PES 2010

PES 2010 - (Xbox 360,PS3,PC )
Developer: Konami
Format: Xbox 360,PS3,PC
Genre: Football


Pro Evo returns to challenge FIFA for the title!



Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 struts out onto the pitch in fine form, determined to right the wrongs of the 2009 offering whilst ambitiously looking to close the gap with the table topper that is FIFA 10. The view from the touchline is good. Football fans we have a winner on our hands.

FIFA 10 touted 360 dribble control as one of the key new features, PES 2010 makes a similar, subtler claim, although in truth, the PES 2010 control doesn't feel particularly different. The same can't be said for the aesthetics. The game has undergone a radical makeover - replacing clunky front end menus with smoother navigation, substituting the laughable 'Japlish' soundtrack with trendy tunes form the likes of The Chemical Brothers and Klaxons.

The visual polish is most noticeable in the players themselves. PES 2010 character models are eerily realistic - from Gerrard's furrowed brow to Torres' freckled cheeks the detail is remarkable and relegates FIFA almost unfairly to ugly sister status.

Off the pitch, PES 2010 has concentrated on new sim-like tactics with the introduction of skill cards for individual players and numerous scalable 1-100 tactical sliders that change the team's playing style. Master League, a cornerstone of PES titles has been beefed up to include more enhanced training and negotiation features adding a level of sophistication that FIFA's slightly under cooked Manager Mode doesn't match.

Konami also promises a much improved online game, rich with community based features, tournaments and co-op team play. But until the game experiences high network traffic as thousands of would-be Walcott's start strolling onto the virtual pitch, the stability of the network - a gamebreaker in the last version, cannot be tested.

But in terms of look and feel, PES 2010 is back to winning ways. The on-pitch action is realistic and intuitive with little dinked overhead through passes still out-foxing an otherwise razor sharp opposition defence.

The Online arena is where the two football titles will finally decide who is crowned champion of the latest season - but for now at least, we're focussing on how good PES 2010 is as a stand-alone game - and just in case you can't tell, we're clapping and cheering from the cheap seats.