The soccer simulator par excellence has been performing for several seasons at a level well below what we were used to, and Konami knows it. For this reason, the company has announced that ‘Pro Evolution Soccer 2010’ will bring a large number of new features in its playability, in order to achieve (I quote) ” recreate real football as closely as current media will allow us “.
In the extensive press release issued by Konami, it is announced that the title will arrive as usual next fall, mentioning among the platforms XBox 360, PlayStation 3 and 2, PC and PSP; Wii is therefore off the list, but I imagine that by considering the version of the game on the Nintendo console a different branch. The promotional image will be put by the virtuous Leo Messi.
But let’s talk about all those promised playable news, which is what really interests us. What have they done to try to get us to regain faith in them? Well, to begin with, they have increased the number of developers working on the project, also creating departments dedicated to improving specific parts.
On the other hand, the company has invested this last year in paying close attention to the opinions given by followers around the world, both from specialized analysis and from comments on forums, to find out what it was that fans wanted to improve and work directly on the root of the problem. The result of all this study, always according to Konami, is the most realistic and satisfactory ‘Pro Evolution Soccer’ to date. Do we believe it?
One of the clear objectives when it comes to gameplay is to make the game a challenging challenge for players again, maximizing the simulation as in the old days . Teams will perform defense and pressure in a zonal manner, and finding gaps to reach the opponent’s area will require quick reactions and a lot of vision of the game.
Artificial intelligence has been improved , and both machine-controlled players and referees will benefit from the implementation of a technology called Teamvision 2.0. Scoring goals will now be more difficult, as both defenders and forwards will be involved in defensive tasks, covering spaces and cutting counterattacks. As far as attack is concerned, the strategy will take on much more prominence, since we will have the possibility of directing several of our players to different parts of the field, giving the title a new level of control.
Likewise, the AI will adapt to our way of playing, so our teammates controlled by the machine will not always act in the same way. Thanks to this, the rest of the players on our team will vary their behavior depending on our style of play , also allowing us to adapt our strategies in a much more fluid way during a match.
Naturally, the visual section will also be renewed , with a graphic engine that will seek to present the duels in the most realistic way, both in terms of footballer modeling, as well as in stadiums and the public. Of course, the animations of the players will also take a quality leap, featuring many new movements and improving existing ones.
But there are still many more improvements to point to the list: the setting of the stadiums will now be much more successful, with fans clearly positioned in terms of teams at home and abroad, the commentators will be much more precise and in line with the situation. of game, the Master League will be completely renewed, a new penalty shooting system will be implemented with more possibilities, and we will have a more advanced online game system.
Thus, it is clear that Konami has clearly opted for a profound renewal for its football proposal for the 2009/2010 campaign. Will it be enough for ‘Pro Evolution Soccer’ to recover the simulator scepter par excellence of the beautiful game? Well, we will have the answer to all this in a few months.
