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 Pro
Evolution Soccer 2011 (Playstation 3)
Konami's latest sports simulation, Pro
Evolution Soccer 2011 refines the series in a number of key areas while
staying true to the mechanics and play that have become its hallmark. This
year's installment includes new player models with enhanced animations for
added realism. There's also a new online version of the venerable Master
League mode. On the field, players will find auto move mapping to their
controller with noticeably more aggressive, sophisticated player AI. What
hasn't changed are the intuitive controls, excellent presentation and
fast-paced gameplay. It's not as nuanced as FIFA 11 and plays more
viscerally and its lacks the polish or extensive licenses of EA's titles
but PES 2011 offers a solidly entertaining and challenging sports title. |
Despite a few missteps over the past few years, Konami's long-running Pro
Evolution Soccer series keeps gradually improving in many key areas. This
year's installment doesn't figure to dethrone FIFA, but its represents
several solid steps forward for the franchise. While other sports titles
seem to change dramatically from year to year, PES has maintained a
remarkable consistency through the years. This year's edition doesn't
offer wholesale change, but there are some interesting tweaks to the
formula. PES' 360 degree control system has been refined in some key ways
and now feels a little tighter and more responsive than it did - which
gives you added control and more flexibility. This is most noticeable when
passing, which is both more accurate and less forgiving than it was in
past installments. Shooting and aiming the ball is a bit less daunting
than you'd think, but its still going to take a lot of skill to get the
ball inside the net. One of the more significant changes in the way PES
2011 plays comes in its passing and dribbling system which is more
realistic this year. Instead of going for long runs as in the older games,
the new game has a slightly different approach that's slightly more
realistic. You'll have to work in order to move up the field and there's
much more aggressive AI that makes it harder to avoid tackles. This makes
it more difficult to get through your opponents and rewards faster passes
that put you in less danger. Pushing the ball through requires a bit more
skill and forethought, and you'll have to strategize a bit more and think
ahead. This emphasis on strategy leads to a much more playable installment
that has a lot more longevity in it than you'd think it would. Players
will find a lot of depth in creating set-pieces, carving paths through an
opponent's defenses and making great shots while keeping their opponents
at bay. PES does an excellent job in bringing this nuance to the player
without falling into the trap of becoming a dry intimidating simulation.
On the field, PES action remains
exciting and engaging. Each match's pacing is a bit more realistic this
year as well, though its still mostly action-packed. PES 2011 generally
fast pace is bracketed with slower sections that build up to a climax as
your players move up the field, while the pacing generally increases when
you approach the goal section. Getting through the defenders isn't as easy
as it was in previous games and they seem to lock onto your position much
quicker, which makes for a challenging title that requires you to
anticipate their positions and look for ways around them. Once you get
into the goal area, things remain challenging since the keepers don't
hesitate to run right up to you and block your attempts. You definitely
need to be quicker with your shots this time around but you can still do
some damage once you learn how the game reacts to your moves and
understand how its defense operates. It sounds more complicated than it is
in practice, which is due in large part to the game's intuitive controls
which make PES 2011 play smoothly. Players pass and dribble seamlessly on
offensive, while defensive moves are easy to use and effective. You can
perform a number of special moves easily and change tactics immediately
with little loss in the overall flow of each match. Advanced players now
have the ability to map their favorite moves to the controller, which
makes the gameplay even more instinctive when its implemented. What makes
PES such a joy to play is the smoothness in which all these elements come
together, creating a game that's highly playable with enough complexity
for hard core fans while remaining accessible for novice players.
 The
game's solid gameplay mechanics and play value are backed up with some
excellent additional features. Before you get ready for real competition,
you can compete in practice matches and tune up your skills, play friendly
matches against opponents without any real stakes or choose to play a full
season of games in the tournament modes. While PES 2011 has a limited
number of licenses, it does include three major exclusives: England's
Champions League, the UEFA Cup from Europe and Copa Santander Libertadores
tournaments from Latin America. Most of the famous players and their
accompanying teams are also included here. Each league can be played in
single matches or tournament mode, which gives these modes plenty of
depth. No matter which modes you select, you can choose to play in single
matches or go through an entire season of championship play, which gives
the game added depth. PES also includes the ability to go behind the
scenes in its Master League mode. In this section, you can play as the
general manager of the team, buying, selling and trading for players to
add to your squad or bidding against others in the open market. As usual,
your objective is to advance your club from the bottom rungs to the elite
leagues while earning profit and keeping your fans happy. Konami goes one
step further this year and allows you to play in the Master League online
with other players, which should make this mode even more interesting.
Players can also choose to create and compete as a solo player in the
Become A Legend mode. Here, you tackle the role of a single player and go
through matches, earning points for your skills on the field and working
your way up the ranks. Its sort of interesting, but the implementation is
still a little rough around the edges. One major drawback to PES has
always been its limited number of official licenses, but the good news is
that you can create your own teams from scratch and make rough
approximations of your favorites. In addition, most of the major name
players are included in the game as well. As far as teams go, there's a
couple of major names such as Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid
making up this year's slate of rotating star clubs. Given these
limitations, its impressive how accurately the game captures the
excitement and drama of real professional soccer, with its tension filled
rivalries and intense matches.
From a visual standpoint, this is the
best-looking PES title to date. It's animations are smooth and fluid and
each character's movement is more lifelike. Konami has done impressive
work and has added tons of new animations to give each player a more
realistic appearance. The game looks great and offers multiple points of
view ranging from long-range over-head shots that let you see the whole
field, or in a close-in that allows you to keep track of individual
players. This is especially helpful in the Legend mode. You can switch
between views at will and can also use the game's replay function to
relive great moments or see where you went wrong. One new feature this
year is the drag and drop mode in Master League, which makes managing your
team much faster and more intuitive. As usual, the game's spot commentary
is well-done and helps to immerse you into the action. These changes and
upgrades make for an excellent looking game overall. Despite lacking the
polish and licenses of FIFA, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 remains a solid
soccer title that offers plenty of depth, solid gameplay mechanics and
polished visuals that marks it as another solid installment in Konami's
respected sports franchise. The intuitive controls and fast action give it
a unique feel and this makes PES a good alternative if you want a slightly
different approach to the sport.
-
Michael Palisano
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