Pro Evo 2011 - Demo Preview

It’s been just over two weeks now since PlayStation Plus users were able to dabble with the demo of this years’ Pro Evolution Soccer, and just over one since its wider release. In this time I’ve played a fair few matches, and by that I mean close to a hundred, which is a number that has surprised me quite a bit. Not in the sense that it’s a bad game, but because the learning curve is rather steep.

When I first loaded the demo I was intitially very impressed, as I was met with nice crisp menus that could get me into a match quicker than ever before, if I so wished. I was curious to have a look around though, and choosing Barcelona, who were one of the four teams on offer – the others being Bayern Munich, Chivas de Guadalajara and Internacional – I headed to game plan where things had clearly seen a change.

Those who love to tinker with their team to the Nth degree will be in their element here, with more options than ever, whilst those who aren’t familiar with the setup or could simply care less can manipulate basic attacking, defensive or balanced teams aided by automatic settings. Then it’s just a case of picking your starting line-up via a simple drag and drop system that points you in the general direction of who goes where.

                             
                                                                The new look game plan screen

Starting the match the entrance scenes are what you’ve come to expect from the series and offer little in terms of a makeover, and the first real difference comes when the camera zooms out and you’re offered a new camera angle that sits a little further from the action than those of previous iterations. You’ll also quickly notice that when the action heads toward either goal the camera simply tilts on a pivot, similar to how it’s watched on television and provides a new challenge in itself. This takes a little getting used to, especially when attacking in and around the box as you’re tackling it from an entirely different perspective. Shots that you believe to be on target are suddenly drifting out into the stands, and that celebratory fist pump suddenly becomes a look of shame.

When you do finally get the ball into the back of the net it doesn’t feel as great as it perhaps should, I don’t know if it’s because the demo doesn’t come with commentary, but that sense of elation isn’t quite there. Shots feel floaty, which doesn’t help. In most other scenarios its fine, but when shooting the ball definitely needs a little more weight about it. Other than that the shooting is pretty well implemented and the balance between one-on-one side foots, well-placed headers and long-distance screamers provide ample variety. Free-kicks are also easier to score now, but not so easy that you’ll be banging them in every five minutes. It’s definitely something that takes time to refine.

                             
                                                                           Let battle commence!

Perhaps the biggest new addition to this years’ game is the new freedom passing system that allows you to hit almost any blade of grass on the pitch, with practise of course. You really are given the freedom to do anything you want, given the right set of circumstances and the right player. Xavi for example, is much more likely to hit a 60-yard cross field ball than the likes of Mascherano. However, the new system is definitely an art, and at first you’ll probably struggle to pass to players in your close vicinity. It’s all about judging the power and placement every time the ball leaves your feet, and eradicates lazy pushes of the pass button in the hopes of finding the nearest player. It also forces you somewhat to use the analogue stick to take advantage of its full capabilities, and for a D-pad veteran such as myself that took a little getting used to.

The only concern I do have with the passing is crosses, and early indications point to this being a rather large problem both in online and offline play. Almost every time you get the ball wide to your winger or full back and send a cross into the box it sails straight for your attackers head or chest, and leads to some pretty easy chances. If they’re going to make every other aspect of the passing system a skill then this surely needed to be bundled along with it, otherwise it promotes the same default cross ball and headed or knocked down goal time after time. I can already envisage online players cringing as they face yet another Barcelona player who gets the ball wide to Messi and sends in a barrage of crosses from start to finish.

On the flip side of the coin the defending is much improved and allows for more ways to stop the opposition. Gone are tireless runs through your defence, where the attacker gets passed a man and holds them off until a shot is fired on goal. There are now varying degrees of pressure one can impose on players in order to take the ball, and shrugging them off the ball with strength is as big a part of winning back possession as making a tackle is. There’s also the option to stand off an opponent until a better opportunity arises where you can make an interception, or waste enough time for a team mate to help out.

These thing’s may seem small, but they all add up to create what is a much bigger arsenal for the team on the back foot, and much like passing, it is now a tougher skill to become an accomplished defender. Meaning that if someone breaks free of your defence, or out-muscles you to head home a corner, it’s much more likely to be human error than the limitations of what you are able to do.

                             
                                                                Messi lining up a well-placed cross

Sadly the referees are still pretty awful. They’re a lot stricter than they were in 2010 but still don’t understand the meaning of the ‘play on’ rule. Time after time they blow their whistle for the most mundane of challenges, even if you’re through on goal, and then the majority of the time you’re faced with a pointless replay of the incident. It’s a shame because it stops what is a well-paced game from flowing as freely as it should, and somewhat encourages the hacking of players when in dangerous positions.

The AI is a bit hit and miss. Defensively they’re generally pretty solid, but just like a true representation of football are prone to the odd mistake. In attack however I have known them to do some strange thing’s to say the least, such as turn away from goal and pass backwards when through in a one-on-one situation. The keepers are also a little schizophrenic, wandering around lost at times and parrying the ball when it’s clearly not a sensible option. Then they’ll proceed to pull out a succession of world class aerial saves reminiscent of an Olympic gymnast.

Graphically the game doesn’t do much to push on from last year, except with it’s animations, which have seen a major overhaul. This was paramount if they were ever going to compete on a level footing with Fifa, and with over 1000 new animations added - although that includes goal celebrations – they’ve certainly gone some way to doing that. Players don’t seem as stiff when moving around the pitch and the overall play ebbs and flows a lot more naturally. The replays also look better than ever, although they’ve overdone it with the blur effects a touch.

The audio is fine, but there hasn’t been much change here. The crowds are a little more vocal, but that is half helped by the lack of commentary. One nice addition is the clear sound of booing from the home fans when their players are up-ended from a bad tackle or if they concede a goal, making it a little more relevant whose playing at home.

                             
                                                     The Copa Libertadores, a new addition this year

Each game concludes with a bizarre seven-minute video showcasing what the game has to offer, but surely that is the sole purpose of the demo. It also can’t be skipped, which is infuriating to say the least, and quitting the game and reloading tends to be the quicker option if another game is desired. Absolutely perplexing.

All-in-all I’d say try the demo if you’re still unsure of what game to get this year, but only if you’re willing to persevere and spend the time with it needed to appreciate what the game has to offer. Much like anything in life, if you put the time in you’ll ultimately be rewarded; in this case, with a game that offers superb replayability and some of that old PES magic. Of course it’s not without its problems and hopefully these will be addressed in the final code, or at a push, in the form of an early patch, but these are bearable for the time-being.

The full retail version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is released September 30 in Europe, with the United Kingdom getting it October 8. There is currently no date set for North America, but that should change in the coming weeks. The game will be out for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and PC.

Craig Bryan, NoobFeed