Konami has managed to turn the bottle. Last year's game was a disappointment to many, but during spring and especially summer, they have released photos and information that been talking about PES 2010 to be really positive. FIFA players are talking about changing to PES again, and PES-boycotters considering to return to the series. Now it's just up to the game to deliver.
Not complete code
First and foremost it must be said that the code, I spent four hours with at this point is not clear. Things will be fixed before the launch so that I write from now on can be changed. But do not expect any revolutionary changes.
On the other, we could not test the online mode and for many is the game and with that it works without lagging.
Konami has made an effort
This year, it finally felt that Konami has made an effort. The last three, four, five years, the PES series has in many ways been stamping in the same Well-Proved areas without any special drastic changes. But now, there has been a great changes. The licensing of the European League (formerly the UEFA Cup) and Champions League are two really important licenses that is doing much for the gaming experience. This year is also the first time that the game's menus are translated into Swedish, except some mistakes like Cup is kupp but otherwise it was okay. Even the menus are much nicer and more easy to navigate by now.
Moreover, they added a lot of new Teams and then, believe it or not, Master League has received a major facelift.
After five years - a new Master League
It is really pathetic to read the review of PES4 and realize that nothing has happened with the PES series career mode for five years. What other sports can say that about? But now Konami have actually changed a lot.
You start by choosing a team. You can take the large established team to play with your favorite player or a Crappy team for a little challenge.You can also make your own team with, emblems, costumes, names and stadium and put in your own league. About 20 teams can be edited and added in the league.
After the choice of Team, it is time to choose settings for how the league is going to work, how many cards that lead to a suspension and some other small things with the overall league.
Requirements for Sponsors
Then you get to see a list of the sponsors you got. The contracts will last a number of years and provides a fixed sum, but it can also be a bonus clause that gives you extra money if you, for example, finished third or better in the league, or are unbeaten in 10 matches in a row. There may also be a Clause that makes you lose a sponsor if you get knocked out of the group in Champions League (yes, both Champions League and European League is the Master League). These examples apply to Liverpool. Lower requirements for you if you select a crappier team.
Pay the staff
The economy is a major new part of the Master League. In the addition of sponsors you also get money from the fans membership. The more fans the more money. The money goes of course to the players salaries first, And then on different parts of your staff. Should the club doctors cost 50 000 euro or 10 million? How much should scout activities or the Youth Team get? Each personnel record can get five replacement levels and although I did not have time to test it, I presume that compensation is the quality you get.
New transfer system
Another major innovation is the transfer system. Meanwhile, will enter the Master League just before the season and therefore you have the chance to get any new players just before it's time to go out and play. But it seems not as easy as before. Now the Scouts are very important and without them you will not know what the players have for the values. It is only after a few games that your scouts can tell about the watched players abilities. Moreover it takes some time you receive notice of a contract negotiation. During our quick test of the negotiations, it took about four games before we were told that a player was not interested in a contract with us. It seems disturbing that you doesn't have more control then that, but it must be tested much more before I know for sure.
It is also possible to simulate matches, look at the average of the player to get a quick overview of their ability, determine what an individual player training will focus on the most and hear what a scout has to say about a certain spelare.
Where is Ruskin?
It should also be mentioned that the team to start with no longer contains Minanda, Ruskin and the other crappy players. There is now real players and real teams. But they will be found in the Youth Team from the start where they spend their time before they are ready to get moved up to the A-team. Exactly how this works, we do not know yet. But a reasonable guess is that they develop in Youth Team depending on how much money you spend on their training.
Become a legend again
Among the other game modes "Become a legend" will return and there seems to be the same as last year, but I only tested the mode for a few minutes.
From the main menu, you can also choose to play a quick match, cups and leagues.
Add audience audio
For those who like to edit teams and players, there are the same amount of hairstyles and faces as last year, you can still take pictures and add a face or emblem and there is still no really full beard. A cool detail is that you now can add about ten audience audio per team to create a little more unique atmosphere at the stadiums.
Graphically, there has been an improvement in the lighting effects and details on many of the players and on the field. Some players are scarry like their selfs, while others are laughable. Olof Mellberg has for some reason has become somewhat unrecognizable and Erik Edman is just weird with a new emo-haircut. The Nets behave about as wierd as before and faces react to things that is happening on the field.
License has moved east
When it comes to licenses, Hammarby, AIK, IFK Gothenburg and Kalmar will be in from Sweden. In England, only Manchester United and Liverpool are fully licensed, the rest have wrong Team names and kits. The entire Spanish league is in, but not "a small team who have been fighting" according to Konami. All Italian and Dutch Teams is in, many Russian and several new Eastern European teams, four Greek, three Belgian, some Portuguese, but in this version the German league is very empty. I do not think I saw a single Team. The reason is that EA owns the Bundesliga license.
More FIFA?
So the most important; Feeling on the pitch. It were Konami has been tough. It will probably not feel like an immediate improvement for most who try it for the first time. Players are now a little heavier, a little more physical. It is not as easy to just run through the players that it was in PES 2009, but it is a little slower in the turns. To get away a pass or shot can take a tenth of a second extra to get the players to gain control of the ball or for the animations to catch up with. The players are not quick to change ways in spriting and it's not easy to go from standstill to full speed. It is perhaps more realistic, but it gives a slightly slower feeling on the pitch. I hardly dare to say it, but it is a little more FIFA over the feeling.
The Raven and the goalkeeper
Sometimes, it looks good that the players do not really control the ball in all situations, but it's still too often crappy-player-control of the Premier League players. It is okay if it happens rarely, but my impression of the ten games I played or witnessed is that it happens too often. It happened several times that the player fumbled out the to the sidelines when they tried to receive a long pass, as if they still don't know where the pitch are.
I saw a lot of new animations and physical duels seemed more alive. It happened several times that players stood still, and fought for the ball before anyone came. That bad Sprint-animation from PES 2009 is slightly better now, but still not flexible enough.
One detail that irritated me was that the goalkeeper is extremely slow with passes to the back line from Out-Kick stance. It does not seem that the goalkeeper has become much faster on throwing the ball out either.
New tactics and cards
It is quite clear that you can not just throw yourself into the PES 2010. It is a slightly new feel of the field where you like in FIFA 09 has to be slightly ahead in the tank at all times and pass a little sooner than you think is necessary. The new tactics system also requires careful testing. You can set how much support players to give, how hard the press the team will bring, and much more. It looks good in the menus with clear instructions and animated examples of how it affects the game.
A new card system with various special abilities of the players have also been introduced, but I honestly don't understand so much about it yet. Players can have different abilities as running along the edges, breaking in on goal or something like that. A way to define how they often play on the pitch as like the stars in PES 2009, but exactly how it works, I have to get back to that.
Statistic for games on the Sofa
We could, as I said not to test the online mode, but for you who like to play against friends offline, there are now profiles to save for you and all your opponents to later compare you selfs in all possible statistics. Kind of like the PS2 versions in other words.
Another feature compared to PES 2009 is that the game loads faster now and that we can see the matches presention while waiting. A little, smart trick.
Even the music has improved. It is not the same painful tones from Konamis most sadistic person anymore. There is still much that is created by Konami itself, but it is now a little better productions.
Carefully positive
My gutfeeling is that Konami has made it a little difficult for themselves. We Master League nerds will probably be satisfied with the new system far deeper, but all who want that exact, control which I still think PS2 versions completed it best, will probably be disappointed in the beginning. PES 2010 is not something you just throw your self into and mastering it after two matches. I need more match hours before I am sure with my impression. So far, I am carefully positive.
