Pro Evolution Soccer
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Pro Evolution Soccer (known in Japan as Winning Eleven) is a football computer and video game series developed by Konami (KCET). The Pro Evolution Soccer series has been consistently praised as the most realistic and accurate football simulation currently available for computer or console.
History and overview
Origins and previous releases
PES was not originally a PlayStation spin-off from Konami's International Superstar Soccer but a spin off from the game Soccer Star Professional for the SNES, the first game in the series was entitled Goalstorm in the PAL territory, and laid the groundwork for what would become one of gaming's most revered franchises. Also there was another SNES game, called International Superstar Soccer Deluxe, with much improved commentary and attacking football; as compared to the first ISS game. ISS Pro (based on Winning Eleven 2) was released in 1997, and marked the birth of the series as we know it, and was followed by ISS Pro 98 in 1998, ISS Pro Evolution in 1999 and ISS Pro Evolution 2 in 2000.In the same year, Japanese PlayStation 2 owners saw Winning Eleven 5 released, the first in the series for the new Sony Console. Winning Eleven finally lost the inaccurate 'ISS' moniker in Europe with its PS2 debut, and the now familiar Pro Evolution Soccer names was born.
2002 saw the top-selling Pro Evolution Soccer 2 released, which was based on Winning Eleven 6. For the first time, a Winning Eleven title was also released in North America, dropping the previous ESPN and MLS licenses.
Although the series dominated the PlayStation 2 scene and has been given more praise over competitors FIFA and This Is Football. PES4, for example, was given a '10/10 rating by PlayStation 2: Official Magazine UK while FIFA 2005 and TIF 2005 scored 8/10 and 6/10 respectively. It was not released on other platforms, with the exception of Winning Eleven 6: Final Evolution (Nintendo GameCube). When Winning Eleven 7 was released, Konami announced that the upcoming Pro Evolution Soccer 3 was also set to be released on the PC, featuring Italian superstar referee Pierluigi Collina on the cover.
The PC version of Pro Evolution Soccer 3, however, required a high-end system to run. While the CPU and RAM requirements (800 MHz, 128MB RAM) were modest, the game did not run well on common graphics cards such as the Geforce MX. FIFA, on the other hand, performed well. PES3 also lacked on-line game modes, which would later appear in PES4 or WE8. PES3 focused on better dribble control and added three licensed leagues (Italy, Netherlands and Spain).
Present status
The latest version, Pro Evolution Soccer 5, was released in October 2005 on PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. This was followed shortly by the release of the PSP version, a debut for Sony's portable system. The changes were focused on gameplay with a slower but more realistic game pace.
Special Features
There are number of special features in Pro Evolution 5 which may go unnoticed by players.
- When you win competitions (such as the league) you recieve stars over your badge representing the number of times you have won the competition.
- Defending players can 'shepherd' the ball out of play by pressing R2 and L2 and moving towards the attacking player; this obstructs the other player and lets the ball run out of play.
- Up to three different formations can be used during play; the default formation and Formation A and B which can be selected during play by allocating them to a strategy button. For example if you are playing as Arsenal you used the formation used in the 2005-2006 champions league. By setting up the default formation as 4-5-1, and Formation A as 4-1-3-2 so that the midfield is packed when not in possession but also that as soon as the team is attacking that the midfield players quickly move to support the striker.
- Picking young players and putting them into the first team leads to fast development but only in Master League games; playing developing players in cup games gives 3 points to each statistic. For a player to pick up any points from a match they must be on the field for at least 12 minutes.
- Top scorers and assists includes goals scored in pre-season friendlies and cup games.
- Older players will only retain their stats if their growth chart does not have a steep decline for the end of their careers and if they are played regularly.
- Certain stats such as player agility and mentality cannot be improved by player development
- More experienced players find that after a few months more challenges are required these are provided by the game but also there are 'unofficial challenges' to help further the longevity of the game. Completing the challenge training is the first step, and in particular completing the chart.
- The unofficial challenges are; completing a Master League season without losing match and then completing the season without drawing a match. Another challenge is trying to score an average of 3 or 4 goals a game on 6 stars, or alternatively trying to score an overall goal difference of 120. The most difficult challenge, rarely completed even by Pro Evolution enthusiasts is going a whole season without conceding a goal on 6 stars. Given the steep learning curve and the need with each game to relearn the game engine these challenges usually satisfy most gamers until the next instalment.
- All of the Master League default players/growth players are actually the names of famous people from history. For example, Huygens the famous physicist, or Maupassant the French author
Future games
Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and the series' producer Shingo "Seabass" Takatsuka are now focusing their efforts on the next generation of game systems, the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. There is also a Nintendo DS version on the way to further enhance Pro Evolution Soccer and Winning Eleven.Konami have somewhat sensibly resisted the urge for a Winning Eleven: Eleven and instead opted for what has to be one of the longest sports title names this year - Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007. The recent announcements made at E3 will see this new title appear on the next generation of games consoles. For the first time, the Xbox 360 will inherit the Pro-Evo legacy, with a Playstation 3 version also pencilled in for early 2007.
In October 2006, Pro Evolution Soccer 6 will be released on PS2 and PSP. A slight criticism of the previous version was that the game was too unforgiving and so suppressed fluid attacking football. PES6 promises to 'embrace the beautiful game' with more tricks and an overall more attacking mentality, with players encouraged to take people on. More licensed teams are promised, along with new boots, hairstyles and an improved Master League. The official England national team strip will be included for the first time.
- Five new international teams will be introduced. They are rumored to be Angola, Ghana, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago and one other, possibly Egypt, Honduras, Jamaica, Israel or Bahrain, all high(ish) ranking countries that could in theory be the fifth country should the four others be the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers omitted previously.[[Citing sources citation needed]]
- Ivory Coast currently reside on Pro Evolution Soccer 5 in the native French form 'Cote d'Ivoire', as to respect native Ivorian law of not translating the country's name from French.
Screenshot gallery
Konami (1995) Image:ISSscreen2.jpg|International Superstar Soccer (SNES)
Konami (1995) Image:ISSProEvoscreen1.jpg|ISS Pro Evolution (PlayStation)
Konami (1999) Image:PES5screen1.jpg|Pro Evolution Soccer 5 (PlayStation 2)
Konami (2005) Image:PES5screen2.jpg|Pro Evolution Soccer 5 (PSP)
Konami (2005)
External links
- [Pro Evolution Soccer 4 & 5 goal gallery]
- [Official Pro Evolution Soccer 5 website (Konami)]
- [PES Rankings (Konami)]
- [Pro Evolution Soccer] at MobyGames
- [Pro Evolution Soccer 5 Patches]
- [Pro Evolution Soccer [PC] Review] at BytePress.com
Communities and fansites
- [Super League] - A Pro Evolution Soccer site that allows people to create their own online leagues.
- [Back Of The Net - Free PES5 leagues, tournaments and match making service for XBOX Live]
- [ISSExtreme] - One of the earliest PES sites, still going now with a quality forum and goal gallery.
- [PESFan]
- [WEvolution]
- [PESInsight] - Contains messages boards and information on both Pro Evolution Soccer and Winning Eleven.
- [Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007] - Info and screens from the latest game.
- [Evo Web] - Online forum dedicated to Pro Evolution Soccer and Winning Eleven.
- [PES.COM.PT] - Portuguese fansite with an active forum, dedicated to organizing PES tournaments as well as editing the game.
- [evo-league.com] - An online league open for PES and WE players from all over the world.
- [PES stats other information of players and teams]
- [PES and WE Greek community. Patches, discussion and news about the game. Tournaments and Goal of the month competitions as well.]
- [Socceraccess] - First website to edit 3D Structures for Pro Evolution Soccer Series (Stadiums and Faces)
- [PESCup] - Danish annual tournament since 2002
- [The Australian Premier League (APL)] - The largest and only PES online league competition based in Australia since 2005
Notes
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