Pro Evo 2011 Details Unveiled

Coming at quite an unexpected time, Konami have issued a press release about the latest game in their hugely popular football franchise – Pro Evolution Soccer.

Pro Evo 2011 will undergo many changes from that of last year, and some that seem quite fundamental to the core gameplay mechanics. The most notable of which seems to be the expansion of power bars, meaning your passes will no longer be semi-dependant on AI; you will be in total control on both power and also placement. The stamina meter will also play a bigger part, not only will it monitor the tiredness and fatigue of your players, but also determine how they play their next pass and even how much energy they have left to pull-off a shot on goal.

The press release reads:

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.

Physicality is something that has always been lacking from the series, and Fifa has been far and away the better game in that sense for a while now. However, Konami have vowed to put that right and promised we’ll see players jostling for the ball a lot more this year. So now winning a ball one-on-one, or finding space from a set-piece will become a lot tougher and a draw closer to realism than ever before.

The graphical aspects that go along with this new found physicality will also be present, with 1000 new animations from over 100 hours of motion capture footage to be included. This will help to stave off repetitiveness, especially for those who are tired of seeing the same tackles, met by the same reactions from players, and have to witness the same exact outcome from the referee.

Dribbling and ball control will also be far tougher to execute and should cut-out a lot of the mazing runs through defences that are seen most predominantly in online play. This should see a shift from the current Barcelona (Messi) and Real Madrid (Ronaldo) duopoly that currently resides, to a more widespread team selection.

The press release reads:

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.

Finally, towards the end of their press release they talk about Master League being made available online. A much needed addition that was vital if they were to compete with EA this year. Fifa 10’s online modes and features far out weight and outshine that of their closest rivals and it was about time Konami stepped up.

The press release reads:

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.

This all sounds well and good, covering all the main gripes fans seem to have with the series, but let’s hope they can deliver on these promises. The gameplay improvements sound like a dream come true and if they can pull it off should make for a better and more challenging experience all around, and one that would test the skills of even the most hardened PES players.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 from Konami is set to be released around October/November this year on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, PSP, PlayStation 2, PC, and possibly iPhone.

Craig Bryan, NoobFeed