither – and both.

I had numerous passes going astray – plenty were over-hit and some barely trickled off of my toes (particularly a couple of back-passes that I was lucky to get away with) but I never had the feeling that I was hard done to. The mistakes that were popping up felt like my mistakes. The new power gauge system takes a little getting used to but you quickly start to feel that you are personally involved in determining ball placement. It’s a double learning curve – you can pick it up and play pretty well, but it’ll also take a good amount of play time for it to become second nature, allowing us to remove the rainbow swoosh (which, despite my reservations, is surprisingly good at evading your attention).

Perfecting the new style of play will give you more options in attack – but doesn’t necessarily mean that you can continuously carve up the opposition with single a killer ball. Fury and I played for a number of hours – but there was only one or two long defence splitting passes, often caused by bad positioning on our parts. That wonder pass can only be played if the situation arises – trying to force it just doesn’t work (just ask Fury, he did a great job of shutting me out).

The passing is different, but it’s not completely different. There is still a lot of what we know – and I don’t doubt that some will see a little too much of the past as they play, but for me it’s a good thing. The passes still feel like passes you’d play in a PES title, but the added freedom of control neatens it up. Think of a pass you play in 2010 – you know it’s going to end up somewhere within a couple of yards of where you aim it, but now you can drop it on the proverbial sixpence. Its last years passing, but it feels like it should have felt.

There is still some noticeable AI assistance – but generally for the better. Passes feel like they are helped slightly in terms of direction, but that can all go to pot if you stick too much power on it – particularly over distance. Also, to emphasise individuality different stars seem to receive a varying levels of support from the AI. Paying a ball with a midfield maestro such as Xabi Alonso or Carrick you, as you’d expect, has a higher success rate than playing a similar ball with a dribbler, like Nani.

True 360 degree passing would be excruciatingly difficult even for the most dextrous of gamers, it always needs to be honed down to some extent, and this AI support works. Every ball we had the vision to play – we could, providing we executed it properly. I dragged Roberto Carlos up from the back – only for Fury to dink a through ball over his shoulder, his attacker had already started a run and met it perfectly for a first-time strike. My mistake – his brilliance, and though I conceded – I’m happy to admit that it was a beautifully worked goal.



Keepers
It’s no secret – goalkeepers haven’t been the greatest aspect of Pro Evo. Over the course of a decade playing Master League in the last instalment, I tried and tested a selection of young, old, catastrophic and world class keepers but found that they all shared a common trait – the Robert Green effect.

A quick look on YouTube and you can see evidence of Keepers diving over pea-rolling mis-kicks, flapping around a clear yard to the side of where they should have been – or even just watched shots bounce past them without the slightest of effort to stop it.

So, how do they compare now? My honest answer – I’m not entirely convinced.

We saw many commanding leaps to pluck crosses out of the air, and smiled in approval after the Ivory Coast stopper pull off an instinctive flick of the leg to deny a low driven effort with the top of his instep. Keepers looked to have been given a wedge of new animations to pull out of their bag as and when they see fit, a perfect example being Van Der Sar’s reaction save to stop TheBoss after he tried to place a ball through his legs. Edwin, dropped to the floor with a realistic thud to shut out Sneijder’s attempt with a well-timed block using his shins – a smooth animation that I’ve never seen before.

That said, then men in the sticks were still prone to the odd flap on occasion – and though we had a full day to play, I can’t commit myself to saying whether it seemed to be a flaw or it whether it looked intentional. We regularly called keepers out to rush onto heavy through balls – but once or twice, what looked like a comfortable catch ended up being a strange fumble. It didn’t happen often – but if Julio Cesar can parry an un-challenged bouncing ball then I’m a little concerned. Perhaps we held the keeper charge button for too long causing him to run through the bounce – or perhaps we just witnessed a couple of the calamity moments that occur semi-often in the real game? I honestly can’t say. To put a positive spin on it – the recoveries after the mistakes were faster, and you actually had the impression that the keeper was aware of the ball’s location before he got back to his feet.

We did see one howler – I nodded the feeblest of headers in at the far post. The keeper was in the perfect position – and my wild swing of the head resulted in a powerless effort on goal. The keeper spread himself and had the perfect shape to stop the shot – but forget to put himself in the ball’s trajectory. I looked more embarrassed than Fury did for putting it away. It sounds as if it’s a step up from their display a month ago – I just hope Konami use the time that they have left to fine tune.

To be continued...

Source

 

[Lami]

Continued...

Player Movements, reactions and positioning.
PES 2011 has over 1,000 new animations. So what exactly does that mean? – Basically, players have been given the permission to perform a range of new movements and manoeuvres. Do you notice it? Definitely.

There are nice little touches – like players rushing to lean out of the way of shots and ducking under high passes, we even saw one star practically squat to get under a throw-in that crossed his path. You also get tastes of individual brilliance that could have been lifted straight out of Match of the Day – Berbatov, back to goal, laid off a lazy but accurate pass with the outside of his left foot to Carrick who used the instep of his right boot to curl a pin-point effort towards the top corner.

It’s not just animations – player awareness and positioning has been upgraded, particularly noticeable in the opposition AI which hardcore fans will be happy to hear wasn’t scared to venture up field. I watched on as Fury played a game that he eventually lost – the computer scored and seemed to press for more until the last few minutes where keep-ball became the chosen plan of action. I’m not sure if this was a situational tactical change – which is now possible to organise in the pre-match setup screens, but it certainly looked like it.

The new defensive system makes the game more tactical. You now have the option to steam in with a tackle, or to track an opponent – with the aim being to shepherd them into a bad position, or wait for the perfect time to stick your foot in. This, combined with a slower pace makes you think about the options at your disposal. On the subject of pace, the five different game speeds are very distinct. We played most of our time on the default rate (“0”) – but I had a particular affection for “-1”. Last year’s action played more closely “+1” (+2 was too fast for my tastes – and -2 felt like trying to run in water).

Another improvement that needed to be included was a complete reworking of the referees. It took over 300 games against the AI before I was awarded my first Penalty on PES 2010 – though I should have easily been into double figures with the amount of times I ended up on the deck. But, the blind referees that we’ve had forced upon us recently can suddenly see again – and called fouls in and amongst the box! I don’t recall a single case of the “Come on ref” syndrome surfacing on either side – which is vital if the trick stick is to be utilised more in 2011. If we’re inviting players to risk taking a foot instead of the ball, we need the correct decisions to be made.

Fury benefited from this more than I did – I was pretty much a one-skill man. The rainbow flick lifts the ball diagonally over the opposition’s feet allowing you to cut in at pace, which I combined with the odd flip-flap. I was pretty happy with my skilful displays, but Fury looked to Riverdance his way past my full back on the odd occasion – and also sold me for a foul a number of times too.

Taking everything into account – I’m ecstatic, and personally a little relieved to say that this is a huge step forward. The game looks amazing, but that was never the issue. This demo showed me that PES can still play great too – the crucial factor that has been missing for the last few iterations. To cement our conclusions, we played one game on 2011 – and played the exact same game on 2010 a few minutes later. The development is there for all to see.

I still see a lot of the past, but I also see the future – and I wouldn’t have it any other way. This ‘all new’ but, at the same time it’s a PES that I feel familiar with – and the first offering on the next generation that finally looks and feels like one I can truly be proud of. Konami don’t just want to stop the rot, they want to flip the script and bring back their hardcore fans – well, this is definitely the way to go about it.

Source

 

[Lami]

14.7.2010

WENB

WENB PES 2011 Playtest Impressions

The Prodigal Son Returns

They say there’s no smoke without fire. Ever since PES 2011 was shown in Tokyo, and then most recently at E3, impressions from the press have been consistently positive. The improved competition has certainly moved the goal posts in-terms of what we now expect from a football game, but despite this the WEP team seem to be holding their own with ease so far. While the hardcore have remained loyal, with strong belief PES would somehow find it’s way again, most had given up by now. These positive previews, then, have given us all hope that the king has indeed returned. Surely, everyone can’t be wrong? It’s this feeling of anticipation and confidence that runs through me as I pick up the controller for the first time to play PES 2011.

And I think confidence is an apt word to describe the whole persona around PES 2011, from it’s development team to fan fave Jon Murphy. Over the past few years, to their own admission, over-confidence and laziness stilted the growth of the series dramatically. There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and who can say that particular fine line was stepped on a few too many times since PES6. One thing we can all agree on, is that when PES is back hitting the heights of old, the guys from Konami will be the first ones to know about it. As me and Suffwan start up the game, we quickly realise just where this new found confidence is coming from. From the front end to the obvious revolutionary change once the game kicks off, everything about PES 2011 oozes quality. Before a ball is even kicked, we were both blown away by the menus and pre-match layout.

First of all the main menu system is reminiscent of WE8/PES4, something I shouted as soon as I saw it. The game modes are now selectable via a horizontal bar situated at the bottom of the screen which you cycle through, while the main screen graphic changes with your option. Very clean, visually strong and as ever staying true to the PES ethic of a quick and easy menu system to get to where you want quickly. As we choose our teams from a limited selection (Suff went Inter while I chose Real), we’re greeted by what is quite possibly the best formation/team edit screen ever in a football game! You’ve all seen it by now, it’s the screen showing the pitch with all your players dotted around it. The ability to change players, their position and their role is extremely easy and incredibly intuitive, and something you won’t truly appreciate until you experience it for yourself. The accessibility is in direct response to the deep but sometimes bewildering menu system of last year, which meant so much of the hard work Konami did with the AI and player cards were lost to many users. Not this year though, navigating through such complex options has never been so easy. Team picked, strategies in place, and into the match we go.

As if you need telling by now, PES 2011 is visually stunning. The same match intro sequence as seen last year was in place, but looked better with this new ’skin’. PES 2010 was great graphically, and wasn’t the first thing most thought of when wanting to improve the game. While the difference is clear when seeing it in front of you, describing it is less than easy. The shine and ‘plastic’ look has been replaced by a more realistic filter, with colours and texture more lifelike and less gamey. Even the grass looks real. Seeing the same intro with this new look gives it a new lease of life, losing that familiar feel. The same can be said once the pre-match niceties end, as the camera swoops low and the players stretch and limber up ready for action.

We’ve been told many times PES 2011 is a brand new game, and there’s no question things have changed dramatically. Good news is, it will take only a few moments to realise just how much. It’s a bombardment of improvements and jaw-dropping change from the get go, re-affirming quickly what we’ve been told for a good few months. From the new broadcast camera, to the improved animations, and the new passing system, there’s nothing that remotely reminds you of PES on this generation – never mind PES 2010. As the game kicked off we were both lost for words at first, as it took a while to comprehend what we were seeing, and also try our hardest to get to grips with this new passing system. The new power bar and more manual control in passing has brought a massive change to PES, and for the first time in god knows how long, forces you to play the game completely differently. Simply tapping X (we played on PS3) while aiming towards a player is half the work now, as now you have to apply the exact amount of power you want. Seen in FIFA for a while, but not quite like this, it forces the player to simply take more care in where and who you’re passing with. While short passes require little skill and TLC, anything that is passed over a little more distance means more effort in aiming, especially with less skilled players.

We instantly felt this need to be more thoughtful with our play as we passed the ball forward quickly without thinking much, and it go astray. While directional control is accurate enough with a majority of players, there’s no hand holding or computer assistance in getting that ball to your player. Under-hitting or overhitting the ball leaves you with obvious problems, and requires you to concentrate more than ever when playing a pass to a team mate. PES being PES though, even such an integral element in the game isn’t decided on manual control alone. Similar to how the guys at EA copied elements from PES and looked to improve on it, Konami have done the same but added a personal touch. That key addition is player individuality.

Coming into the playtest, this free passing system worried me, as while it could bring a new way of playing PES, the individuality factor is what has kept me attached to the series. I’m happy to say this philosophy hasn’t been lost in this new adventure. Getting the ball to Alonso was much more beneficial for example, as the accuracy and power was more forgiving than playing the same pass with Marcelo. Me and Suff both agreed there was this feeling the ball seemed to ‘home in’ on the intended target accurately with the better passers, and was always easier to control. The same can be said in playing the ball into space, the better passers in the game really did have an influence in dictating play and control the flow of the game. Once we managed to get our heads around the new passing system, we were left trying to soak in all the new animations in the game.

Lets make this clear, the animations in PES 2011 are on another planet compared to PES 2010. There’s no point comparing them to last year in a still frame or gameplay segments from a trailer, seeing them in front of your own eyes playing the game is where it’s at. And for me and Suff, it was one of major take-aways from this first look. Even before the whistle blew for kick off it was clear we were in for a treat, with players going through their warm-up routines. All very natural and believable, especially when you add in the effect the new camera gives you. Once the game started, our faces must’ve looked like a few kids at their first firework display, mouth open and saying ‘wow’ every few mins.

Running, dribbling, tackling, passing, heading, falling etc etc you name it, every single animation has either been improved or redone. On top of that, the additional animations have created the most fluid PES game ever. Players move and swivel their body into each turn, no more unnatural movements with players unrealistically moving into certain directions. Passing and shooting animations have also been added, with players really taking into account where the ball is, and whether or not they have time to move it onto their preferred foot. If the ball is too far on their left side and they’re right footed, players are more likely to try and flick the ball forward with the outside of the right boot. More time? Expect the player to use his instep and pass more accurately that way.

The same improvement can be said of the dribbling. The additional animations really bring player movement with the ball to life, with linking animations being the key improvement in this area. The 360 degree dribbling has been well documented and rubbished in PES 2010 by a number of people, but the whole idea of it being in this year would be much harder to argue with. Players move with great accuracy and response, without ever feeling unrealistic. As you would expect from PES, well known dribblers like Ronaldo/Messi/Robben naturally feel better when in possession, and they take many more touches of the ball when moving around the pitch, always giving you a feeling you can change direction if needs be.

While we’re on the subject of dribbling, it’s probably worth me quickly pointing out the new trick moves PES 2011 has introduced. In all honesty it wasn’t something we dedicated our time on, as most of it was just focused on playing the game and getting used to the passing and physical play. From what we did see of it though, we were pleasantly surprised by its implementation. I’ve never been into tricks myself, and it won’t be something I’d be using when playing the game, but by pressing L1 and then inputting movements on the right stick you can perform a variety of tricks. What pleased me the most was the fact no trick was a sure-fire way of beating an opponent, and the over elaborate ones require the player to perform a few tricks before linking in something like the rainbow, meaning they are easier to anticipate and require more time to pull off. My favourite one though is the heel flick inside, made famous by the likes of Ronaldo and Drogba, and was last seen in PES 2008. It was a great way turning inside an opponent and getting the ball onto your favoured foot, and also looked eerily realistic. A worry from the trailer showed tricks not linking together well and stuck to the players foot, but these fears were gone after seeing it in action.

The final big leap in animations in the game came from the physical play. As documented, there are now 3 ways of defending in PES. Pressing X to track a player, X and moving the stick towards your own goal means giving up space so you don’t get beaten, and finally X and towards the player for a more aggressive way of winning the ball back. All worked well, and all looked very realistic when seeing it in action. While the first two had pleasing gameplay repercussions, visually the aggressive form of tackling was the most pleasing. Seeing players tussle for the ball in PES is something we’ve all been calling for, and to see it working as well as we hoped for in the game is a dream come true. The good news is the physical play isn’t just for show, as with the power bar passing, Konami have stayed true to PES’s philosophy. Bigger stronger players will be able to hold off challenges much better than smaller weak players, obviously, but it all comes down to stats and player positioning. In the later games with me as Italy and Suff as Holland, Van Bommel came steaming into Pirlo. A quick shift of the stick away from him meant he came crashing into the back of me, causing Pirlo to fall and win a freekick. Unlike in FIFA, simply pressing X won’t provide an easy way to pressure an opponent, the need to time those aggressive moments is key. Especially with response times improved and refs fixed.

Another worry from all the additional animations coming into the playtest was if the response times had been sharpened up since last years obvious problem. Thankfully, the added animations have actually helped matters with response times, giving players more variety in passing and moving into directions when you need to instantly. Same can be said of the R2 stop, with players able to stop much quicker of the ball is close to their feet. This allows players with better technique to be more important in the game. As mentioned, thankfully the referees are much, much better. During our entire playtest they didn’t make one bad decision, with every obvious foul correctly punished. Same can be said of the less brutal ones, with us both giving away many fouls for being over aggressive when trying to win the ball the back. The advantage rule was also witnessed a few times, although we didn’t see anyone getting booked after play stopped for a previous foul.

Concerns at this stage are minimal, mainly because every problem we pointed out is apparently being looked at. Goal keepers, while behaving more like they should, still parry far too much and let in the odd clanger. Penalty kicks are still from PES 2010 it seems, we can only hope and pray that this changes soon. Other smaller niggles include players taking a little too long trapping high balls, and taking too long releasing a shot.

Overall though, even at this early stage, it’s simply difficult not to be impressed by the giant steps Konami have made this year. After years of claiming they have created a new game, their promises of change are true. It’s a time for fans to rejoice, as our faith has finally been rewarded. It’s also a time for those who jumped ship to come back and see what all the fuss is about. Overall though, it’s time to anticipate the prospect of no longer using the likes of PES5/6 as a reference point of the series at its best. With time still to improve an already solid game, there’s every chance this is the year the prodigal son returns.

Source

 

[Lami]

14.7.2010

PES 2011 Roundtable

IGN's team of PES fans report back on Konami's reboot.

Alex Simmons: The Pro Evo franchise needed a shake-up and PES 2011 is exactly that. As a long-term fan of the series, my initial thoughts are that it's a radical departure from what I'm used to. I had to re-learn how to play the game, because the most notable difference is that passing system has been completely overhauled. It's a lot less automated than before and rather than tapping pass to ping the ball between players you'll need to manually control the direction and power for even the simplest pass.

While it takes a little getting used to, the result is much more versatile and logical step forward and enables you to be much more creative with the way you play. In previous PES games through-balls have been hit and miss, but that's all changed; now, threading through-balls between defenders is much more rewarding because if you control the angle and power of the shot correctly – something which takes only a little practice – you're able to play incisive passes that go exactly where you want them to. It's now possible to play a pass down the outside to wrong-foot a defender, whereas before it pretty much always forced you to go inside.

The drag and drop tactics screen is genuinely brilliant.

Visually the player likenesses are as sharp as ever, although currently the animation is a bit clunky. Slide in for a tackle and the player will jump to avoid the challenge, but it's not as fluid as I'd like - although if previous PES games are anything to go by aesthetic detail is usually the last thing to be added so there's certainly scope for improvement.

Elsewhere, the drag-and-drop tactics system is smart and intuitive but the game's front-end still feels decidedly low-fi, although the version we played was only a demo so again that may well change before its October release. One thing's for sure, out on the pitch – where it really matters – PES 2011 feels like a substantial improvement over recent iterations of the game. It really does feel like a different game, which may turn some people off but in my opinion it's a giant leap forward in taking on FIFA. Whether it has the legs to compete, however, is still too early to tell.

Martin Robinson: I feel like I'm largely alone in actually enjoying PES's last outing. It may have been eclipsed by FIFA 10, but for me it was a refinement of the formula that I fell in love with back in the series' PlayStation 2 days and it was a hell of a lot of fun to play.

But of course that formula itself is creaking, and no amount of polishing it could get Konami back on level terms with EA, and in many ways this reboot is long overdue. Playing it at E3 I was stunned by how bold and radical the redesign has been – and I struggled to play PES 2011 with any level of competence.

Away from the din of the E3 show floor the new systems began to show off some of their nuances, and after a handful of games it was possible to string together moves with a semblance of football. It is now a much slower game – and even though this is countered somewhat by the option to change game speed at any point in the game, it doesn't hide the fact that the new passing system forces players to think before laying off the ball.

Which is a good thing, and it offers a game of football that feels totally distinctive. Interestingly, for a series that even in its heyday had a front end only marginally more attractive than a dead dog's bollocks, the menu system has been given an agreeable sprucing, with the team management mode in particular slick and intuitive.

There is a big but though; for all of the positive strides that PES 2011 has made, this feels like just the first step in its new direction. There's not quite enough conviction in the package as a whole, and there's a sense that this is laying the foundations for an attempt to regaining the football crown in a future iteration rather than claiming it in one fell swoop later this year. There's still progress to be made, though, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the game better at next month's Gamescom.

Source

 

[Lami]

14.7.2010

Zavvi

Games: Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 Hands-On Preview

Nine long years ago, back when the playing field for football videogames was flat, the annual battle for marketplace supremacy was entirely one-sided. EA’s FIFA series, which hadn’t been truly match-fit since its faultless SNES iteration back in 1995, had the funds, it had the licences, and until just previously it had the sales figures to match. But when Pro Evolution Soccer entered the fray in late 2001, itself an expansion of the International Superstar Soccer series which began on the SNES (but made its first truly indelible impression on the N64) everything changed.

That first Pro Evolution Soccer title heralded a monumental shift in tone and outlook, in how football games played and were received, and in 2003 (after two years of shrewd and plentiful refinement) those endeavours finally paid off with Pro Evolution Soccer 3, and the off-radar underdog finally shook off its anonymity and the series had its breakthrough; an all-encompassing word-of-mouth smash. To the hardcore justice had been done; and to the developers behind competitor EA’s competition, war had well and truly been waged.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 and its two immediate predecessors were stellar episodes to be sure, but the template, the formula that had been serving it so well for more than a decade, was faltering. FIFA wasn’t merely trying to be the best football videogame in the world, it also wanted to be the finest representation of the game as it existed in the real world, and in comparison Pro Evo was beginning to look somewhat fatigued. FIFA even worked as a spectator sport for non-devotees with its stunning visuals and 360-degree ball control, and for all its overall excellence, Pro Evo was never capable of making a similar claim.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 heralds the biggest transformation in the franchise’s history, and aims to offer what Konami are referring to as ‘Total Control’. The game now boasts 360-degree control over both the ball and your passing of it, so you can do things like pass to the right side of a right-footed player, to allow him to pick the ball up with his preferred foot. You can also play the ball into space with the pass button, and though the old through-ball command still exists, with the standard pass button you can now pick a specific spot on the pitch and deliberately over-hit it.

And whereas in previous instalments they only appeared when you were making a long pass or going in for a header, now power gauges are absolutely everywhere, giving you an unprecedented degree of distance and power control in every conceivable situation. Jostling has also been re-vamped, and whilst previously there was some contact involved that didn’t really affect the possessor’s run, if you go in hard in the 2011 iteration you’re capable of precipitating a stumble in your opponent; a situation that you are then free to use to your advantage.

Feint and trick skills now also form a large part of your attacking arsenal, in comparison with previous versions in which tricks were largely included to show off the fact that you were capable of pulling them off in the first place. They’re all simple and mostly involve pressing one shoulder button (on a 360 pad or DualShock) in conjunction with another button or direction on the right thumbstick. You are also able to set a preset of up to three saved feints, that you are able to pull off in rapid succession if you so wish.

Despite the fact that over 90% of the new player animations are completely new, this all still feels quintessentially Pro Evo. The visuals look incredibly slick and with a few months of development time still in the pipeline, in all probability they’ll be tweaked even further. The drag-and-drop simplicity of the new menu scheme will invite the previously apathetic to try their luck at hands-on team management, the ability to change the game’s running speed (from a possible five settings) can add an arcadey frisson if you want it, and one of Pro Evo’s inarguable, indefinable trademarks makes a glorious return: namely the thunderous rush you’ll endure when you a score a near-impossible 40 yard screamer which, for all their grandeur, the FIFA titles have never really managed to nail.

Hardened FIFA converts definitely shouldn’t underestimate the weight of Konami’s aspirations, and the zealots amongst them shouldn’t underestimate the deep well of goodwill that still exists for the franchise that brought realistic football and gaming together in harmony for arguably the very first time. This isn’t the Pro Evolution of old, and if you thought that it wasn’t broke then these mammoth fixes are only going to upset you. But for those of you who continue to search for the ultimate football videogame, don’t bet against the possibility of this one setting the closest landmark yet. It may come down to penalties come the end of the year, but the smart money should definitely not be placed elsewhere.

Source

 

[Lami]

22.7.2010

Community day impressions

Evoweb

By Mart

PES 2011 Community Day 22nd July

"At last" was my reaction having played my first few minutes of PES 2011. "At last" because even though technically we're beyond calling the Xbox 360 and PS3 "next-gen" it's the first time PES has felt at home on this round of consoles. Its PS2 and even PlayStation roots all too apparent despite the graphical advancements and last year's 360° control.

The 360° control of last year, however, was very hard to spot. Not least because the ball could only be passed in 16 directions and even the players didn't appear to have the range of movement due to the distinctly last-gen animations. This year it all feels right. The gameplay even from the modified E3 code we had access to has already improved considerably over last year.

To illustrate the point, having a quick game of PES 2010 before writing this made me feel like I'd just booted one of the old PS2 favourites. That's not to say that enhancements haven't been made over the old games it's just that a lot of the time they were hidden behind a creaking game engine. EA were quick to realise the need for a new core engine for the current generation of gaming hardware and have reaped the rewards since.

I'm not claiming it's an all new game engine as it clearly isn't but the core mechanics have definitely received the overhaul they needed.

As a demo version we had access to only Exhibition mode with 13 teams (France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Argentina, Netherlands, Cote d'Ivoire, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Roma, Inter, Porto and Benfica) and a Copa Libertadores mode, which just amounted to another exhibition mode but this time between 4 teams from South America (Internacional, Corinthians, Estudiantes and Cruzeiro). Restrictive maybe but that let us concentrate on the most important part of any football game, the engine.

Players and the ball now obviously have full freedom of the pitch from any angle. The animations, while not perfect at the moment, now fit in with the movement as you'd expect so the old fashioned "on the rails" movement is just that, old fashioned. Even without using manual passing the direction you hold for your passes is adhered to where possible and you probably will knock the ball out of play or to the opposition a few times as you rely on old habits.

Players' technical attributes do still come into effect for passes so there'll either be curl on the ball or they will have the ability to hit a tricky pass with the amount of power you requested where a less gifted passer, typically a centre back, might get the direction but not the power, for example.

On the subject of manual passing I'm happy to report that it no longer seems to surprise the players on the pitch when a pass heads off in a certain angle - the response to the ball remains consistent for the most part.

A power bar, which in screenshots may look a bit tacky, accompanies your player on every ball hitting request you make be that passing (short or long), shooting or heading. Again the player's attributes and your timing will come into effect in terms of applying that power to the ball but you quickly get used to seeing the power gauge in play. It's also handy to see when an action might be buffered that you weren't expecting giving you the option of cancelling before your player amusingly hoofs the ball out of play after you'd planned a slide tackle with someone else.

In terms of player response times to your input aside from specific situations (mentioned below) they were very good and certainly didn't crop up as a negative at any point during the day.

The new trick system is a cause for concern/celebration depending on how you view it. In the code we played there were 3 preset packages of tricks. Each package is made up of 4 chains of dribbling moves be they step-overs or flicks and the like. They start with you holding down L1/LB and pushing up, down, left or right on the right stick as the first move of each chain and then if you keep up the right stick moves that have previously been defined your player will attempt the chain of tricks. We didn't have the ability to define our own packages of tricks but the potential is there and the option to choose between the defined packages was in the pause menu.

In terms of affecting gameplay it's clear that a skilled dribbler could pull them off without too much trouble but actually getting passed a savvy defender still isn't guaranteed. I was able to perform skill moves with lesser technically gifted players as well but only ever away from play when I was specifically trying them out. At this point I wouldn't like to say definitively that they will be sufficiently balanced and not over-powered but I'm pretty confident that will be the case.

Part of the reason I couldn't confirm the trick system's potential was because another new gameplay element, the defensive hold-up play feature had not been fully implemented in the version of code we played. I tried it a few times without success and ended up with flat-footed defenders a lot of the time. The old faithful jockey technique proved far more effective. As a player that appreciates the defending side of the game as much as the attacking I hope to be able to try out that feature soon.

The game speed option was present in the in-game pause menu giving you -2, -1, 0 (default), +1 and +2. I was quite happy with 0 but -1 was also a good pace for a football game. As the respective speeds could still change prior to release I didn't spend too much time away from the default.

The other new feature immediately obvious to us was the layout and functionality of the pre-match screens. When you first enter the screen you have a choice from a menu of offensive/defensive/balanced/simple/manual. The first three take you into the line-ups screen having modified the team formation and strategy in line with your preference. Choosing 'simple' first brings up a formations list with a couple of variations such as out wide or down middle from which you can choose before getting to the line-ups. Selecting 'manual' takes you into the screen without amending any default values.

After this initial choice you're presented with a large pitch diagram showing your first 11 in their positions. Selecting the players directly in the diagram allows you to view their profiles, attributes etc. or swap them with one of your substitutes who are shown as arrows down the side of the pitch. When you click on a player the most appropriate substitutes are highlighted allowing you to quickly see who to swing the cursor at.

The skills pentagon makes a welcome return when comparing a couple of players, which is required as there is very little room under the pitch for lists of stats.

The other tactical options are shown across the bottom - selecting them brings up other menus to choose your formations/strategy/team style/set piece takers and the like. When you're defining your team styles you use sliders with values from 0-20 show for things like player support/pressing/defensive line with the resulting change to the formation or player runs displayed on the pitch diagram.

While, I think, in terms of swapping players in/out of your line-up it's slower than quick menus you certainly couldn't argue that the layout and design of the screen is vastly improved.

So far so good then. There are of course negative points that in fairness could be classed as work in progress at this stage but to give a more balanced view they are:

- Goalkeepers: They were shocking 50% of the time. Already improved in later code apparently. (Confirmed as work in progress)

- Player selection: Still off the mark in terms of the players it selects and the subset of players it allows you to choose from (i.e. it will cycle between two players closer but behind the ball rather than a defender further away but who you'd really like to control at that point). The player cursor selection options are still also limited to Unassisted, Semi-Assisted and Assisted - bring back the graduated scale, Konami! Let us choose.

- Player reaction: There is still a problem where players don't react to a loose ball properly - generally after the ball has knocked between a few players or when an attacker shoots - he seems perfectly happy that's his job done even if the ball was blocked and he could've had another chance.

- Player tickling: It's probably not tickling but it's the only explanation I came up with. It's very frustrating to have a player with the ball impeded by a defender just being right up against his back rendering him unable to move or pass the ball until the contact has finished or the ball has been lost.

- Player slowing down when running onto a through ball. It's still there despite the lack of rails. A few times I'd played a chipped through ball through to a striker who plodded on at jogging pace despite my best intentions until he was tackled. I know the through ball behind a defence move has to be balanced but surely not like this. I also saw other attackers do this every now and then without a particular reason. (No I didn't spend the entire game holding sprint)

- Refereeing: Blatant trips not given, a harsh red card here and there. (Confirmed as work in progress)

- Nets: This is just for Evo-Web, they're still not very good and look fake. There I said it.

While it's too hard to contrive conclusions from such a limited preview of the finished article I can say that I'm optimistic about PES for the first time in years and that's coming from a hardened old cynic. Here's hoping Konami keep up the new approach in terms of development and involving the community at large to deliver something grand.

 

[Lami]

23.7.2010

Community day impressions

Prorevo

Marvin Ronsdorf of Prorevo's review, in German and translated:

Prorevo PES2011 plays in London [Review] # 1

Published 23rd July 2010
Created in PES2011

by Marvin Ronsdorf (mrbasket) from London

It has finally worked. Play a good five hours of intense PES2011 are behind me and I got a first, a very good overview of what we will expect in October. As I summarize here my notes and try to give you a good overview as possible and to collect my impressions, it tingles still belong in the fingers.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is the game that we wait for PES fans for some years. Since the jump to next-gen in my opinion there was not really impressive version more and gaped after PES6 for me personally a big gap in the series.

In this PES6 footsteps now enters the new part, and I can sum up: The game is not perfect. But it is incredibly well and you will love it.

Me could you even as your comment to a PES-column edge change, or via Twitter aspects on their way to the eighth, I was special. I did that and so I will now describe in the following part my impressions on each sub.

First of a few conditions: the version I've played, is much more recent than the code that was presented at E3. Nevertheless, it will be up in about four weeks to gamescom once a much more developed version. 19 teams were playable. Including seven national teams (including Germany and the Netherlands), 6 club teams (including Real Madrid and Manchester United) and six clubs in the Copa Libertadores. Unfortunately, it is not possible for me to show you videos. We were asked to make any video or screenshots targeted because the version is simply a presentation for the trade press and in a few places still just hooks. This is normal practice for games, which are still under development and no later than the gamescom, there's a wealth of video material.

We have played on the Playstation 3

---------------------------------------------------------------

Part # 1 (tomorrow it will then continue with Part # 2)

1) The referee

The referees have been improved. While you are distributing are still many tickets, but balanced between the player and computer, and with a little more sensitivity. Physical exertion is run well. The red card will not be distributed quite as often as we still know from past parts. The red cards are brandished, although again, but then even for actions that warrant the most.

The advantage rule is applied only in part. It's not that it really lacks, but once the ball gets into the open space and our own players to the ball does not directly bring under control, the advantage whistle blows. This unfortunately happens very often, so the advantage rule is rarely useful.

Off is detected sound. My observations lead to even distinguish between active and passive offside, so the attack is not immediately whistle blows, where one of their player is offside, but not directly to do with the attack has something.



2) The 360 ° - control

Well at last. While possible in PES2010 no real control was 360 (up to 16-way), this is implemented in PES2011 really excellent. The control is precise and the player is in all actions of the direction of her well controlled. Especially with the dribbling and the new passport system this accuracy is absolutely necessary. At the two points later.



3) The new pass system and the power indicator

"Engineered for freedom" - this is the motto of Pro Evolution Soccer 2011th And nowhere else in the game, this is clearer than in the pass system. The best way to do that with the words "to describe 360 degrees of freedom." The 360-degree control to convince white and in the new part has to manage one every pass and every flank. It does not put more in one direction and hopes that the computer alludes to the right players and is annoyed when it's the wrong thing. No. Every effort must be komplettbestimmt. Frankly, this leads to hair-raising at the beginning of bad passes. For, combined with the Powerbar, which fits easily into the game, you must regulate a lot of what used to the AI made, though one pass has pressed '. You get used to but with increased playing time in the new system and some delicious ball on the grass, that you are as old PES bunny can only rub their eyes in astonishment, because such opportunities were not simply given earlier. Especially in the 1vs1 is the class one levers and so sometimes an entire defense with a single pass, which is simply played with power and precision in the alley. Without exercise, as well as many balls end up in Aus. It is just completely off of one yourself if you have a good or bad game design.



4) Flanks

The whole system is virtually new flank. Looking at the flank than long, high pass, it was true ever to everything I've written in terms of individualism and Powerbar. Another notable difference is that one is in charge of defending himself for his positional play. The computer is no longer on the ball when you press the button for the header. This is less of the K.I. accepted and if one is bad, then it undermines the flank, which can be quite dangerous.

5) Goalkeeper

While I had been three points at which one falls into raptures just because you have the feeling that Konami has finally managed to implement what we have wished for a long time, the goalkeepers are still a sore point. Here one must mention that Jon has promised me that will work on the keepers with high pressure, but currently they are still pretty crazy contemporaries. Titans times, sometimes fly-catcher. Unpredictable simple.

A positive feature is that the gatekeepers enormously more animations are available. Hardly a parade are the same. But you get the feeling that they know how to handle it yet so right.

Many balls bounce off or be completely calculated incorrectly. Especially with high balls and distance shots, they sometimes misjudge you. Since flies past the goalie, or simply shot on durable. This drives a case of close matches partially true in the madness. Another point is the behavior in 1vs1. For the goalie can be of illusions to impress quickly. Even if the attacker still a good five yards away and shot an illusion makes the Keeper submit willingly to the pants and the striker only needs to insert yet.

Something better is the discharge behavior. Although it is unnecessary to the Keeper in my opinion is still too long of catching a ball to throw, but there is always something faster than in PES2010.

What should I Rauslauf of behavior (Missed-Pass-key), I still do not know exactly. The keeper run quickly and directly to the outside. When they play long balls so with great. In the duel with the attackers but they are really exaggerated good. Since the lynx Casillas Messi just the ball of the foot. Such scenes were there about five times and each time the keeper has had the better end in itself. So the defensive play was a bit too exaggerated.

Here waits definitely still a lot of work to the guys from Konami.



6) Trick-system

I'm not a big trickster. I try not to engage 1vs1 duels and therefore rarely need tricks. However, my opponent could very well deal with it and knew clearly how to use them. There, the response was quite positive. In any case, the application was quite effective.

7) Animation

Large Konami has announced that they have incorporated more animations and it must be said clearly, that one even notices. Everything is several numbers of liquid and looks simply better, eg the running animations look good and everything looks much smoother. However, it is still not perfect, and Jon Murphy has also announced that work is mainly at the transitions between the different animations yet. The larger number of animations, along with the 360 controller makes the whole game very much more variable and individual.



8) Tactics menu

The tactical menu has it done to me absolutely. It is really very clear. Drag and drop is excellent. It draws the player simply to the position to play on anything. With the analog stick you can simply surf through the formation field. So you can adapt within seconds, all player positions and players change without jumping between screens or inventories must be. For a change you put the appropriate player just to the bank. In changing the player position is shown at the bottom of the page the new player value, which is really convenient.

To test the various tactical settings in detail, I had too little time. I noticed this is mainly that for example Change in Holland Robben and Kuyt sides in the game again and again when taking the value for position change to the maximum, which supports the assault waves and individually designed.

9) Battle system

The defensive play is characterized primarily by the fact that they no longer have to annoy.

Finally the defender has a chance to act themselves and to respond not only to the striker. As you can well represent the body of man and ball, without immediately foul is whistled. That is really important and a good extension of the possibilities.

The slide tackle has become more complicated and beginning to get with the old timing but often times too late, which has some entries on the cards of the match officials to follow.

Morning, followed in Part # 2 then inter alia Graphics, AI, ball physics, fluid game, free kicks, penalty etc.

Such actions as the trip to London are very expensive and we have eg extra for the trip and the upcoming gamescom us a suitable elektronischhe equipment with HD-Cam and many other small things grew. We would appreciate genuine when it helps us to fund this project. Thank you!

Source

 

[Lami]

24.7.2010

Community day impressions

Prorevo

Marvin Ronsdorf of Prorevo's review #2, in German and translated:

Prorevo PES2011 plays in London [Review] # 2

Published: 24 July 2010
Created in: PES2011

by Marvin Ronsdorf (mrbasket) from London

It has finally worked. Play a good five hours of intense PES2011 are behind me and I got a first, a very good overview of what we will expect in October. As I summarize here my notes and try to give you a good overview as possible and to collect my impressions, it tingles still belong in the fingers.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is the game that we wait for PES fans for some years. Since the jump to next-gen in my opinion there was not really impressive version more and gaped after PES6 for me personally a big gap in the series.

In this PES6 footsteps now enters the new part, and I can sum up: The game is not perfect. But it is incredibly well and you will love it.

I could you even as your comment to a PES-column edge change or via Twitter aspects on their way to which I should pay special. I did that and so I will now describe in the following part my impressions on each sub.

First of a few conditions: the version I've played, is much more recent than the code that was presented at E3. Nevertheless, it will be up in about four weeks to gamescom once a much more developed version. 19 teams were playable. Including seven national teams (including Germany and the Netherlands), 6 club teams (including Real Madrid and Manchester United) and six clubs in the Copa Libertadores. It is unfortunately not possible for me to show you videos. We were asked to make any video or screenshots targeted because the version is simply a presentation for the trade press and in a few places still just hooks. This is normal practice for games, which are still under development and no later than the gamescom, there's a wealth of video material.

We have played on the Playstation 3

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Part # 2 (yesterday there were already part # 1)

10) Graphics

The graphics are stunning on the Playstation 3. We played to distinguish such a huge HD screen and set up as the national anthem, the players have had to do it in the quality of the textures and player faces no more of a TV broadcast. PES2010 was really good, but PES2011 puts a shovel in some places again on top.


11) K.I.

Most games I have played against other colleagues in the PES-scene because it was just exciting. But also against the K.I. I've played some games and it has a course to the other 10 players in one game does not control other, positive. Overall, I find the K.I. in order. The computer thinks proper part in attacks. Impressed but not by sensational run good routes. After all, it is widely criticized "running on rails disappeared. The walking paths are individual, but not quite round. Too often, one must embark on a 1vs1 or stopping, because no scan options are available. In particular, the double pass is the player who has played the first pass are simple. It still needs something to work. The attacks of the K.I. in single-mode are neat and varied than in the past.


12) Atmosphere & cutscenes

Somehow I was not particularly impressed with the atmosphere. She was solid and not disruptive. I probably hidden details, because I simply concentrated on the gameplay. There were no significant crowd chants as the monotonous "Liverpool, Liverpool" from PES2010. I can not tell from other songs. This may be because many chants were still not integrated.

In the scenes of celebration there were indeed new animations but by and large it remains the same. Since my opinion was not really something to be changed to it.

A real highlight is the national anthem to start an international match. This makes a great mood for the upcoming match.


13) Ball Physics

The ball physics are very realistic in passports. Since there is absolutely nothing wrong with it and so, as it should be. If shots it works for me something funny. It seems as if the balls would fly a little slow motion. It is only a tiny difference. On a good and realistic flight path changes nothing, but in the overall package something bothers me the way how the ball flies. It does not quite clean.


14) Response

The delay from crass PES2010 has disappeared. The players will respond much faster to the actions. You run the commands directly. Nevertheless, one has the feeling that the game itself has lost its slowness is not everything. Many animations are exported only to end up as Dribbling is initiated or a cross comes.


15) Different game speeds

In the test, there was only one speed on the game we played. This was the level "0". Therefore, I can say at this point nothing about the different game speeds.


16) Levels

There was only one default difficulty. This was the middle level "Advanced". Especially in the first game of PES2011 what a challenge. If you get used to PES2011, "Advanced likely be" only for the least of a challenge.


17) Continuous play

Unfortunately, the game hides still on at free kicks and interjections. After that the players continue to beam through the area and change their positions. This was unfortunately not last. It is in part not as extreme as in 2010, but still disturbing and one hopes that it would continue on with interjections like a quickly taken free kick. This is a shame.


18) Winner of headers

This is the trend is more towards FIFA. Not quite as pronounced and dynamic but ordinary header duels are guaranteed. As mentioned in the flanks, one has to establish itself before climbing up to the header the best possible starting position by the ball is good. This is the outcome of the subsequent duel in the air decisive.


19) Dives

Furthermore, in the game. The referee comes but rarely into it. It must be timed quite precisely to make it work. I could not cope. A colleague was able to but now and then flayed a free-kick. With practice, the chances are about 50:50, when one uses it in the correct combat situations.


20) Free kicks

To kick-system, I can not say as much as I did not get as many free kicks. But it seems to have become a little easier to take a free kick too. The least the general tenor in our lap. In this version you could not move the wall, nor dazustellen player. This simple free-kick hit a two-man version was possible. Jon has assured us, however, that this bug is fixed and it also give more benefits to the defending team is.


21) Penalty

In the trial, it was still the old penalty system. But Jon has been announced for the final version of an improved system where more emphasis should be placed on precise targets.


22) Camera

The new standard camera fits perfectly into the game. This looks like a real TV broadcast, then it has the policy goal is already achieved.


23) Weather

In the version that we were allowed to play was more beautiful sunshine. In addition, Jon has announced that there will be no dynamic weather. By "dynamic" is a change of weather is called during the game (eg onset of snow in winter). That would be too much effort for the entire engine and once the focus is placed on the gameplay. These features may be incorporated in later parts again.


24) 3d model/physics of the nets

Loose networks like in PES2010. Since nothing has changed. One like it, not the other, the third it does not matter. Are certainly more important points.


25) Miscellaneous

Finally, very briefly in brief, some more issues:

- Players no longer a freeze on free kicks in the wall. This means that they are at a pass in the attacking team to control more quickly and you do not have to wait for the call.

- Under the clearer scoreboard during the game there are always little statistics: eg Foul on free kicks as the statistics of date, or were fired at goal kicks which team how many shots at the respective box.

- The throw-in behavior is divided. On the one hand, the thrower is too long to be out of bounds, so the ball will be accepted only with a direct back pass out of bounds, on the other great passes in the course are now open.

- In the replay mode, there are many many scenes a motion blur effect, which is intended to express dynamics. The whole thing is a matter of taste.

Such actions as the trip to London are very expensive and we have eg extra for the trip and the upcoming gamescom us a suitable electronic equipment with HD-Cam and many other small things grew. We would appreciate genuine when it helps us to fund this project. Thank you!

Source

 

[Lami]

3.8.2010

PES 2011 Preview Video

YouTube - PES2011 Preview Video

 

[Lami]

3.8.2010

PESFan

PES 2011 Preview

Back in June we got to spend some time with an early code of Konami’s latest football offering. With our own and the press’ positive feedback to that code it was with great anticipation that I took the controller once again and sat down to play PES 2011. I was anxious to see how the game was coming along and to see how much the impressive early code had been built upon.

Something that the hardcore PES fans have always loved about the franchise is the player individuality. However with the press release saying that this year’s game would offer up much more freedom in terms of passing and movement, some fans thought that this new level of freedom may hindered that feature unique to PES. Well, even before finishing the first half I had with Man City against Arsenal in the first game, I realised this concern would forever be forgotten.

Picking the ball up with Vieira in around the halfway line, plodding into the opposition half, looking identical to the real life aging midfielder I stroke the ball out wide to Bellamy. With one quick turn the Welshman immediately quickens the pace with a dash down the left wing knocking it inside to Tevez who’s dropped into the hole behind the midfield. Feeling much heavier and stronger than Bellamy I fancy my chances to hold onto the ball that bit longer waiting for a gap to appear in the Arsenal defence. While Song comes across to try and wrestle Tevez off the ball, using his strength I manage to hold him off which also shows a superb animation when both players jostle for the ball, shoulders charging into each other. Gallas makes a dash forward to help Song out and there the gap appears which I quickly exploit with a lovely lofted through ball to Adebayor, a pass that seemed almost impossible to do in last year’s version, languid and calm with his first touch he places it past the onrushing Almunia to make it 1-0.

The goal brings a grin to my face, not because I’ve gone one nil up but because the move and the resulting goal felt so satisfying, something that I think the franchise had lost in the last few years. The reason it felt so satisfying was a result of all the improvements made this year including; the freedom of passing, the animations, the ball physics, the player models and the pace of the game which all combined in that one move to give an enjoyable simulated football experience.

As I play more and more games I start to notice little things that I didn’t do in the previous code. When you now do a super cancel with a player there are different animations for different players, so Ronaldinho will swivel his hips when performing the move whereas someone like Nigel De Jong will have a more standard animation similar to what’s gone before in previous games. It’s just a subtle animation added by Konami that keeps the gameplay feeling varied and fresh. Another satisfying thing was that the game didn’t feel like it was on rails which is down to the new freedom in passing and the directional movement of players being a lot closer to the 360 boasted about last year. There were also little touches like the centre forward heading the ball into the ground off a cross or the way a player tried to put all his body weight into a back heel if he had to do it at pace.

A major criticism of the previous code was the goalkeepers who, while being better than last year, were still not up to a high standard. They’ve improved again in this code and seem to stop more shots than before but still aren’t that reliable. In the three hours I played there were a few times when I thought a shot was too easily parried or could have easily been parried further away from goal. Hopefully though, the fact that they’ve been improved again from the last code is a good sign that they will be improved again for the next code.

Last year Konami added player cards to the tactics options; while this year they’ve been somewhat buried in the player menu system they added a multiple of options that will whet the appetite of tacticians and strategists. You now have the ability to set different tactics along different time lines within a game using the new feature ‘Edit Manager’. This works with slots of every fifteen minutes being editable with different tactics. So for example you can play possession football with a defensive attitude for the first half but go all out attack for the first fifteen minutes of the second half. You also have three more options to choose from according to different situations in a match. This means you can set your team to play in a certain way according to if you’re winning, trailing or drawing. This feature really will make Master League and online even more interesting and is another step by Konami to mimic real football.

Another criticism of previous instalments was the presentation of the menus in the game because they looked too childish. This year they are looking really nice and seem to have a polish about them that has been majorly lacking in previous years. It reminds me of the Playstation x bar menu in that it scrolls from left to right feeling very slick also looking clean and professional.

Last year’s graphics were pretty special but somehow Konami have gone up another level this year. The player likenesses are outstanding with player looking so much like their real life counterparts again. The big reason for the jump in quality though is the changes to some people’s main gripes in recent years, mainly the level of detail dropping in the wide camera angle and the player models themselves being too rigid and not varied enough from player to player. Thankfully with 2011 these two gripes no longer exist. There seems to be no notably drop in quality when playing in wide cam with kits still retaining their sharpness and no bugs such as players having untucked shirts only when they were on the near touchline like last year. For me, this bug last year made the ability to untuck shirts pretty useless so I’m extremely happy it’s been fixed.

Player models have been improved massively this year as was shown in the earlier trailers with both of the Ronaldo’s. The older one looking like his stocky and slightly overweight real life self while Crisitano Ronaldo looks leaner and more athletic, a nice clear difference which is how it should be rather than the silly wax works of previous years.

One of the first things I noticed last year when I played 2010 was the poor representation of chanting from the crowd. The crowd is much better and it makes Champions League matches come alive with atmosphere. Playing at home with AC Milan against Man Utd you could really hear the Milan chants all the way through the game and they actual sound good this year. Unfortunately the commentary still hasn’t been improved that much and although Jim Beglin replaces the annoying Mark Lawrenson he still sounds as lifeless and clueless., perhaps more is still being added.

Tricks could become a real weapon this year as Konami has decided to add a lot more than previous years. You can do simple tricks like a step over or a drag back with the flick of the right stick. For more fancy moves you have to press L2 plus the right stick. You can now even link four tricks together by storing them to the L1 button although I tried to do this a few times and got tackled every time before I could finish the sequence. Tricks seem like they could be effective (The Boss wrong footed my defenders a few times with the chop trick) but they aren’t easy to pull off every time because you have to time them just right, like in real football. One criticism that people may find with the trick system though is that it seems anyone can do any trick, so even a goalkeeper can perform a rainbow flick.

To help combat the new trick system Konami added a new defence system (in which you press X and the left stick either away or towards a defender to jockey and tackle) that seems like it will become an art to learn rather than mastering it straight away. Numerous times I tried using it to jockey but the attacker had already passed the ball before I got chance to get near him. It did get a little frustrating at times because I just wanted to play the old way and run into him but was trying to master the new system. I think it will be all part of the learning curve in mastering the new PES.

Overall the game has improved from the early code and I’m confident many fans will enjoy this year’s installment. There are a few niggling things like there are with all games such as players not making good off the ball runs sometimes but it’s a huge improvement over last year. I never expected Konami to able to improve the game this much in only a year. I look forward to playing the final code and seeing it improved even more while I also look forward to the fans of the series hopefully feeling they’ve been pleasantly surprised.

Source

 

[Lami]

3.8.2010

PESFan

PES 2011 Preview - Editing Explained...

There have been two significant jewels in the crown throughout the PES series, the much loved Master League and, hand-in-hand with that, the in-depth editing functionality. Over the years they have both developed significantly - particularly editing, which has been helped in a big way by the growth of the online community, allowing PES fans to easily share their hard work with others - and, at present you are never more than a few clicks away from an overwhelming library of Kits, Option Files and Crowd Chants etc, the fruits of hours of painstaking labour.

Despite the massive demand for it - editing on Konami’s football title peaked on the last generation of consoles, allowing kits in particular to be customised to previously unprecedented levels. On PES 5 users could edit chest logos and kit colours, add writing to players’ backs, emblems to shorts, and a variety of other tweaks - but the series and has struggled to reach those dizzy heights recently. The switch to the current gen saw the series’ evolution stripped back to the basics, with PES 6 offering very little in terms of editing - a world away from its predecessor.

PES 2008, 2009 and 2010 all started to right the wrongs created by the generation switch - so what can we expect from 2011? Rumours of “full kit creation”, similar to the system used on the PC version were doing the rounds - which would have been a “tick-all-boxes” solution but unfortunately we’re still not at that level for console users. In fact there hasn’t been much new added in terms of kit creation - at present we can still add chest logos and change the kit markings but the back of the shirt, shorts and socks still remain relatively untouchable, and we still lack the ability to add an outline colour to squad numbers.

Additions and Reinstatements
So what’s changed? Well, firstly let’s cover what’s returned... When it comes to PES, we’re not strangers to being frustrated at the surprise removal of those tiny little things that we don’t notice until they’re taken away from us - so, the 96% of people that voted for its return will be happy to know that the “Base Copy” option has been come back in PES 2011. For those that don’t know - Base Copy allows you to copy the aspects of one player and drop them onto another, for ease of editing.

Also, and somewhat more significantly - “PES Shop” finds its way back to the series in the next PES release - now accessible via the main menu as an option called “Extra Content”. From here you can purchase new hairstyles for use in edit mode - which not only include the “bespoke” hairstyles used by the superstars (Beckham, Messi, Ronaldo etc) but also the stranger items that have been seen in the past. We’ve previously been able to play as penguins, or ride ostriches whilst chasing the ball on the pitch, and though I can’t claim to have seen those options in 2011 I did see pumpkin heads and gladiator helmets which hopefully give us a taste of things to come. And, akin to this - we’ve become used to a variety of different balls, but now the options available for purchase in the PES store include a pillow, a classic brown leather ball, a sweet (in a wrapper), a barrel and even a ball of paper.

Also, gone are the days of playing and replaying the league/cup modes to unlock all players - as Classis Players and Classic Teams can once again be purchased from the Extra Content area. This will no doubt go down well with the completionists - as I’ve often been told of the frustration of having to complete the International Cup with multiple teams to get all players, a process which takes hours of repetitive play.

There is also a hint that DLC will be taken down via the Extra Content section in future - which we haven’t had any info on, other than an option that suggests so. My guess is that we’ll be treated to a selection of both free and paid for items via PSN/Xbox Live (a quick reminder that this build is essentially the finished article - barring all online capabilities, as well as final licensing/kits/rosters and possibly a few game play tweaks).

New options for editing leagues have been introduced - we can now add emblems to a specific to a league/Cup rather than just simply changing its name, and those emblems can be added to players’ sleeves too (left, right or both) much like the “football” logo seen in the Champions League mode. Also, drawing further comparisons with the Champs League - a specific entrance theme can be designated, adding a slight broadcast quality to the intro scenes.

Allied to this - a league/cup name audio file can be specified too. We didn’t test this - but I’m guessing that a short sound bite can be entered for commentary purposes? This would work well with the new intro commentary which now says team names, and even geographical references (“city rivalry” was mentioned in a match between two unlicensed London teams).

Other League based tweaks include the option to specify a particular match ball, and also the ability to edit league structure. We can now move teams from one league to another manually. Also, any editing done in PES 2010 can be imported with the “import prequel data”, which will save time for those that like to put a lot of manual work in.

Stadium Editor
2011’s most publicised editing improvement has been the ‘all new’ Stadium Editor - you now have the potential to create and personalise stadiums, which can added to the teams of your choice. Fancy making a stadium to accompany your Merseyside Blue - well now you can!

Though simplistic at first glance, this could be a bit more of a complex addition than it seems. Essentially, building a stadium just requires the choosing from the following:
• 8 types of “Turf Pattern”
• 8 types of “Layout” (which is basically the outer shape of the pitch)
• 8 types of “Track Image” (choose whether to have a racing track, gravel concrete etc surrounding the pitch)
• 6 types of Stand

Creating the stands has some sub-elements such as choosing seat colour, the design of the managers’ bench (4 options) and the light intensity. Also, as was shown with some old school Konami graphics on the recently released images - the designs can be completed by adding your own artwork for advertising boards and in-stadium banners. Depending on the size of the stands, you have between 4 and 7 elements that can be customised, allowing a lot of potential for personalisation. Finally, the finish of the stands can be chosen; corrugated metal, steel - or even a wooden effect roof for the lower league teams.

Once all that has been put together - it’s time choose the setting for your stadium. You are given the option to specify a background layout, with a variety of both urban and rural backdrops. After that, you can also add a background image, with stock items including city scenes - and a mountain range that looks suspiciously similar to the one seen in the background on the PES 3 intro (a little bit of nostalgia for you).

As with aspects within the stadiums themselves, the backgrounds can be customised even further by adding your own images. Sticking with the aforementioned Merseyside Blue example, uploading a picture of a panoramic view of a relative Merseyside Area could give your stadium the finishing touches that’s needed to bring it to life.

So, what’re your thoughts on what you’ve read? Overall, I’m quite pleased with what I’ve seen, though I must say I was hoping for more. It may just be personal opinion, but I’d have liked to have a greater degree of control when it comes to kit creation - the amount of work that is being put into creating unofficial option files easily warrants the ability to add extra details.

We also have two leagues of fake clubs which can be fully edited and customised to represent any teams of your choice - which is a positive as we can stop teams like Ganzoraccio from entering the Champions League, and also lose the potential for “Player A12” to appear in Master League or Become A Legend by accident. The downside was that it looks like we are limited to editing these teams - I couldn’t find the potential to add any extras.

The stadium editor is a worthwhile addition for those that will embrace it. As mentioned, it seems pretty simplistic - but with a bit of effort, and some outside input (imagery) the potential for stadiums is great. The atmosphere in games will be significantly different and rightly so - after all, the way a match ‘feels’ plays a big part in your enjoyment. A lot of you will be happy to know that you can now play your early cup and division 2 games in stadiums other than the San Siro or the Santiago Bernabeu - PES has been crying out for a good set of minnow stadia for the lesser teams, and now we can add them.

Despite my personal grumbles - Konami have clearly put a lot of effort into PES 2011. We already know that the gameplay has improved tenfold - Fury’s article will confirm that it has only gotten better since the last time we saw it, and I can verify that editing has clearly started to move forward too. The additions and enhancements are all valid - and Stadium Editor will create a new direction for the artwork elite to move in.

I find it strange that full kit editing hasn’t been looked at - what with the distinct visual improvements, advances in creating realistic atmospheres and the broadcast quality camera views, but it’s also these exact things that makes it less of an issue. There has been so much put into 2011, be it a new additions or the return of old favourites, it’s easy to forgive Konami and the fabled Blue Sky Team for not taking editing back to where it was in PES 5 - but, my fingers are still crossed for next year.

Source

 

[Lami]

3.8.2010

Images

Spoiler

Source

 

[Lami]

4.8.2010

WENB

PES2011 Preview Code Playtest Impressions

224 miles. 224 miles was the distance travelled for this PES pilgrimage I took and only a few short hours after a pretty eventful weekend in Germany’s capital Berlin at that. 48 hours later I am happy to say it was worth every millimetre of the distance travelled. I can appreciate that this may sound all rather melodramatic and a proclamation of sorts that the perfect football game awaits us come October, something I am honestly seeking to avoid because no game is that perfect. What I will say is that such is the level of change apparent – in so many key areas – that it is difficult not to find oneself optimistic to this degree regards PES2011….and beyond.

PES2011 is quite simply shaping up to be a very different beast this year. With the most recent of assets having just been released – including 7mins of gameplay footage no less – the fans have now finally got to see the game in action and should by now be a little more familiar with how the game is progressing. What I look to do here is to try and go under the hood with some of the games key elements and how I found them in my rather lengthy time with the game.

PES2011 is indeed very much “Engineered for Freedom” and it is the new passing system that is the core of this philosophy. From the very first kick you notice it, yet getting used to it might take a little longer from user to user as I witnessed in my playtest. Konami have somehow managed to retain each players individuality in the passing game without sacrificing a genuine sense that it is only the users imagination, accuracy and nerve that is the only obstacle to playing the football you want to play. Of course, certain teams/individuals are simply better equipped than others to play a quick, one touch passing game. For example, in playing my first game as Barcelona and then playing in my second as Celtic, the difference was obvious in that Barca not only had the individuals to play in such a way but that it was also the case that they were simply more capable as a unit.

That is not to say I wasn’t able to play some neat stuff with my beloved Celts as well, just that it demanded more from me as I didn’t have the individuals to knock the ball around with quite the same confidence. The key thing about it all though was it was satisfying no matter which team I picked. A short mention should be made of the new L2 and X(or O it would appear) manual passing mechanic. Being one who wanted to see manual passing implemented in this fashion I was keen to try it out and I am happy to say it features very much in the way I hoped it would as it does give the user an on-the-fly option to manually place a pass precisely where they want it yet not without some practice being required on the training ground and also the individual players stats playing there part. I found it particularly useful when looking to perform short, deft little lay-offs.

Dribbling in this years up and coming offering is as satisfying as it has ever been in PES title and is again subject to various factors determining the effectiveness a player has with the ball at his feet. This is none more apparent when playing as Barcelona I was able to twist and turn at pace with the likes of Messi and Iniesta and potentially wreak all sorts of havoc, confusion and downright frustration from my AI(or human) opponent with my quick changes of pace and direction, yet once I had Sergio Busquets in possession it was a different story entirely. It is not that you can’t dribble with a player like Busquets and that the dribbling ability is “can” or ” cannot” in how it is implemented into each and every player, just that, like in real life, players have their strengths and weaknesses which you want them to play to and in PES2011 this is realised in videogame form; I could try and dribble and attempt to skin opponents with a player like Busquets but it just isn’t his game and in trying to take on players with him I would just get frustrated very quickly.

All players are confident enough on the ball (as they bloody well should be as virtual professionals!) it is merely that some players are far more gifted than others in how well the can dribble with it. to Watching Adam play I was able to see the benefits of the R2 stop and dribble as well (something which he is pretty damned good at!) and how this can in fact aid the user in dictating the pace of play. Dribbling in football isn’t just a means to beat an opposition player but it is to used to buy time and space for a killer pass, or even to just to kill the tempo and PES2011 seems to be looking to realise this as best possible in digital form.

Regarding tricks, they are not something that I was actively looking to use such was the beauty to be had with the basic dribbling variants but what I can report is that quick flicks of the right analogue stick WITHOUT pressing the L1 button see your player perform the more familiar body feints and alike that we are used to in the PES series. I also can with some confidence state that those little incidental moments of flair that oft occurred when performing quick yet simple movements with the stick/d-pad in the classic titles have made a fine return. The dribbling system really is very deep overall, not only in terms of control but in it’s implementation into the gameplay. Oh, and the days of the d-pad are surely numbered with this new, multi – layered system in place as finally 360 movement appears to be fully realised. When you do have one of these ’speed stars’ under your control it’s effect it’s presence is only magnified further. This is exactly how it should be. It just feels right.

It is all fair and well having a great passing and dribbling system in place but if the defensive side of the game is not realised in a similar fashion and the balance is not right, then it could break the game. I am delighted to report than in my playtest with this preview build of the game that defending has become an art again and like the passing system and dribbling mechanics comes with it’s own brutal, yet utterly satisfying learning curve.

By now we are all familiar with the depth in theory behind the new multi-tiered system PES2011 looks to boast but experiencing it is something else entirely. The one element of the new defence system I was most happy about was the ability to stand-off the ball carrier whilst not completely conceding too much in the way of space. Performed by pushing the left stick towards your own goal whilst holding X admittedly felt a little jarring at first but it soon became second nature and my understanding of when and when not to use it became more clear, as did the use of second player press.

The physical side of the game once you do finally decide to commit a challenge (something else which requires practice) is equally as satisfying with a lovely variety in collision animations that never seemed to be OTT. There was the odd little glitch now and then after a collision but such things are normal in a preview build but more often than not however, players were quick to regain balance and continue to scrap for the ball. Slide tackles also appear to have been improved greatly with the better defenders in the game able to slide in and win the ball with some authority and class and the satisfying physicality holding firm in these instances as well. As said earlier defending really is an art and I do feel that this will be the one gameplay feature which will separate the great from the good such is it’s potential depth.

As far as shooting goes, PES2011 takes the tried and trusted formula which has always been strong and layers on yet more variety in how players strike the ball and the resultant movement of the ball once it is struck. Think of a system that sits somewhere between PES and FIFA in recent years and you will be some way to visualising how it is implemented in the game. I did score an absolute cracker from distance as Japan against Australia that I rate as one of my finest PES goals ever and this is something I haven’t opined about a PES goal for some time, certainly not in this generation.

R2 finesse strikes are back in as they were in the classic titles with my only minor concern being how effective they were with certain players in certain situations. Thankfully, with a wiser AI and defensive system in place, along with much improved keepers (more on this in a moment) it wasn’t something that surfaced too often. I am sure with further tweaking and refinement of all the key elements this little concern should be all but eradicated come release.

So now is the moment of truth regards what has been PES’ Achilles heel for a few years now. I am of course talking about Goalkeepers…

…Delighted with the progress made. What we have in PES2011 are keepers that don’t contravene the trades description act. They actually are – FINALLY – goalkeepers worthy of the name. They are not absolutely perfected yet (something else I have been informed is still undergoing further improvement) as there were some odd moments apparent from them but none more so than in a real match if I am being honest and it did seem their calamitous moments were technical glitches as opposed to AI induced errors. What I found most heartening though was the athleticism and generally very commanding presence they had. There was one particular save from Lloris that will live long in my memory such was the quality of his reflexes and it did actually remind me of how the keeper has a tendency to perform in real life. I don’t know if I could say with complete authority that keepers have the same sense of individuality as the outfield players in the game but what we look to be getting in PES2011 suggests that reliability from the men between the sticks shouldn’t be a problem.

A quick word on the games technical assets and progress before closing. Firstly the animation is excellent ( I still think the youtube videos do not do it justice) in it’s own right and is very convincing in portraying the reality of the sport. Perhaps not quite FIFA levels of technical merit just yet but it is heading in the direction and the game really doesn’t need to match FIFA blow for blow in this department to be considered excellent in any case. The art has somehow been improved again and is truly marvellous yet oddly it plays very much second fiddle to everything else going on with the game. Motion blur in replays and the level of detail present too is simply stunning with more polish still yet to come.

The one stand out in the presentation of the game is the new panning ‘broadcast authentic’ camera along with the turf in the various stadia present. This really takes PES2011 onto another level entirely in aesthetic quality and this was particularly pronounced just as I was about to kick off in my first game. It really was that immediate and striking.

As my time with this latest preview of the game came to an end, and being well informed as to how much the game has progressed since the E3 demo code experienced by many in mid-July, my mind boggled as to what could await next with Gamescom so desperately close now.

I think what stood out for me most in my time with the game was that this did not feel like a game one year or so in the making but has been vision of Seabass’ and his team for some time, perhaps as far back as 2007 (maybe even beyond) such is the dramatic change apparent in PES2011.

I think the franchise is in very safe hands if this is the case as the quality of the game design and all it’s component parts is very plain to see in PES2011. Roll on October!

Source

 

[Lami]

4.8.2010

All svenskan pes (Caniggia)

I've played the preview code of PES 2011 for the first time (360)

Sunday I was sitting calmly on the porch zipping on a café, enjoying the company of many friends at a big house outside Stockholm when suddenly the phone rang. It was Erik @ Level7. He invited me to come and play PES 2011 the next day at his house. Thanks Erik. Konami could unfortunatly not set me up with a gaming session themselfs altough many times I have asked them to do so, for example they could give me a debug unit so that I could help with promotion in Denmark and South of Sweden where the game almost never gets any publicity. But enough about that *small* problem and more about the actual game.

Erik had the 360 version of the game and it looks like the editing capacity is as good on the 360 now as on PS3. You could for example customize arenas. I also saw that you could import things. Well actually my point of mentioning that we played on 360 is that I usually play on PS3, my only games on 360 is Table Tennis from Rockstar and Sensible world of Soccer from Live Arcade.

Fresh Fresh!
First glance gives you very good looking menus. You can customize the main menu by investing PES points in the returning PES-shop. This gives you an individual feeling to your game. You easily go back and forth through the menus and everything feels smooth. The tactics screen now look a lot like the Football Manager one, and the question is if it would not be more simple to navigate with a mouse in this menu because you are dealing with small dots that mark players. I think Konami has been trying to replicate Greyhounds innovative Wii tactics screen but there it is more natural with the wiimote. It works quite fine anyhow and there is a nice depth when arranging your tactics, for example you can create a gameplan that is split up in intervals, first part you can chose to go on the attack for 10min, then for the next 20 you can chose to lay back and play it safe. This is definently interesting for me personally and I'm looking forward to see how it affects BAL and your coach at the team where you are playing.

First impression when arriving at the scene of the crime
When you start a game the old introscenes show up, they've been tweaked with some minor detail but nothing special. The crowd is present in their old fashion zombie way. Standing still, no movement whatsoever, no colors or flags, no animation, just pure boredom. Queitly you think to yourself, with a starter like that, the rest of the game must be pure fun! AND... when the camera goes from the stadium to the actual players on the field then we think, what a difference. Graphics are sharpened, animations are smooth, let s take this hunny for a ride.

I used to feel stiff but now I feel fine
The feeling of stiffness that were chained to the players in PES 2010 are gone. It is maybe the most pleasure filled feeling about this game to me. You move, your players move. And they do it with change, it does not feel repetitive. What will definently symobolize this years' PES second to animation is the passing. I played the ball around several times with neat passes strung together between three players and made my friend Erik work hard to get the ball. Because of the manual passes and the powerbar, you have to be more focused than ever before, it's your responsability to make every pass arrive where it should, if you put in the wrong power then it is all your fault. I'm very pleased with this about the game and there is no delay whatsoever if you want to play a direct pass.

Through balls and defense
Something my friend Erik spoke about before we started playing was the through balls. He thinks that they will be of greater importance to this game than any of the three latest games. The through balls often landed perfectly in front of the feet were they were sent and so it was very hard for defenders to break a through ball, especially at the last third of the pitch (?). But au contraire to these through balls PES has been improved with a more responsive defense system. Push the button and your player will try to break the ball, no delay, also the collisions are better so you can practicly run into players and feel the physical difference to PES 2010. The game also features much better animations in the tackling department and several times I lounged into british style Dennis Wise/ Roy Keane tackles and got myself a yellow one. Rightly so. But the satisfaction of tackling the crap out of the player was worth it and great animation wise.

How the new cautious defending worked was above me in my short time of trying the game out. I got to get some more hours with the game to try that out.

Referees, skills and goalkeepers
The referees in the game seemed well balanced and even awarded a penalty once, altough still, they do not hand out yellow cards after a foul situation where play has continued.

I also tried out some skills and tricks with LB + analogue, there is a whole bunch of combinations, which makes Street Fighter come to mind. These tricks will probably, after what I saw in this preview version, not be overeffective, but instead we'll have superspeed Messi that turns quicker than any other player in the game.

Taking a shot in the game felt unfamiliar to me, I had troubles with taking shots through my whole session and I balooned it over the bar on several occassions. It felt as the goalies had gotten more animations and my goalie, in several different teams, made supersaves just meters from goal as Erik put the powerbar to max. Sometimes after making a save they put the game on very fast too, with long throw outs. The so called free passing game does not include goal kicks where you still only can pass a short pass to one player or shoot a goal kick that does not change despite how hard you push in the button.

Slowdown and play it cool
The in-game pace this year can be switched between -2 and +2 where 0 is default. The default setting worked perfectly fine for me but I will probably experiment a bit between -1 and 0 to see what suits me best. A not so pacy game can mean a lot to the online game as the response issue has to be considered. Hopefully the pace will be automaticly set between -2 and 0 depending on the connections. The slower pace made you feel like you had more time on the ball in defense, you don't feel so pressured in the building phase which is a good thing considering the constant pressure that has been on in the last three games.

In three games I didn't manage to find the goal once (damn it), I blame it on the fact many things felt new. But no time to cry for lost milk, I'll have a new chance soon. I will be heading south in two weeks to visit Gamescom together with finnish community legend Lazyitis. You can watch our Gamescom PES 2010 video from last year here.

Disturbing camera on 360
The cameraman (only in the 360 version, appearantly) seems to have had a beer too many before coming to work. The camera does not follow very well when you steal the ball and counter. It takes way too long time to get a good view on the pitch and we were playing in wide cam. This was maybe the biggest dissapointment, how can Konami send out a version for the journalists that works like this. It should be an easy fix though, but it is quite embarrasing if the versions differ like this.

Some additions and plus and minuses
Other news include about 40 new licensed copa libertadores teams. Great work. And also included is a stadium creator/editor, it's a nice addition and will give the fans an option to create stadiums for their option files. Expect the option files to become bigger than ever this year.

+ Animations linked together delightfully
+ Passing and the feeling of freedom
+ Slower building phase
+ Better physical contact
+ The tactics

- Still that funeral feeling at the otherwise good looking arenas, no confetti, no supporter movement, the visual athmosphere is not fulfilling.
- The camera (360)
- Set pieces feel boring, it does not feel like you have enough alternatives (can't take away people from the wall, can't hit a manual pass)
- The computer still clears the ball automaticly

+/- Lots of tricks. Not everyone can do them depending on skills.

At the end of the rainbow
This is of course the best game of PES next-gen has ever seen (PS3/PC/360). Would be weird if any of the last three next-gen games would have been better. The game finds its' way back to the passing feeling of the old games, so does the animations which are varied and have a good flow. The graphics become a little sharper, editing freaks like myself can delve even further into replicating our teams and their home arenas and with lots of teams to overwrite it will be an exciting year for the communities.

What is missing is a visually present crowd who provides an atmosphere. What I think the PES community want is a feeling of either playing home or away and seeing it visually in the arena. Even a derby feeling every match would be fun. I mean I want that pulsating feeling to be present in every game I play with my mates. I loved that camera that for example was behind the crowd and you could see their hands and arms waving as the goalscorer celebrated. That created a great feeling even though it was only in black.

That sums it up for me, I look forward to playing the game soon at Gamescom!

Source

 

[Lami]

7.8.2010

WENB

Dribbling & Defending In PES 2011


In my 100+ hours of playing the game, the first 5 hours was the most brutal. The learning curve of playing PES 2011 is a steep one, and something that will require great patience. Playing this years game the same as PES 2010, or any before it, will result in complete failure, as PES 2011 is on a different planet.

The two biggest elements of the game that will require re-learning (besides passing) will be dribbling and defending. Check out a brief explanation of both after the jump.


Defending In PES 2011
When Seabass detailed that the defensive nature of PES was getting an overhaul, I should have been much more wary when trying to tackle when playing PES 2011 for the first time. Without question, almost without thinking, you will start playing PES the same way as you always have done. Especially for the guys who have been into the series for so long.

Not since PES3 have I felt a need to change the way I play, and further more not since PES5 have I felt the need to learn to defend. PES 2011 brings in this new 3-way defending system, and the quicker you realise it’s there for a reason, the faster you’ll understand this side of the game. Playing the same as always, you’ll soon find opposing players walking past you despite your best efforts. This had me thinking more than once that the defence system was broken/buggy.

This was amplified when, playing as Milan vs Barca, players like Iniesta and Messi were almost impossible to dispossess. Wave after wave of attacks, I came out of the game lucky to lose just 3-0. Deciding to then play as Barca against Sevilla, I realised this air of invincibility could be felt by all, not just the CPU. After being able to avoid tackles and escape challenges, it hit me. This is real life football.

I sat the controller down, and started to think about it all. How would you, if you were a manager of an average team, play against the likes of Barcelona? Containment. Look back at Inter Milan’s performance at the Camp Nou in this year’s semi-final, and you get what I mean. It’s not a case of tackling the player, but more limiting their influence and ability to get past you.

This is PES 2011.

First off, let’s talk about this new defensive system, and just how it needs to be used to work in the game. First of all we have holding X and pushing the stick back towards your own goal. It’s a key feature against the very skilful and quick players in the game. The ability to avoid challenges with intricate precision is available to every player with decent technique, meaning rushing in will be punished, so this manoeuvre becomes very key when playing. Accompanying this with Square to bring a teammate over works very well.

The second defence manoeuvre is called tracking, and is done by just holding X. Now here’s the big change that takes the most time getting used to: holding X does not tackle! That’s right, all this does now is track the player closely, without committing to a challenge, or even committing to try and intercept a pass or dribbling path.

The final manoeuvre is actually tackling and committing, and that’s done by holding X and pushing the stick towards the opposition player in possession of the ball. This is the key point to fully comprehend and understand. And while all are easy to take in, all 3 take hours of practice to master.

When you think about it, this new system is pure genius, and brings out this core simulation aspect PES has been missing for so long. The complexity isn’t rocket science, but the implementation is done in such a way that so much of real football is represented in the game. No matter how good you are as a gamer, people like Messi and Iniesta will be able to walk past you if you dive in without any thought – as they would in real life. Sure the better defenders are able to combat lesser attackers, individuality will always be king in PES, but players with high technique and dribbling stats will always be able to make room for themselves. It’s up to you to limit that room to less damaging areas of the pitch.


Dribbling In PES 2011
Like to shout it out loud and clear, PES 2011 has 360 degree dribbling in the game. And it’s been implemented exactly the way everyone would expect it to in a PES game. Each intricate movement is key, and is influential into what happens on the pitch.

One of the key reasons I feel Seabass did bring in this new defensive system is down to the new dribbling system and freedom for movement for the highly skilled players. He has always wanted every players strengths and abilities to shine through, and for this a lot of work has gone into dribbling with high technique players.

Iniesta and Messi have a fantastic feeling when in possession of the ball, keeping the ball close and being able to move into any direction in an instant. Even when faced with a number of defenders around you, the ability to manoeuvre in between them is possible, if they all commit to try and tackle you. If they don’t, the ability to move away from danger and find a team mate with a pass is always an option.

This ability at first made the game’s defensive side feel broken, as trying to rush in and muscle the player off the ball (ala FIFA) is impossible to do if they are in full control of the ball. The idea is to back off until an excessive movement is made to beat you, giving you the opportunity to tackle. Again, just like real life.

This new dribbling representation is more about technique, rather than dribbling accuracy, so even the slower classy midfielders can avoid congested areas and pressure by turning quickly away and spraying a pass.

It was fully understanding dribbling that actual made me get defending in the game, respecting a high technique player is key to learning in how to dribbling, and how to defend against them.

Source

 

[Lami]

7.8.2010

Prorevo (Google Translated)

PES2011 Stadium List & PES-Shop (Extra Content)

We are just for you in Frankfurt and can relax on the rooftop test in glorious conditions with the best PES players in Germany to the latest code from Pro Evolution Soccer 2011th are extensive impressions of the players then we will soon read.

At this point, there are two real treat, we are able to present PES and the entire world exclusive:


1) Current list of PES 2011 Stadiums - 19 Stadiums

* Old Trafford
* Wembley
* Rose Park
* Mary Bristol
* Camp Nou
* Santiago Bernabeu
* Nuevo Estadio del Triunfo
* Stade Louis II
* Stade de Sagittaire
* San Siro
* Giuseppe Meazza
* Stadio Olimpico
* Stadio Orione
* Estadio de Dragao
* Estadio Jose Alvalade
* Estadio da Luz
* Amsterdam
* Ville Marie
* Konami Stadium

2) List of the extra content (unlockable features in the PES Shop)

* Various hairstyles (including Funstuff how different hats, pumpkin, knights, Moai, etc)
* Various gaming machines (how far one other game physics is connected, we were able to test yet): pillows, leather ball from '54, candy, paper ball, and beer keg
* Mode extension packages (4x for 'Become a Legend' mode 2x for the' Master League ')
* 3 additional menu backgrounds with Lionel Messi
* 7 Classic teams (England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Argentina and Brazil)
* 40 packages with Classic players

Source

 

[Lami]

8.8.2010

WENB

BAL In PES 2011

It’s not a game mode I myself have focused on in the past, and not one I’ve enjoyed playing in recent times. PES 2010’s crippling response times, and punishing animations for the less skilled players made such a mode a chore playing at the start. I never had the patience with it, and therefore missed out on a mode many spend most of their time on in PES.

After the jump I delve into the first part of my career, and let you know just why many could find this to be a hidden gem in the game modes this year.

Starting off, creating your player and starting your career is the same as last year. Which at first is bad, mainly because the face import feature is still primitive. Using a picture of myself, importing it to use showed the same editing limits as last years option – a small section of the face to import, and no option to add facial hair. Sort it out Konami! Once I’d fought that process, and dress my virtual me as the football gods intended, I was ready to delve into my actual career.

First up, it’s about choosing you position, and fans will be happy to know every position is available to you, apart from keeper. The choices are:

CF – Prolific Goal scorer
SS – A withdrawn forward who plays off the Centre Forward
WF – Creates chance out wide by beating opposition side backs
AMF – Conducts the attack from an advanced position
SMF – Players looking to attack from out wide
CMF – An all round midfielder who provides both defensive and attacking prowess
WB – A variation of the side back with a more offensive role
DMF – Sits deep in midfield, protecting the back line
SB – Defends the wide areas, whiles also providing width in attack
CB – Centrally positioned defenders, who guards the 18 yards box
SW – The teams last line of defense

I decided to go as a SS, as I’m usually wanting to play centre mid and be involved with all play. This time though, I thought I’d try and grab some goals, and have more of a chance of influencing things further up the pitch.

The next screen ask you to choose what type of player you want to become. Choices are:

All rounder
Create a well balanced all round player

The Finisher
Create a clinical finisher

Creative midfielder
Create a good passer

Dribbling
Create a skilful dribbler

Shooting star
Create a pacey speedster

Heavy tank
Create a strong powerful player

Human dynamo
Create a tenacious battler

Wanting to make the most out of the dribbling in the game, I chose dribbler.

The final choice you make regarding your player is using 14 slots to fill up a bar that builds up areas in your skill-set, allowing you to determine what you want to prioritise on. These are called focus points. The choices are:

Shot
Pass
Defense
Dribbling
Power
Speed
Stamina

Each one has 5 slots, but I spread them out evenly at first, and used the rest on dribbling and power. The game then calculates this and accumulates stats for your BAL player. I came out as an overall 60 rated player, with my highest stats being dribbling accuracy and speed, both being 81 and 80 respectively.

Now the big change from last year straight away is the fact there’s no training match, you go straight into contract discussions with clubs. You have 6 choices, all with their pros and cons. As you would expect, all the teams are mid level, with stand out names being Cagliari from Serie A, and Wigan Athletic from the EPL. In the end though I signed for a team in the fake PES League, mainly because of the percentage of playing time being higher.

When you go through each contract, the yearly wage is the same (mine was 37, 037 euros for a 2 year contract), but the intricacies differ immensely. So as I mentioned, you get a percentage score of how much playing time you will get. 5 of the teams stated 10%, while the fake team (called Blookrows) said 43%. You also get a list of their playing style (most say quick counter attack) and also what competition they are in, i.e. Champions League or Europa Cup. Once I signed that contract it was time to start playing!

When you see the main BAL menu screen, it’s reminiscent of the new ML screen, with an ever changing main screen depending on whats going on in the week, plus a scrolling bar at the bottom to go through choices. I checked the schedule, and realised we had 2 friendly games before the season started. Without delving too far into it, I went straight into the game option.

As you’ve seen from the BAL screens showing the whiteboard and manager, that’s the first thing you see once you start the game, as the manager talks to you very quickly about what he wants you to do. Seeing the formation screen, I was being played as a right winger, and told to get the ball to our star man on the left wing. Once this cut scene ends you’re thrown straight into the game.

Now before I go on, I want to say I changed the game camera to wide cam, as I’m not a fan of the BAL cam. For those who do play in that cam though, there is a new feature. By holding L2, you can move the camera wherever you want to, giving you some of the peripheral vision most of the single player modes lack.

There’s also a new addition that I welcome for the game mode, and that’s telling your players to press the opposition. Like in the normal mode, pressing square allows you to bring in a second player to press. Pressing square in BAL makes the player closest to ball press the opposition, which allays any frustrations when you don’t have the ball.

Onto the game then, and from the get go the new engine makes this mode ever so playable. The responsiveness, together with the new freedom of passing makes even playing as a low skilled youngster very enjoyable, with any frustration of the previous game gone within moments of playing as your BAL player. The coach instructions also adds a layer to the game that’s been severely lacking thus far, giving you a clear way of playing as soon as you receive possession. And it’s not easy, I can tell you. Receiving the ball on the opposite wing to my target, you have the choice of playing a short pass to keep the ball, or try that hollywood ball in the hope of it finding your target. Due to my dribbling skills, keeping the ball was much easier than before, so working infield to fire off a pass was my main battle plan, and worked a treat.

Throughout the game, depending on the outcome and if a goal is scored from either side, the coach will continually change tactics and instructions, which again keeps things fresh and your position and role ever changing. Adapting to any role given will be key to your success.

There’s been many questions about the AI, and for me it’s never been an issue in my short time with the game (around 10 games into the season). With my team not being very good, their ability to pass you the ball when requested, and even create chances and stop the opposition seems to be adequate for a team of that level. Being able to be a key member in the team is hugely satisfying, finding yourself being the core of what’s good gives you a feeling of satisfaction. Coupled with that, it’s also noticed.

After each match you’re given a score, and the manager will tell you how well you’ve done. If you’ve nailed it, he’ll say something like “did not much wrong, well done”. There will also be a side note, again talking about aspects of your performance. Naturally, being fresh faced to BAL, the desire to run around and get stuck in to help win the ball took over commonsense for me. After a busy performance the manager said “did great work defensively, did well to help out the team”. A nice touch, but perhaps not something you would want to see if you’re an aspiring second striker!

After 4 games, my hard work paid off. 4 straight 7.5 ratings, and only one match where I was subbed, I had a real ‘punch fist in air’ moment. Before the match the manager went through his pre-match talk, only for me then to realise I was the main man! So, rather than being told to pick out someone, the entire team was told to pick me out at every opportunity! My only instruction was then to make sure I was always in space to receive the ball.

As the match kicked off, I knew it was going to be my most enjoyable, as players instantly were trying to get the ball to me – with me never having to call for the ball once! Despite being very early in my career, this made me feel like a superstar in a small club, and gave you the feeling of an important player in the team for the first time. Sure enough, with all the opportunities being carved up for me, I scored my first goal as a pro, and leaped out of my seat as it hit the net. A true sense of achievement!

After the game, which I did end up getting subbed off, the manager said “great goal, you did well!”. Well chuffed! Since that game, I’ve been center of attention since, and so far am building up my player through these focus points after each week. This seems to be the only weakness in the mode, as I’d like to see my stats being built up naturally, rather than me having to keep allotting them. It doesn’t seem to be effecting my stats yet too, as I still haven’t budged from being overall 60. Here’s hoping this comes into effect in January, or after the season ends.

Source

 

[Lami]

13.8.2010

YouTube - PES 2011 Interview with Shingo "Seabass" Takatsuka

 

[Lami]

18.8.2010

PES 2011 Gamescom Videos

ProrevoTV

YouTube - PES 2011 gamescom - Trailer [HD] *brandnew*

YouTube - PES 2011 gameplay live from gamescom #1

YouTube - PES 2011 gameplay live from gamescom #2

YouTube - PES 2011 gameplay live from gamescom #3

YouTube - PES 2011 gameplay live from gamescom #4

YouTube - PES 2011 gameplay live from gamescom #5

YouTube - PES 2011 gameplay live from gamescom #6

 

[Lami]

18.8.2010

WENB

Game released 30th September EU/October 8th UK!

 

[Lami]

18.8.2010

Prorevo

PES 2011 Box Art

Spoiler