Well i decided to finally make the first of my many to come reviews and being one my favorite games i will start with the new P.E.S. 2008.
Every game has its weaknesses, and PES has its share, but comparing it to the competition (FIFA Soccer 08) we have a clear winner. I know FIFA has really great graphics on the Xbox 360 but that’s beside the point, we’re talking PC here!
PES started from nowhere a few years ago (2001 I believe) and it just kept growing and growing until present day.
But what does it got to offer? Well let’s see…
Graphics have been worked on, textures are crisper and at higher resolutions, characters look more alike to real players. The face of your players is really expressive and you will see happiness or sorrow in their eyes when they score or when their team gets beaten.
Facial animations and animations in general have been improved. New dribble techniques have been added, diving and shirt pulling are also present now. It’s always been my opinion that in a computer game that tries to reproduce a real life game, what matters the most for players is the realism. I think the developers have to focus on really appealing graphics, animations and physics in order to satisfy the target gamers. And sounds come very near in second place of course. I think EA forgot that aspect a bit in FIFA 08 for the PC while they were busy signing licensing contracts for various leagues…
It’s always been my opinion that in a computer game that tries to reproduce a real life game, what matters the most for players is the realism. I think the developers have to focus on really appealing graphics, animations and physics in order to satisfy the target gamers. And sounds come very near in second place of course. I think EA forgot that aspect a bit in FIFA 08 for the PC while they were busy signing licensing contracts for various leagues…
Speaking of cool things, you can scan your face with the help of your webcam and have it imported into the game. I haven’t tried it because I can’t be asked to install my webcam but I assume it’s a nice experience to be *THE* one who scores and gets multi-million dollar contracts.
Without shocking too much or being something spectacular and unseen before, the audio commentary is superior to everything else on the market - again. It’s like the computer commentators know when to raise their voice or keep it lowered. Most of the times at least. Same thing can be said about the crowd. And you can actually hear it sing and boo along with the occasional cheers as well. They keep up with the game and give it a plus to the general atmosphere and feeling.
Teamvision is the new adaptive AI developed by Konami that can, as the name suggests, adapt to your playstyle and cover any breach in defense next time you try the same tactics against the computer. I really don’t know how smart the computer is and how it learns, but I do know that you cannot for example pass opposing player without doing some dribbles, even on the easiest of difficulties. Again, PES 08 does better than its competition.
An interesting trick is the replay interface that can be used to edit and customize your own replay of a goal or game moment. Zoom in to focus on the ball, zoom out for a more strategic view, or change cameras to get a clearer image of the action. And it all looks good on all the angles. Even the spectators look decent and not some dumb-animated low-res bitmap image.
And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. You know… the other page 2 stuff that nobody ever reads…
15 stadiums are available for the PC version of Pro Evolution Soccer 08. The weather conditions can be random but can be fully customized. Same goes for the ball 
Either rain or shine, night or day, the hair has volume and the matches look good.
Play modes are exactly what you could expect from such a game:
Training: a mode where you can just position your ball relative to the net and start building an offensive action from there (or a free kick if you like);
Exibition Match: Quick start, pick a pre-defined team and just play to see what the game is all about. Everything can be on random, or you can customize your match in detail.
Cup: Pick your favorite team and your cup to fight for. Then be the best and win that trophy.
League: Again, pick your favorite team and participate in a league for a season.
Master League: Where you play some sort of a team manager. You handle player transfers, salary and schedule matches, choose where and against whom to play, and so on…
Customize, customize, customize… And then customize some more…
Each individual player is customizable in almost every way. Clothes, name, number, hairstyle, height are just a few things you can change to make your player look exactly as you want him to look.
The same applies for a team. You can even edit the stadium names. PES 08 offers a complete way to tune and tweak every aspect of the game if you are willing to spend the time.
59 music tracks complement the sounds of the game. The songs are taken from many varied genres, and I dare to say they have the potential to appeal more to soccer fans that the soundtracks in FIFA 08.
Conclusion
What else can I say? If you love soccer and computers, Pro Evolution Soccer 08 is the game for your PC. It has a few problems, like the lack of that many “licensed” teams, and the control icons that are displayed like on a console instead of the actual keys. But it is the best soccer game for the PC in 2008.
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